Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful a customer will soon choose her.
Klara and the Sun is a thrilling book that offers a look at our changing world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator, and one that explores the fundamental question: what does it mean to love?

《格兰塔》是世界上最著名的文学杂志之一。它1889年创刊于英国剑桥大学，名字取自剑桥附近的格兰塔河，是剑桥大学的一份学生刊物。1970年，《格兰塔》因资金等原因停刊。1979年，两个剑桥大学的美国留学生比尔•巴福特和乔纳森•莱维对当时文坛沉闷的氛围很不满。为了撼动既有的文学格局，便接手《格兰塔》，以季刊的形式重新出版。
《格兰塔》打出的口号是一份“新写作杂志”。他们每期设定一个主题，重点推出英美文坛年轻作家的文学作品。三十四年来，《格兰塔》紧扣宗旨：“让读者免于沉闷；成为英国文化的先锋；用有力、独特、原创的故事来展现”， 它每十年评选的“英国最佳青年小说家”名单，囊括了英国后来的大部分名家。许多享誉世界的大作家伊恩•麦克尤恩、萨尔曼•拉什迪、保罗•奥斯特、扎蒂•史密斯等作家的文学生涯，都是从《格兰塔》起步的。
《格兰塔》的影响遍及全世界，迄今已有十多个国际版本。经过一年多的筹备，九久读书人与上海文艺出版社终于联手启动《格兰塔》主题书的出版。
与英文版《格兰塔》每年定期出版四期不同，中文版《格兰塔》将为每年不定期出版二、三辑的主题系列书。第一辑主题“不列颠”，收入十八位英国老中青三代作家的作品，其中包括中国读者熟悉的大卫•米切尔、A.S.拜厄特、石黑一雄、珍妮特•温特森、哈尼夫•库雷西、萨拉•沃特斯等著名作家，有威廉•博伊德、哈里•孔兹鲁、杰夫•戴尔等中国读者比较陌生的实力派作家，还有罗伯特•麦克法兰、乔•邓索恩等新生代作家，既有短篇小说、长篇小说节选、纪实、游记散文，也有戏剧剧本、诗歌、图片专题，从各个方面反映英国的历史文化和社会风貌。
我们相信，《格兰塔》中文版第一辑是用各种形式来讲述一个精彩故事的绝妙范例。而怎样讲述故事，不仅仅是一个美学问题。它也是一个与哲学有关的问题。在这一辑的许多故事里，这还是与家园有关的问题，你的心在哪里？你忠心于谁？

