Nobel win for author Ishiguro

STOCKHOLM - Kazuo Ishiguro, the Japanese-born British novelist best known for The Remains of the Day, won the Nobel Prize in literature on Thursday.

The selection of the 62-year-old Ishiguro marked a return to traditional literature following two years of unconventional choices by the Swedish Academy for the 9 million kronor ($1.1 million) prize.

"He's a very interesting writer in many ways," said Sara Danius, the academy's permanent secretary. "I would say that if you mix Jane Austen - her comedy of manners and her psychological insights - with Kafka, then I think you have Ishiguro."

Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, but moved with his family to Britain when he was 5.

The academy said Ishiguro's eight books are works of emotional force that uncover "the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world". Last year's literature prize went to US songwriter Bob Dylan and the previous year's to Belarusian journalist Svetlana Alexievich.

Danius said the choice of Ishiguro did not show intention to avoid the controversy sparked by last year's pick of Dylan.

"So we thought that last year was a straightforward choice - we picked one of the greatest poets in our time. And this year, we have picked one of the most exquisite novelists in our time," she said.

Associated Press