Carte

"Almost certainly a masterpiece." (Anita Brookner). Ryder, a renowned pianist, arrives in a Central European city he cannot identify for a concert he cannot remember agreeing to give. But then as he traverses a landscape by turns eerie and comical - and always strangely malleable, as a dream might be - he comes steadily to realise he is facing the most crucial performance of his life. Ishiguro's extraordinary and original study of a man whose life has accelerated beyond his control was met on publication by consternation, vilification - and the highest praise. If you enjoyed The Unconsoled, you might also like Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day.

In this debut novel from acclaimed Booker Prize-winning Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day,Never Let Me Go), post-war Japan serves as the haunting backdrop to a subtle story of memory, suicide, and psychological trauma.

'Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle.' In this charming book from 1906, Okakura explores Zen, Taoism, Tea Masters and the significance of the Japanese tea ceremony. It is both a paean to the art of simplicity, and a wry critique of the West's view of Japan.

"A gentle, moving tragicomedy... Ishiguro gives us a vignette of a moment in cultural history which is as complete, in its own way, as Washington Square" (London Review of Books)

" A work of spare elegance: refined, understated, economic" (Sunday Times)