Long days leave traces

Author: (British) Kazuo Ishiguro
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-06-01
Features: This book is one of the representative works of the renowned British-Japanese novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, who won the Booker Prize in 1989. Stevens, as a butler pursuing perfection, has served at Darrington House for over thirty years. During this time, he has strived to become an outstanding butler and uphold the "dignity" unique to this class, while also paying a considerable price for it. For example, he had to handle paternal love with indifference and blindly remain loyal to his master, the Darringtons, despite their close association with the Nazis at one point and even their assistance to far-right forces. This blindness cost him even the emotional connection with his beloved housekeeper, Miss Kenton. The author uses the butler, who can represent the social and cultural characteristics of England, as the main character, employing a realistic style to vividly portray England's politics, history, culture, traditions, and the consciousness of its people.