Kazuo Ishiguro: ‘When you go from book to film, that's a fireside moment'
When Ishiguro, the Nobel laureate and author of 'Remains of the Day' and 'Never Let Me Go,' first undertook fiction writing in his 20s, his first novel, 1982's 'A Pale View of Hills' was inspired by his mother's stories, and his own distance from them. Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki but, when he was 5, moved to England with his family.
'A Pale View of Hills' marked the start to what's become one of the most lauded writing careers in contemporary literature. And, now, like most of Ishiguro's other novels, it's a movie, too.
Kei Ishikawa's film by the same name premiered Thursday at the Cannes Film Festival in its Un Certain Regard section. The 70-year-old author has been here before; he was a member of the jury in 1994 that gave 'Pulp Fiction' the Palme d'Or. 'At the time it was a surprise decision,' he says. 'A lot of people booed.'
Ishiguro is a movie watcher and sometimes maker, too. He penned the 2022 Akira Kurosawa adaptation 'Living.' Movies are a regular presence in his life, in part because filmmakers keep wanting to turn his books into them. Taika Waititi is currently finishing a film of Ishiguro's most recent novel, 'Klara and the Sun' (2021).
Ishiguro likes to participate in early development of an adaptation, and then disappear, letting the filmmaker take over. Seeing 'A Pale View of Hills' turned into an elegant, thoughtful drama is especially meaningful to him because the book, itself, deals with inheritance, and because it represents his beginning as a writer.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
‘Why So Complicated?': Anupam Kher Questions Modern Toilet Symbols
Anupam Kher was seen questioning the complex symbols outside male and female toilets to ask why it could not be as simple as it used to be. Veteran actor Anupam Kher got candid on social media as he expressed his confusion about the signs used in public toilets nowadays. Taking to his Instagram handle, the Metro… In Dino, the actor shared a humorous video where he talked about the unusual symbols used in public toilets to indicate male and female. Sharing the video, Kher commented, 'There's one thing that I don't understand these days. To indicate toilets meant for men and women, they add such images or signs that will often confuse you for some time." Anupam Kher's Humorous Questions About Confusing Public Toilet Signs Anupam Kher was seen questioning the complex symbols outside male and female toilets to ask why it could not be as simple as it used to be. 'This is normal in toilets outside restaurants, dubbing theatres and studios. Why can't they be as simple as they used to be before?" Kher questioned. He then proceeded to show examples from a studio's restroom area, where the symbols outside the toilets required a moment of interpretation, rather than being simple and straightforward. In the concluding part of the video, the actor was seen asking why these symbols have grown so much more complicated when the older indicators were simpler and functioned perfectly. Fan Reactions To make his post broadly relatable, Anupam Kher asked the audience in the caption, 'Does this confusion happen to you???" His fans responded favourably to the post right away, as various fans were seen taking to the comment section to completely agree with the problem. One fan wrote, 'haha TRUE." Another fan commented, 'Ha ha ha! 'Absolutely right." Someone else wrote, 'Full support, sir. Some things are better without adding creativity to them. Seedhe Men's/Women's would be much better." Another fan agreed, saying, 'Yes. Very big confusion." On the Work Front Anupam Kher is currently enjoying the wave of appreciation for his directorial project, Tanvi The Great, which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Produced by Anupam Kher Studios in collaboration with the National Film Development Corporation, the film follows the heartwarming tale of a young autistic girl who aspires to join the Indian Army and fulfil her late father's dream of saluting the flag at Siachen Glacier. The film marks the debut of Shubhangi Dutt, who played the role of Tanvi and features Anupam Kher, Iain Glen, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Arvind Swami and others in prominent roles. Anupam Kher was last seen in Anurag Basu's spiritual sequel, Metro… In Dino alongside Neena Gupta, Konkona Sen Sharma, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Roy Kapur, Sara Ali Khan, Ali Fazal and Fatima Sana Shaikh. First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
a day ago
- News18
Anushka Sen Leaves Fans Swooning In Sexy Yellow Bodycon Dress
Anushka Sen stuns in a pale yellow bodycon dress, flaunting a chic backless design and minimal glam, leaving fans swooning over her gorgeous look. Anushka Sen just does it every time! Grace our feed with sexy pictures, making us swoon over her fashion choices and stunning look. Today, Anushka took to her Instagram and, making the weekend happier, dropped stunning pictures in a beautiful yellow dress, looking like a sunflower, and these pictures are now setting the internet on fire. In the first picture in the carousel, slaying in a pale yellow dress, Anushka has her hand raised to lift her hair up. Anushka's gown beautifully hugged her, shaping her body, with a deep halter strap tied at the nape of her neck, a twisted knot at the bust, and a small keyhole cutout that creates a focal point. Anushka gave the main character energy in this look. The straps of her dress featured metal rings that gave the outfit a subtle detail. She left her hair loose, and for the makeup, the actress opted for a light and sun-kissed approach with natural lips, minimal tint, and subtle eye shadow. For the accessories, she chose a delicate necklace and small earrings. Her dress featured a backless design, visible in a picture. Anushka Sen on the work front Anushka Sen has had quite an exciting year. She made her debut at the Cannes Film Festival in a stunning violet gown inspired by Indian crafts. Later, in