A short novel broadly categorised as historical fiction,

is one of Kazuo Ishiguro’s most studied and discussed works. Like his first novel,

(1982), this second novel by Ishiguro is set in Japan and draws on the author’s Japanese heritage. Following the publication of

in 1986, Ishiguro became regarded as an “internationalist” writer, alongside Salman Rushdie and Shiva Naipaul, at a time of growing interest in foreign-born writers with a British connection.

The story is narrated by Masuji Ono, an elderly, retired artist in Japan, writing what reads like a memoir over a period of two years, between 1948 and 1950. Early in his recollections, the reader is told that Ono was a distinguished artist and,

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Citation: Trimarco, Paola. "An Artist of the Floating World". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 December 2016 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6688, accessed 27 November 2024.]