「以哀而不傷的筆觸，平實卻又奇崛，把世界帶到讀者面前……
於此，石黑一雄深入我心，
正如一首夜曲，又不止是一首夜曲。」──吳明益
剃刀邊緣的感性 帝國的沒落輓歌
1989年布克獎獲獎作品
一九五六年夏，上了年紀的宅邸總管史帝文斯駕車展開一趟為期六日的休假旅程，他探訪故友，憑弔過往；走訪英國最美麗的鄉間風光，也深入自己心中迷霧蔽日的往事……
身為一絲不苟的「完美總管」，史帝文斯侍事一家豪門三十餘載，不惜為尊嚴與忠誠付出一切；經歷兩次大戰，見證歲月偷換、人事移徙。他沉湎詼諧的冥想與記憶，反覆確認後又重拾猶疑，熱衷自我法庭上的詰問與申辯。如逝去時代的遺民，戀戀不捨舊日的美好與輝煌，即使賦予他生命意義的世界已不復存，他仍耽溺往昔的虛幻風景。
回憶是迷失的跫音，在時光長廊上終日遊蕩。除了回憶，他一無所依。他渴望聆聽當下，回憶卻時時撥擾弦外之音……迷亂往事，近乎昏盲。恰如石黑一雄對自己筆下人物的評價：「他們表現了一種殊死的勇氣，儘管他們目睹自己耗費了生命的大部分時間，只為了做徒勞的事，他們仍甘願繼續下去。我敬佩他們，他們能深刻自我理解。問題是，生命消逝得太快。」
本書特色
◎石黑一雄獲布克獎經典作品。
◎收錄吳明益專文推薦&宋國誠導讀。
◎隨書附贈「長日風景卡」。
好評推薦
本書是石黑一雄繼《浮世畫家》後的第三本力作。史帝文斯是一位上了歲數的總管，服侍達令頓爵爺三十年時光，他回憶過去，重新面對生命中的重要事件，不知不覺間，其嚴謹且壓抑的情感逐漸鬆動。史帝文斯待人淡漠而含蓄，自命不凡且缺乏幽默，他將一生奉獻給他認定的工作職責，希望藉全然的無私奉獻、冷酷地壓抑自我情感而登上職涯的高峰。對他而言，堅忍克己是一種美德，他對自己在父親過世之際泰然自若的表現感到自豪，也相信在面對情感磅礡的女管家時，自己的處理是最「正確」的選擇。石黑一雄對於史帝文斯的個性塑造細微精準、恰到好處，製造出反諷的效果，使主角不經意流露出一種令人悲憫的自欺。作者在令人沉痛不已的結局裡也描述了主角遲來的覺醒，史帝文斯感嘆自己浪費了一生，盲目為愚癡的主人服務，也始終不能曉悟「人情交誼」。──《出版者週刊》
這部小說的敘事者是完美無缺的英國總管史帝文斯。他試圖在幾近妙不可喻的工作領域裡自我貶抑，藉此為狹隘的生命經驗賦予某種形式與意義。史帝文斯的職涯歷經了第二次世界大戰，卻終未察覺周遭的生活原貌──好比，他那位貴族主人顯然同情納粹，但他渾然未覺。這部精準又悲傷的小說尚有更加懸人心念的情節──究竟，史帝文斯能否在其極度壓抑的生存方式中，容許些許積極的生命情意？──亞馬遜網路書評
藝術大師之作……展現令人驚艷的膽量與自信。──《紐約書評》
一個既優美又殘酷的故事。──小說家／薩爾曼．魯西迪（Salman Rushdie）
一位大藝匠家。──詩人&小說家／瑪格麗特．愛特伍（Margaret Atwood），《石板雜誌》（Margaret Atwood, Slate）
整個世代中最傑出且最有原創性的作家。──劇作家／蘇珊‧希爾（Susan Hill），英國《星期日郵報》（Mail on Sunday）
真是一部完美的小說。我根本捨不得放下。──小說家／安‧碧亞提（Ann Beattie）
巧妙的敘述與完美無瑕的語調控制……來自這位卓越的小說家。──小說家／茱利安．巴恩斯（Julian Barnes）
劇情描述一位完美的英國總管及他對英國戰後的衰退與保守的反應，具悲劇色彩且有豐富的心靈內涵。真是精彩絕倫的一本書。──網站書評（Inside Flap）
不世出的傑作……令人信服且完整的勾勒細節，一個人的生命旅程在讀者眼前抽絲剝繭，別出心裁且引人入勝，時而逗趣，時而愚昧，終究感人至深。──《週日時報》
石黑一雄的上乘之作：攸關人的存在、階級與文化等提旨的諷刺喜劇，引人入勝，魔法般轉化為細膩深刻且揪心的動人敘事。情節交錯、教人讚歎……石黑一雄是具獨創性且卓越的天才。──《紐約時報》
故事巧妙、震憾人心。──《新聞周刊》
聰明、優雅，一部體貼、細膩的傑作。──《衛報》

喚不回的時光，是否更教人緬懷傷感？得不到的愛情，是否更讓人刻骨銘心？......
史蒂文，達頓邱內生性嚴肅耿介的總管，在二次大戰前後，正值歐洲政局波譎雲詭，無論達頓邱是名流雲集，或至繁華盡落，他總是盡忠職守、兢兢業業地在一旁靜觀世事的變化滄桑。然而，他與女管家肯鄧小姐之間的情愫，卻也被苦澀地包藏在這份矜持下而無法釋放。
在雙方尖刻、鋒利、敵對的爭衝突背後，蘊藏的其實是一股似水柔情，但一心執著於對工作完美要求的史蒂文，終究還是選擇了固守心防、封鎖情感，放任絕望的肯鄧小姐遠走別嫁他鄉！
經過多年，如今垂垂老矣、卻猶是孤家寡人的史蒂文，獨自駕車前往英格蘭西部探詢肯鄧，想要彌補當年對她冷漠所鑄成的憾事。他倆的再度重逢，是否能再續昔日的深情？......

