Остаток дня / The Remains of the Day

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Страниц

280

Год

2020

Кадзуо Исигуро – известный британский писатель, родом из Японии. Он является выпускником литературного курса Малькольма Брэдбери и заслуженный лауреат Нобелевской премии за литературу в 2017 году. Одним из его самых известных произведений является роман «Остаток дня», который считается самым английским романом конца XX века.

«Остаток дня» представляет собой дневник дворецкого, Бэрримора, и рассказывает о его жизни и взглядах. Особенность стилистики Исигуро заключается в механике речи, отличающейся сдержанностью и отсутствием проявления эмоций. Герой не демонстрирует свои чувства, что создает уникальную аскезу на лингвистическом уровне. Этот подход можно сравнить с творчеством Достоевского и его неуправляемым потоком эмоций.

Роман «Остаток дня» был удостоен престижной литературной премии Букера в 1989 году. Это решение было принято единогласно и не вызвало протестов. Книга также была экранизирована Джеймсом Айвори, а главную роль в фильме исполнил Энтони Хопкинс.

Интересно отметить, что популярный российский писатель Борис Акунин написал своеобразный римейк романа Исигуро под названием «Коронация». Это является своеобразным воплощением «Остатка дня» в русской литературе.

В настоящее время издательский макет книги доступен в формате A4-PDF, что позволяет сохранить его в удобном виде.

Читать бесплатно онлайн Остаток дня / The Remains of the Day - Кадзуо Исигуро

Kazuo Ishiguro

The remains of the day

In memory of Mrs Lenore Marshall

Prologue july 1956

Darlington Hall

It seems increasingly likely that I really will undertake the expedition that has been preoccupying my imagination now for some days. An expedition, I should say, which I will undertake alone, in the comfort of Mr Farraday’s Ford; an expedition which, as I foresee it, will take me through much of the finest countryside of England to the West Country, and may keep me away from Darlington Hall for as much as five or six days. The idea of such a journey came about, I should point out, from a most kind suggestion put to me by Mr Farraday himself one afternoon almost a fortnight ago, when I had been dusting the portraits in the library In fact, as I recall, I was up on the step-ladder dusting the portrait of Viscount Wetherby when my employer had entered carrying a few volumes which he presumably wished returned to the shelves. On seeing my person, he took the opportunity toinform me that he had just that moment finalized plans to return to the United States for a period of five weeks between August and September. Having made this announcement, my employer put his volumes down on a table, seated himself on the chaise-longue, and stretched out his legs. It was then, gazing up at me, that he said:

‘You realize, Stevens, I don’t expect you to be locked up here in this house all the time I’m away. Why don’t you take the car and drive off somewhere for a few days? You look like you could make good use of a break.’

Coming out of the blue as it did, I did not quite know how to reply to such a suggestion. I recall thanking him for his consideration, but quite probably I said nothing very definite, for my employer went on:

‘I’m serious, Stevens. I really think you should take a break. I’ll foot the bill for the gas. You fellows, you’re always locked up in these big houses helping out, how do you ever get to see around this beautiful country of yours?’

This was not the first time my employer had raised such a question; indeed, it seems to be something which genuinely troubles him. On this occasion, in fact, a reply of sorts did occur to me as I stood up there on the ladder; a reply to the effect that those of our profession, although we did not see a great deal of the country in the sense of touring the countryside and visiting picturesque sites, did actually ‘see’ more of England than most, placed as we were in houses where the greatest ladies and gentlemen of the land gathered. Of course, I could not have expressed this view to Mr Farraday without embarking upon what might have seemed a presumptuous speech. I thus contented myself by saying simply:

‘It has been my privilege to see the best of England over the years, sir, within these very walls.’

Mr Farraday did not seem to understand this statement, for he merely went on:

‘I mean it, Stevens. It’s wrong that a man can’t get to see around his own country. Take my advice, get out of the house for a few days.’

As you might expect, I did not take Mr Farraday’s suggestion at all seriously that afternoon, regarding it as just another instance of an American gentleman’s unfamiliarity with what was and what was not commonly done in England. The fact that my attitude to this same suggestion underwent a change over the following days – indeed, that the notion of a trip to the West Country took an ever-increasing hold on my thoughts – is no doubt substantially attributable to – and why should I hide it? – the arrival of Miss Kenton’s letter, her first in almost seven years if one discounts the Christmas cards. But let me make it immediately clear what I mean by this; what I mean to say is that Miss Kenton’s letter set off a certain chain of ideas to do with professional matters here at Darlington Hall, and I would underline that it was a preoccupation with these very same professional matters that led me to consider anew my employer’s kindly meant suggestion. But let me explain further.

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