Kazuo Ishiguro is one of the world’s best-loved and most celebrated authors of contemporary fiction, whose award-winning novels include Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day. He sits down with #1 bestselling author Kate Mosse to discuss Klara and the Sun, his first book since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, at this special event presented by The Reading Agency and the British Library. The event also marks the 10th anniversary of World Book Night, The Reading Agency’s national celebration of books and reading.

Klara and the Sun is an intensely moving and beautiful exploration of human connection and creativity in the face of loneliness and advanced technology. Ishiguro examines our changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: What does it mean to love?

He talks to Kate Mosse about the inspiration for the novel and the power of books and reading to bring people together and change lives.

Kazuo Ishiguro was born in Nagasaki, Japan in 1954 and moved to Britain at the age of five. His eight works of fiction have won him numerous awards and accolades worldwide, including the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Booker Prize. His work has been translated into over 50 languages. Never Let Me Go and The Remains of the Day have been adapted for film, the latter also being included in the World Book Night shortlist in 2012. His latest novel, Klara and the Sun, was published on 2 March 2021 by Faber and Faber. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.

Kate Mosse is an award-winning novelist, playwright and non-fiction author, the author of eight novels and short story collections, including the bestselling Languedoc trilogy – Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel – and the Gothic fiction bestsellers Winter's Ghosts and The Taxidermist's Daughter. Her books have been translated into 37 languages and published in over 40 countries. She is the founding director of the Women's Prize for Fiction and vice-president of the National Theatre in London. Kate divides her time between Chichester in West Sussex and Carcassonne in the southwest of France.

World Book Night is organised by The Reading Agency and celebrated each year on 23 April, UNESCO International Book Day. World Book Night brings people together from all walks of life for one reason: to inspire others to read more. Since 2011, organisations and individuals have been organising events across the country to celebrate the difference reading makes to their lives. Organisations can volunteer to distribute books from our annual list to people who don’t read for pleasure or don’t own books. 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of World Book Night and is being run in partnership with Specsavers. Find out more at www.worldbooknight.org

The Reading Agency is a national charity that tackles life’s big challenges through the proven power of reading. In 2019/20, it reached 1.8 million people. The Reading Agency works closely with partners including libraries, publishers, prisons, schools, hospitals and care homes to develop and deliver programmes for people of all ages and backgrounds. Its vision is a world where everyone reads for a better life and no one is left behind. The Reading Agency is funded by Arts Council England. Find out more at www.readingagency.org.uk

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