South Korea, she became the first Indian to take part in their special New Year's Eve tradition of ringing the country's ceremonial bell. Dressed in a traditional Korean outfit, she joined local officials for the event. For her efforts in strengthening India–Korea ties, Anushka was honoured by the Korean government. As the official ambassador for Korean Tourism, she's been actively connecting the two cultures, even appearing on billboards in Seoul and Busan. She also took part in Project 17, a United Nations music initiative with artist AY Young and Grammy-winning producer Ken Lewis, singing on a track that promotes global education. She even performed live in New York's Times Square with AY Young, using music to spread the message of global change. Now, Anushka is all set to star in two Korean projects, a film called Asia and its spin-off series Crush, alongside Korean Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji. view comments First Published: August 10, 2025, 15:39 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
In ‘The White Book,' Han Kang confronts the ghost of an unlived life
Swaddling bands, newborn gown, salt, snow, ice, moon, rice, waves, yulan, white bird, 'laughing whitely', blank paper, white dog, white hair, shroud… Nobel laureate Han Kang compiles a list of all things white, and invigorates them through episodic fragments in her novel, The White Book. The book floats in the liminal space between a novel and a meditation, between prose and poem – perhaps a memoir for a life not lived. Reading The White Book felt like witnessing a snowfall- a thin veil of snow that steadily paints the landscape white. Kang writes about her older sister, who passed away just two hours after her birth, years before Kang was born. Kang never met her, and has no memories with her or of her, only the unfulfilled possibility of her existence. The closest Kang got to knowing her is through the unfortunate story recounted by mother about the two hours she was alive. Yet, the ghost of her unnamed sister lingers throughout her life, a possibility of an alternate life – a life, perhaps, where Kang herself wouldn't have existed. 'Within that white, all of those white things, I will breathe in the final breath you released,' she writes. The book is an expression of grief afflicted by possibilities, a ghost life. It is not expressed through raucous outcries or fulminating diatribes, but through impassioned silences and the stillness of reflections. The monochrome black and white photographs interspersed throughout the novel emphasises this stillness. Each white object compiled by Kang is used to craft a fragment that talks of grief, possibility, and the fragility of human life. Grief in various forms has been a common theme in literature, grief for a person, for relationships, for memories, and for the past. Kang's The White Book attempts to recreate the possibility of a life unfulfilled, and ultimately contemplates what it means to grieve a possibility. White can feel like an erasure, a void of colours or meaning. However, in The White Book, white holds a space of its own in between purity and silences. The significance of the colour white varies from one culture to another. However, its intricacy lies in its paradoxical cultural contexts. While in Western cultures white is associated with weddings to symbolise new beginnings, whereas, wearing white to funerals is a common practice in countries such as China, Japan, India, and Korea. Not only is white the colour of stillness, blankness, and silence, but also the colour of purity, rebirth, and rejuvenation. Kang deliberates on this dichotomy between white as an end, as well as a possibility. White is the colour Kang associated with her sister's death ever since her mother told her her sister had the complexion of a rice cake. However, Kang uses the same colour to craft an imagined life for her sister who witnesses the pristine and unsullied whiteness of falling snow. In The White Book, white does not signify a lack of colour, it's given a space for itself where grief and possibility converge. A white canvas may be devoid of meaning, but it also offers the possibility of creation. 'Now I will give you white things, What is white, though may yet be sullied; Only white things I will give. No longer will I question Whether I should give this life to you.' How do we remember someone we never knew? What memories do we recollect? How do we grieve for them? The White Book does not attempt to heal grief, or even understand it, it simply attempts to create a space for it. In the midst of an unrelenting world, Kang creates an imagined life for her sister through little anecdotes, contemplating what kind of person she would have grown up to be, the mundane things she would have experienced- the stinging burn of salt, or gazing at the stars. None of this ever happened, but an empty white canvas allows us to colour it as we wish; and Kang used the empty white pages of an unwritten book to create a speculated life. She crafts images through her prose that invoke the silence of inactions and the imagined actions of a life not lived. The novel is not only defined by what is said, but also what is left unsaid. Kang deliberately leaves spaces in between the prose, opting for a fragmentation wherein silence speaks in equal volumes. Instead of adding to the novel, Kang subtracts, leaving us with traces and slivers. We often tend to define life through what is materially present, everything and everyone that surrounds us. But in a life defined by presence, we are still plagued by everything that is absent, and perhaps, these absences define us as much as the presences do. Like how negative space in art defines an object, the negative space in our life also shapes us. For everything present there is something absent. For Kang, it is her sister. The White Book invites its readers to contemplate absences, and how these absences, these lacunae of whiteness define us. (As I See It is a space for bookish reflection, part personal essay and part love letter to the written word.)
