Rushersauce
Banned
Lol Murakami 
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Kazuo Ishiguro wins Nobel Prize for literature
- Thread starter Ratrat
- Start date
SomedayTheFire
Member
What the fuck
Pynchon would probably find some way to send in a blatant forgery as his recording, just so everyone would know he got one over on the Nobel people.
Lol Murakami
Not even joking, I think Murakami is happier living in the universe where Bob Dylan has a Nobel than in any universe where he has one himself.
As for Ishiguro, I've read Never Let Me Go and liked it, though it had me depressed for a good day or two afterwards. I need to check out The Remains of the Day at some point.
efyu_lemonardo
May I have a cookie?
It's possible that Doris Lessing is another example.
Will spoiler tag stuff for those who still want to read the book. But for fans interested in it from a dystopia / sci fi element I'd recommend just about anything else of note.
The whole idea of "what happens to the discarded bodies/clones if we let the rich and powerful harvest body parts" is not particularly novel. The movie The Island more or less covers the same ground, and Orson Scott Card had a lovely little short story 20+ years ago. That's just off hand, I'm sure even 20 years ago this stuff had been around for a while.
Once you remove the supposed novelty of that idea, the book became a drudge of youth gaining experience and tragic young love,
not that different from any Sparks book where one character is fatally ill. Actually having read one Sparks book, I think he did a better job of conveying relatable emotions (even if saccharine) compared to this author.
not that different from any Sparks book where one character is fatally ill. Actually having read one Sparks book, I think he did a better job of conveying relatable emotions (even if saccharine) compared to this author.
I can't imagine anyone reading or recommending Never Let Me Go in 20 years time. I'm not sure if this prize could be the result of marketing and PR for the movie or if critics actually feel this work has literary merit, but I would not recommend it as one of the ~1000 books you might have time to read in your life. I don't know about his other works, but I'd recommend just reading the plot summary on wikipedia instead.
I'm sure many people feel otherwise. Indeed it was the warm reviews for this book on GAF that got me to read it. Especially when people mentioned it as a sci fi book, a genre I am very fond of. However I wanted to give my contrary, but honest, opinion on it so people don't feel like they have to read the book or risk "missing out".
Puck Beaverton
Banned
Good choice. Murakami ain't in my top 5 dawg.
The relative novelty of the plot isn't the reason people recommend it, it's how good the writing is, and the way he explores
the way the characters have been inculcated with the philosophy of resignation to their fate and are unable to conceive of rebelling against the system
sixteen-bit
Member
I hope he never lets it go
Ravensmash
Member
Never read his stuff but seen his name featured prominently in reading lists etc.
Was going to go on a sci fi binge but may well check out Remains of the Day.
On a Murakami related note, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is one of the best books I've ever read.
Was going to go on a sci fi binge but may well check out Remains of the Day.
On a Murakami related note, The Wind Up Bird Chronicle is one of the best books I've ever read.
It's an amazingly atmospheric & well written book. The base idea may not be novel but it's still an absolutely beautiful book.
Ravensmash
Member
Wonder if he's seen a massive upsurge in sales....
All of his books on Amazon have a 1-4 week dispatch time...
All of his books on Amazon have a 1-4 week dispatch time...
The best one would be Remains of the Day. I also liked When we were Orphans. The settings and genres changes, but Ishiguro dwells on similar themes.
War Peaceman
You're a big guy.
That or Remains of the Day.
He is an author that isn't really about the plot. He captures the small moments, the feel of the wind or the recollection of an old memory, with a dignified and quiet beauty.
I can easily see people getting bored if they expect big revelations or dramatic moments in his books. But his books feel so real and relatable.
IamDodongo
Member
Good for him!
I loved Never Let Me Go.
I loved Never Let Me Go.
SciencePilot
Member
Never Let Me Go is absolutely incredible. No book has ever captured the feeling of love better than this book, for me. And there are a lot of books out there about love, so that's a huge accomplishment.
Well deserved.
I don't like Never Let Me Go because of the sci-fi. I like it because it's a love story. The way it expresses the feeling of love, the feeling of never wanting to let go, resonated with me so much.
Well deserved.
I don't like Never Let Me Go because of the sci-fi. I like it because it's a love story. The way it expresses the feeling of love, the feeling of never wanting to let go, resonated with me so much.
Ishiguro is my favourite author so this was incredible news!
Lol Murakami fans are probably crying again, try again next year. It's almost becoming a meme at this point, where every year they declare Murakami the most likely winner, and then someone else wins it.
Edit: Everyone new to Ishiguro should start with Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go. A Pale View of the Hills and When We Were Orphans are good too. Whatever you do, do not start with The Unconsoled. In fact you can probably skip it completely.
Lol Murakami fans are probably crying again, try again next year. It's almost becoming a meme at this point, where every year they declare Murakami the most likely winner, and then someone else wins it.
Edit: Everyone new to Ishiguro should start with Remains of the Day or Never Let Me Go. A Pale View of the Hills and When We Were Orphans are good too. Whatever you do, do not start with The Unconsoled. In fact you can probably skip it completely.