Naomi Ishiguro

Last updated

Naomi Ishiguro
Born1992 (age 32–33)
London, United Kingdom
Alma mater
OccupationAuthor
Father Kazuo Ishiguro
Relatives Shizuo Ishiguro (grandfather)

Naomi Ishiguro (born 1992) is a British author. She has published two books: a short story collection Escape Routes (2020) and her debut novel Common Ground (2021). The first book in her upcoming fantasy trilogy, The Rainshadow Orphans, is publishing in 2026.

Contents

Early life and education

Ishiguro was born in 1992 [1] and grew up in Golders Green, North London, [2] the daughter of Japanese-British Nobel-prize writer Kazuo Ishiguro. [3] Her mother Lorna is a Scottish social worker from Glasgow. [1] [4]

Ishiguro attended South Hampstead High School [5] and then Westminster School for sixth form. [6] Before pursuing writing, she wanted to be an actress. [6] She studied English at University College London, and later graduated with a master's degree in creative writing from the University of East Anglia. [7] [8]

Prior to her career as an author, Ishiguro worked as a bookseller and bibliotherapist at Mr. B's Emporium in Bath. [9] [10]

Career

Escape Routes (2020)

Ishiguro's debut short story collection, Escape Routes, was published in 2020 by Tinder Press. [11] The book consists of eight short stories and a novella.

It was reviewed positively by The Times, describing the stories as "winsomely written and engagingly quirky". [12] However, the novella "The Rat Catcher", while starting strong, was criticised as being "overextended". [13]

Common Ground (2021)

The following year, Ishiguro's debut novel, Common Ground, was published by Tinder Press. [14] The story follows a cross-cultural friendship between two teenage boys: Stan, who is struggling with bullying; and Charlie, a Romany boy. [6] The first half of the novel takes place in a fictional Surrey town in 2003, when the boys first become friends. [15] Nine years pass, and the remainder of the book follows Stan and Charlie as adults in London. [16]

The project came out of the "shock, fear and grief" Ishiguro felt following the EU referendum, [1] and her frustrations around the lack of publicly-owned land in England. [17] [18] It was also inspired by her time living in Bath, including an encounter with a man with a broken bike by a canal, and the buskers she befriended at open-mic nights. [6]

The novel was recommended by the New Statesman , calling it a "generous and disarming tale ... just the right side of sentimental" [19] and Emma Lee-Potter of The Independent described the story as "thought-provoking and beautifully observed". [20] It was named as one of Grazia's best books of 2021. [21] Following the release of the novel, the Southbank Centre hosted an evening in conversation with Ishiguro and her father, Kazuo Ishiguro. [22]

The Rainshadow Orphans (upcoming, 2026)

Her next novel, The Rainshadow Orphans, is to be published in 2026 by Simon & Schuster. It is the first book in a fantasy trilogy, inspired by Japanese folklore. [23]

Personal life

As of 2022, Ishiguro lives in Belsize Park. [24]

Works

Novels

Short fiction

References

  1. 1 2 3 Ishiguro, Naomi (25 March 2021). "To object to multiculturalism would be to wish away my whole world". The Independent. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  2. ↑ Mackenzie, Suzie (25 March 2000). "Between two worlds". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  3. ↑ Allfree, Claire (27 February 2021). "'Can you be a writer and a parent?': Kazuo Ishiguro and his daughter Naomi on the future of fiction". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  4. ↑ McCrum, Robert (8 October 2017). "My friend Kazuo Ishiguro: 'an artist without ego, with deeply held beliefs'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  5. ↑ "Alumnae Achievements". South Hampstead High School. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Butter, Susannah (27 March 2021). "Naomi Ishiguro on friendship, tolerance and her father winning the Nobel prize". The Standard. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  7. ↑ Clark, Alex (1 February 2020). "Naomi Ishiguro: 'Short stories are like songs – I think of an anthology like an album'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  8. ↑ Mabbott, Alastair (16 February 2020). "Review: Escape Routes by Naomi Ishiguro". The Herald. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  9. ↑ "Naomi Ishiguro". Granta. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  10. ↑ Aitken, Molly (10 February 2020). "In conversation with Naomi Ishiguro". Cunning Folk Magazine. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  11. ↑ Ishiguro, Naomi (6 February 2020). Escape Routes. Tinder Press. ISBN   9781472264855.
  12. ↑ Baker, Phil (2 February 2020). "Short stories roundup: Escape Routes by Naomi Ishiguro; Diary of a Murderer and Other Stories by Kim Young-ha; The Boatman and Other Stories by Billy O'Callaghan". The Times. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  13. ↑ Mabbott, Alastair (16 February 2020). "Review: Escape Routes by Naomi Ishiguro". The Herald. Archived from the original on 1 December 2024. Retrieved 13 May 2025.
  14. ↑ Ishiguro, Naomi (2021). Common Ground. London: Tinder Press. ISBN   978-1-4722-7332-1. OCLC   1226677950.
  15. ↑ Kohda, Claire (16 April 2021). "Mainly just people". Times Literary Supplement. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  16. ↑ Birch, Sarah (24 June 2021). "Common Ground, Naomi Ishiguro, book review: 'A modern-day Howards End'". Hackney Citizen. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  17. ↑ Admin, Writing IE (25 March 2021). "Taking my Fury and my Fears: Common Ground by Naomi Ishiguro". Writing.ie. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  18. ↑ Ishiguro, Naomi (23 March 2021). "My struggles with cultural appropriation". Bookanista. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  19. ↑ Statesman, New (10 March 2021). "NS Recommends: New books from Ian Leslie, Mark Solms, Naomi Ishiguro and Holly Pester". New Statesman. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  20. ↑ "The best debut novels to have on your radar". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  21. ↑ Evans, Rhiannon (9 July 2021). "Grazia Book Club: Damage, By Caitlin Wahrer". Grazia. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  22. ↑ Chandler, Mark (10 February 2021). "Kazuo and Naomi Ishiguro join Southbank Centre's Inside Out season". The Bookseller. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  23. 1 2 Brown, Lauren (15 October 2024). "Simon & Schuster bags fantasy trilogy inspired by Japanese folklore in 'major' pre-empt". The Bookseller. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  24. ↑ Curtis, Nick (31 October 2022). "Nobel prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro on his first screenplay in 17 years". Evening Standard. Retrieved 15 May 2025.
  25. ↑ Bermingham, Ciaran (January 2020). "Short Works, A Proper Couple by Naomi Ishiguro". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  26. ↑ Ishiguro, Naomi (2021). "'The Estate Agent' by Naomi Ishiguro". Banshee: A Literary Journal (11).
  27. ↑ Ishiguro, Naomi. "Why can't we see him? - Naomi Ishiguro". WritersMosaic Magazine. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
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