Kazuo Ishiguro

Sir Kazuo Ishiguro is a British writer of Japanese origin.

He was born on November 8, 1954, in Nagasaki, Japan, to oceanographer Shizuo Ishiguro and his wife Shizuko. In 1960, the Ishiguro family, including five-year-old Kazuo and his two sisters, moved to the British city of Guildford, the county town of Surrey, where Kazuo’s father had been invited to do research work at the National Institute of Oceanography. Kazuo entered primary school in Stoughton and later continued his education at Surrey Grammar School. After leaving school, he took a one-year academic leave and traveled through the United States and Canada. He dreamed of becoming a musician, played in clubs, and sent demo recordings to producers, but without further success.

In 1974, Kazuo entered the University of Kent, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy in 1978. He worked as a social worker in London. In 1980, he received a Master of Arts degree from the University of East Anglia. One of the seminars Kazuo attended at the University of East Anglia was led by Malcolm Bradbury, and Ishiguro’s mentor was the well-known writer Angela Carter. In 1983, Ishiguro became a British citizen.

Ishiguro co-wrote the lyrics for several songs on albums by the American jazz singer Stacey Kent, including the 2007 album Breakfast on the Morning Tram and the 2013 album The Changing Lights. Speaking about his song lyrics, Ishiguro said, “...intimate, confiding, very personal; their meaning should not be clearly visible. It should be vague, you should read it between the lines.”

Ishiguro has been married to Lorna MacDougall since 1986. They met while working as social workers at a London homeless shelter in Notting Hill. Ishiguro lives in London with his wife and daughter Naomi.

Kazuo Ishiguro’s literary career began in 1981 with the publication of three short stories in the anthology Introduction 7: Stories by New Writers. In 1983, soon after the publication of his first