Kazuo Ishiguro’s extraordinary career could be summed up by that old French saying: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Over the past 30 years, his diverse stories have included elderly Japanese painters reviewing their lives, repressed English butlers having their belief systems shattered, and dystopian novels about friendship, time and organ harvesting. But no matter the subject, there are constants of theme (memory, isolation, cultural dislocation, love’s shocks and consolations) and tone: the stately clarity of Ishiguro’s prose that can insinuate profound feeling.
It is therefore suitably surprising, and somehow inevitable, that The Buried Giant opens in a far-distant England suspended between the Roman conquest and the final conflicts between the Britons and the Saxons. Even more unsettling, especially to fans of The Remains of the Day, are the hints of fantasy as practised by those initialised superstars J R R Tolkien and George R R Martin: "Icy fogs hung over rivers and marshes, serving all too well the ogres that were then still native to this land."
Ogres?! Whatever next? A dragon? Well, as a matter of fact, yes, but we’ll have to wait for the second half for our cut-price Smaug. Countering these raised eyebrows is our narrator’s soothing tones. “But such monsters were not cause for astonishment,” he assures the reader, attempting to make this land of terrifying monsters seem as commonplace as a modern hedgerow.
Doubtless the well-read Ishiguro is thinking less of The Hobbit and more of medieval romances like Gawain and the Green Knight. One clue is an appearance by Gawain himself, the last Arthurian Knight, who turns up, older, unwiser and a little doddery – like Don Quixote on holiday from Cervantes' Spain.
But there are broader echoes, not least the quest narrative that shapes much of Ishiguro’s novel. The first is undertaken by Axl and Beatrice, ageing, likeable Britons who leave an unsatisfying village life on a perilous search for their son, who they believe is waiting anxiously for them. Beatrice leads the way, not out of feminist bravery but because Axl knows attacks tend to come from behind. So begins a touching refrain in which Beatrice asks whether her husband is present, and Axl replies gently: “Still here, princess.”
Their call and response attests to touching tendresse but also a plague afflicting the populace with collective memory loss. Beatrice, in Stephen King mode, calls this “The Mist”. When the past appears at all, it is in confounding fragments so that no two people can agree on a single event.
These perspectives swiftly multiply. First we meet Wistan, a fearsome warrior who rescues a young man called Edwin from a pack of ogres. Then we encounter Sir Gawain, whose chivalric duty to hunt the dragon Querig has occupied much of his adult life.
The mood of uncertainty creates a weird narrative friction as a seemingly concrete linear present begins to look more and more unstable. This owes less to overt drama, though there are some vigorous action sequences, than questions of identity. Do the flashes Axl receives of his warlike past suggest a man at odds with his rather kindly demeanour? Are the intimations of quarrels with his wife and son signs of a less peaceful family history? Why has Gawain taken so long chasing the dragon? And what exactly is all this amnesia hiding?
The obliviousness feels symbolic of a land riven by warring tribes, competing philosophies and shared trauma. Rome is glimpsed in ruins, and overt friction exists between Christian Britons and pagan Saxons. But deeper cultural shifts are also in evidence: for example in the conception of “romance”. For Gawain, this represents a courtly code of duty and idealised love in which personal satisfaction is sacrificed to a greater cause. But such honour looks suddenly dated compared to Axl and Beatrice, whose intimate if unstable relationship elevates romantic passion (for a partner or a son) over more rarefied principles.
Here is history as battles, politics and ideas, but also a transition in feeling. In this, The Buried Giant explores classic Ishigurian tensions between intellect and emotion, between what we think (or feel) we know and how the world actually works. The final scene crystallises this in a mediation on death, and how this quickens our sense of what truly matters – whether this is a dragon, a cause or another person. It is elegantly and poignantly done, but Ishiguro's care sacrifices some of the raw emotion that made Never Let Me Go's stark epiphanies so heartbreaking. The late revelations about Axl and Beatrice's past don't quite break the feeling that they are walking, talking symbols rather than flesh and blood characters. The head seems to win over heart, but I'm not altogether sure that's what Ishiguro wanted.
The novel can be bought from Amazon
James Kidd is a freelance reviewer based in London.
thereview@thenational.ae
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Financial considerations before buying a property
Buyers should try to pay as much in cash as possible for a property, limiting the mortgage value to as little as they can afford. This means they not only pay less in interest but their monthly costs are also reduced. Ideally, the monthly mortgage payment should not exceed 20 per cent of the purchaser’s total household income, says Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching.
“If it’s a rental property, plan for the property to have periods when it does not have a tenant. Ensure you have enough cash set aside to pay the mortgage and other costs during these periods, ideally at least six months,” she says.
Also, shop around for the best mortgage interest rate. Understand the terms and conditions, especially what happens after any introductory periods, Ms Glynn adds.
Using a good mortgage broker is worth the investment to obtain the best rate available for a buyer’s needs and circumstances. A good mortgage broker will help the buyer understand the terms and conditions of the mortgage and make the purchasing process efficient and easier.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
Company%20profile
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
FIGHT CARD
1. Featherweight 66kg
Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg
Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg
Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg
Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg
Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg
Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg
Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg
Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Abdipatta Abdizhali (KGZ)
9. Featherweight 66kg
Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
The Ashes
Results
First Test, Brisbane: Australia won by 10 wickets
Second Test, Adelaide: Australia won by 120 runs
Third Test, Perth: Australia won by an innings and 41 runs
Fourth Test: Melbourne: Drawn
Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
