Sir Kazuo Ishiguro: The Songwriter Who Won the Nobel Prize

In this episode of pplpod, we profile Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, the Japanese-born British novelist whose work has uncovered "the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world". From his early days in Nagasaki to receiving the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017, we trace the evolution of a writer who refuses to be confined by genre, blending elements of detective stories, science fiction, and myth.

Join us as we cover:

• The "Imaginary Japan": Born in Nagasaki and moving to Guildford, Surrey at age five, Ishiguro did not return to Japan for nearly 30 years. We discuss how this distance compelled him to build a personal, "imaginary" version of Japan that defined his early masterpieces like A Pale View of Hills and An Artist of the Floating World.
• From Bob Dylan to the Booker: Before he was a literary titan, Ishiguro was a grouse beater at Balmoral and an aspiring singer-songwriter. Learn how his love for Bob Dylan and his "ephemeral songwriting career" taught him the intimate, first-person narrative style that defines his novels.
• Defying Expectations: We break down his major works, from the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day to the dystopian classic Never Let Me Go (named the best novel of 2005 by Time) and his recent exploration of Artificial Intelligence in Klara and the Sun.
• Screen and Song: Beyond novels, we look at his Oscar-nominated screenplay for the film Living and his side career writing lyrics for Grammy-nominated jazz singer Stacey Kent.

Tune in to hear how a man who once thought he was "less glamorous" than a musician became a Knight Bachelor and one of the most celebrated authors of our time.