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, comes an unforgettable edge-of-your-seat mystery that is at once heartbreakingly tender and morally courageous about what it means to be human.
Hailsham seems like a pleasant English boarding school, far from the influences of the city. Its students are well tended and supported, trained in art and literature, and become just the sort of people the world wants them to be. But, curiously, they are taught nothing of the outside world and are allowed little contact with it.
Within the grounds of Hailsham, Kathy grows from schoolgirl to young woman, but it’s only when she and her friends Ruth and Tommy leave the safe grounds of the school (as they always knew they would) that they realize the full truth of what Hailsham is.
Never Let Me Go breaks through the boundaries of the literary novel. It is a gripping mystery, a beautiful love story, and also a scathing critique of human arrogance and a moral examination of how we treat the vulnerable and different in our society. In exploring the themes of memory and the impact of the past, Ishiguro takes on the idea of a possible future to create his most moving and powerful book to date.

諾貝爾文學獎得主石黑一雄
惠特布萊德年度最佳小說獎
布克獎提名
「日本記憶」名作
．NHK電視台改編為電視劇
實力派超人氣巨星──渡邊謙、廣末涼子主演
．全新譯本
一九四八年日本戰後，浮世繪畫家小野逐步揭開回憶的面紗。他四處探訪故友，只為完成幼女早日出嫁的心願。然而無法遮掩的前塵往事，如一幅幅浮世繪交疊湧現……
以普魯斯特式的回憶自述
在非線性的故事軸線裡反覆叩問：
過去與未來能否和解，或者永遠是天秤的兩端？
「這個主題讓人著迷……他展現了悔恨、罪惡、記憶的延展性、衰老的痛苦、落寞、孤獨。當我看完之後，在細微更替的光線下，可以看見主角小野，與這世界。」──《英國獨立報》（Independent）
享譽盛名的浮世繪畫家小野，二戰爆發後，毅然捨棄享樂的藝術追求，與恩師決裂，轉而投身愛國主義的畫作。
戰敗後，一切驟然變化，在人人自省的風氣下，被親友與外人疏遠、責難，他才恍若大夢初醒，原來一切虛如浮雲，只是自己過去的作為證據鑿鑿，無法抹滅也無法改變。
無法量測的記憶，在道德的尺規中游移不定──只能在殘缺的影像中反覆驗證。
面對往日是與非，唯有說服自己，才能說服世界，最終回歸浮世，任萬事隨風飄去。

2005年，以微弱优势败北的布克奖竞选作品~~
海爾森一定有祕密！
就算你以為知道了真相，但裹著糖衣的「善意謊言」，到底有多真……
海爾森表面上看來是一所迷人的英國寄宿學校，遺世而獨立。學生皆能受到良好的照護與協助，並且在藝術與文學方面訓練有素，完全符合這個世界對於他們的期望。但是，奇怪的是，他們從未學習任何有關外面世界的事物，對於外界也少有接觸。
在海爾森的校區內，凱西從女童成長為一名年輕女性，然而卻要到了她和露絲、湯米兩位朋友離開學校這個安全國度以後，才真正明瞭學校的全部真相，而且逐漸明白記憶中無瑕的成長過程，處處皆是無法追尋的惶惑與駭人的問號；他們的壽命將會隨著「器官捐獻」而慢慢步入死亡……
一個扣人心弦的謎題和一則教人心碎的愛情故事，《別讓我走》可能是石黑一雄至今最感人、影響最深的一部作品。本書不但承襲了石黑一雄一貫的典雅文風，卻也尖銳的闡明人性的脆弱與希望，是一部巧妙融合了推理、懸疑、科幻與愛情元素的傑作。

From the acclaimed author of The Remains of the Day and When We Were Orphans, a moving new novel that subtly reimagines our world and time in a haunting story of friendship and love.
As a child, Kathy–now thirty-one years old–lived at Hailsham, a private school in the scenic English countryside where the children were sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe that they were special and that their well-being was crucial not only for themselves but for the society they would eventually enter. Kathy had long ago put this idyllic past behind her, but when two of her Hailsham friends come back into her life, she stops resisting the pull of memory.
And so, as her friendship with Ruth is rekindled, and as the feelings that long ago fueled her adolescent crush on Tommy begin to deepen into love, Kathy recalls their years at Hailsham. She describes happy scenes of boys and girls growing up together, unperturbed–even comforted–by their isolation. But she describes other scenes as well: of discord and misunderstanding that hint at a dark secret behind Hailsham’s nurturing facade. With the dawning clarity of hindsight, the three friends are compelled to face the truth about their childhood–and about their lives now.
A tale of deceptive simplicity, Never Let Me Go slowly reveals an extraordinary emotional depth and resonance–and takes its place among Kazuo Ishiguro’s finest work.

