ABSTRACT
Kazuo Ishiguro is fast emerging as an important cultural figure of our times. He has produced six varied and interesting novels, all of which possess great emotional impact and intellectual verve. His work has been translated into over thirty languages. The existential issues addressed in his writing clearly strike a deep chord with readers. As the growing body of criticism on Ishiguro’s writing attests, he is seen as representing certain large sociocultural trends and developments. Among them, his reception dovetails with the increased visibility of Anglophone writing from non-traditional sites. When Ishiguro first emerged on the literary scene over twenty-five years ago, his bicultural status was presented as an epitome of British multiculturalism. His reception was hailed as a sign of a more confident and inclusive society less riven by the conservative identity politics [52, 158] of the preceding era. Since then he has carved out a distinct position within British literature as well as a host of academic sub-fields that claim him as their own. These include Asian diasporic writing, minority writing, cosmopolitan literature, postcolonial writing, world literature and comparative literature. And furthermore it could be said that this development is not surprising, because among other things Ishiguro strives to breach geographical and cultural boundaries that many take for granted and are having to question in an era of increased globalization and cross-cultural exchange. To help readers achieve a nuanced understanding of the recurrent and
developing concerns in Ishiguro’s fiction, this section runs through some of the family and social background details pertinent to his choice of vocation and early development. A brief survey of Ishiguro’s oeuvre will be followed by an explanation of the trajectory of his writing, relating in the process his acknowledged creative and formative influences. This review of authorial development puts the emphasis on Ishiguro’s movement towards and occupation of a unique cosmopolitan terrain manifested among other ways in his self-ascription as an international writer. The narrative concerns underwriting Ishiguro’s early work are also recounted.