An extraordinary new novel from the author of Never Let Me Go and the Booker Prize-winning The Remains of the Day.
"You've long set your heart against it, Axl, I know. But it's time now to think on it anew. There's a journey we must go on, and no more delay . . ."
The Buried Giant begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years.
Sometimes savage, often intensely moving, Kazuo Ishiguro's first novel in nearly a decade is about lost memories, love, revenge, and war.

When 9-year-old Christopher Banks's father--a British businessman involved in the opium trade--disappears from the family home in Shanghai, the boy and his friend Akira play at being detectives: Until in the end, after the chases, fist-fights and gun-battles around the warren-like More...
alleys of the Chinese districts, whatever our variations and elaborations, our narratives would always conclude with a magnificent ceremony held in Jessfield Park, a ceremony that would see us, one after another, step out onto a specially erected stage ... to greet the vast cheering crowds. ...Shrink
But Christopher's mother also disappears, and he is sent to live in England, where he grows up in the years between the world wars to become, he claims, a famous detective. His family's fate continues to haunt him, however, and he sifts through his memories to try to make sense of his loss. Finally, in the late 1930s, he returns to Shanghai to solve the most important case of his life. But as Christopher pursues his investigation, the boundaries between fact and fantasy begin to evaporate. Is the Japanese soldier he meets really Akira? Are his parents really being held in a house in the Chinese district? And who is Mr. Grayson, the British official who seems to be planning an important celebration? My first question, sir, before anything else, is if you're happy with the choice of Jessfield Park for the ceremony? We will, you see, require substantial space.
In When We Were Orphans Kazuo Ishiguro uses the conventions of crime fiction to create a moving portrait of a troubled mind, and of a man who cannot escape the long shadows cast by childhood trauma. Sherlock Holmes needed only fragments--a muddy shoe, cigarette ash on a sleeve--to make his deductions, but all Christopher has are fading recollections of long-ago events, and for him the truth is much harder to grasp. Ishiguro writes in the first person, but from the beginning there are cracks in Christopher's carefully restrained prose, suggestions that his version of the world may not be the most reliable. Faced with such a narrator, the reader is forced to become a detective too, chasing crumbs of truth through the labyrinth of Christopher's memory.
Ishiguro has never been one for verbal pyrotechnics, but the unruffled surface of this haunting novel only adds to its emotional power. When We Were Orphans is an extraordinary feat of sustained, perfectly controlled imagination, and in Christopher Banks the author has created one of his most memorable characters. --Simon Leake

From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss. As children Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were.
Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special–and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together. Suspenseful, moving, beautifully atmospheric, Never Let Me Go is another classic by the author of The Remains of the Day .

One of the most celebrated writers of our time gives us his first cycle of short fiction: five brilliantly etched, interconnected stories in which music is a vivid and essential character.
A once-popular singer, desperate to make a comeback, turning from the one certainty in his life . . . A man whose unerring taste in music is the only thing his closest friends value in him . . . A struggling singer-songwriter unwittingly involved in the failing marriage of a couple he’s only just met . . . A gifted, underappreciated jazz musician who lets himself believe that plastic surgery will help his career . . . A young cellist whose tutor promises to “unwrap” his talent . . .
Passion or necessity—or the often uneasy combination of the two—determines the place of music in each of these lives. And, in one way or another, music delivers each of them to a moment of reckoning: sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes just eluding their grasp.
An exploration of love, need, and the ineluctable force of the past, Nocturnes reveals these individuals to us with extraordinary precision and subtlety, and with the arresting psychological and emotional detail that has marked all of Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed works of fiction.

The story of Etsuko, a Japanese woman now living alone in England, dwelling on the recent suicide of her daughter. In a story where past and present confuse, she relives scenes of Japan's devastation in the wake of World War II.

When Ray turns up to visit his old university friends Charlie and Emily, he's given a special task: to be so much his useless self that he makes Charlie look good by comparison.
But Ray has his own buried feelings to contend with. Decades earlier, he and Emily would listen to jazz when they were alone, and now, as Sarah Vaughan sings through the speakers, he struggles to control everything the sound brings with it.
In Kazuo Ishiguro's hands, a snapshot of domestic realism becomes a miniature masterpiece of memory and forgetting.