{"title":"Canons","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"a-tale-for-the-time-being-ruth-ozeki-canons-paperback","title":"A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki - Canongate Canons Edition - Fiction - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cbr\u003eCondition: BRAND NEW\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781838856250\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Canongate (Canons)\u003cbr\u003eAge Range: Adult\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Tale for the Time Being is Ruth Ozeki's Man Booker Prize-shortlisted novel, part of the Canongate Canons series celebrating modern classic fiction. When Ruth finds a Hello Kitty lunchbox washed ashore in British Columbia, she uncovers the diary of Nao, a Japanese teenager grappling with bullying and her great-grandmother's Zen wisdom. Spanning oceans and the 2011 tsunami, it's a profound story about time, connection and being human.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the wake of the 2011 tsunami, Ruth discovers a barnacle-encrusted Hello Kitty lunchbox washed up on the shore of her remote island home in British Columbia. Inside, wrapped in plastic, she finds a diary written by Nao, a sixteen-year-old Tokyo schoolgirl who has decided that before she takes her own life, she wants to document the story of her 104-year-old great-grandmother, a Buddhist nun. As Ruth reads deeper into the diary, she becomes entangled in Nao's fate, questioning whether the girl is still alive and why the diary found its way to her. Ozeki weaves together two narrators separated by the Pacific and possibly by time itself, blending quantum physics, Zen philosophy and Japanese folklore about crows into a story both intimate and cosmic. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, the novel has been praised for its warmth, wit and philosophical depth, tackling suicide, bullying, war and the search for home with rare sensitivity. Readers who enjoy literary fiction blending personal narrative with big ideas, and fans of Haruki Murakami or David Mitchell, will find much to love here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMan Booker Prize shortlisted and National Book Critics Circle Award shortlisted novel\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePart of the collectible Canongate Canons series of modern classics\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich blend of literary fiction, Japanese culture, Zen philosophy and quantum physics\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrand new paperback copy, perfect for gifting or building a literary fiction collection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdeal for readers of Haruki Murakami, David Mitchell and thoughtful, character-driven fiction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA moving exploration of grief, identity, connection and the nature of time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRuth Ozeki is an American-Canadian author, filmmaker and ordained Zen Buddhist priest. Her acclaimed novels, including My Year of Meats, All Over Creation, A Tale for the Time Being and The Book of Form and Emptiness, weave personal narrative with pressing social and environmental issues, touching on science, technology, race, religion and global culture. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages and shortlisted for major literary prizes. Ozeki teaches creative writing at Smith College, where she holds the position of Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities in the Department of English Language and Literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Novel\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA genre-blending, prize-shortlisted story connecting a diary washed ashore to questions of time, memory and human connection. Thoughtful, moving and endlessly quotable, it's a must-read for literary fiction lovers and a beautiful addition to any bookshelf.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: Book cover may vary slightly from the image shown; you will receive the UK edition with the ISBN stated above.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ruth Ozeki","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54894449918334,"sku":"SNG15132","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/4549\/8093\/files\/a-tale-for-the-time-being-ruth-ozeki-canons-paperback-cover.jpg?v=1784353114"},{"product_id":"lanark-a-life-in-four-books-alasdair-gray-paperback","title":"Lanark: A Life in Four Books by Alasdair Gray - Scottish Classic Fiction - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDetails:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nCondition: New\u003cbr\u003e\nFormat: Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\nISBN: 9781782117148\u003cbr\u003e\nPublisher: Canongate (Canons)\u003cbr\u003e\nAge Range: Adult\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOverview\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nLanark: A Life in Four Books is Alasdair Gray's landmark 1981 novel, reissued here in the Canongate Canons series with an introduction by William Boyd. Widely regarded as one of the most important Scottish novels of the twentieth century, it weaves together the surreal, dreamlike city of Unthank with the realist Glasgow of Duncan Thaw, telling two interlocking stories across four books presented out of chronological order. This new paperback edition brings Gray's daring, genre-blending masterpiece to a new generation of readers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nFirst published in 1981 after nearly three decades in the making, Lanark immediately established Alasdair Gray as one of Britain's most original literary voices. The novel is structured in four books rather than a conventional linear sequence, split between the fantastical, decaying city of Unthank — where the amnesiac Lanark searches for meaning in a place literally rotting from a mysterious illness — and the grounded, autobiographical story of Duncan Thaw, a young artist growing up in post-war Glasgow. Gray moves fluidly between science fiction, social realism, satire and black comedy, using bureaucratic nightmares and a shape-shifting Glasgow to explore art, illness, love, and the failures of institutions and individuals alike. The prose is by turns playful and devastating, and the book is illustrated throughout with Gray's own distinctive artwork. Iain Banks called it the best in Scottish literature of the century, and it helped spark a renaissance in Scottish fiction that influenced generations of writers. This Canons edition includes a new introduction by acclaimed novelist William Boyd, offering fresh context for readers approaching it for the first time or returning to it anew.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLandmark Scottish novel considered a modern classic of world literature\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIncludes a specially commissioned introduction by William Boyd\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePart of the acclaimed Canongate Canons series celebrating classic fiction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBlends realism, satire and fantasy across an ambitious four-book structure\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFeatures Alasdair Gray's own striking illustrations throughout\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA thoughtful gift for readers of literary and speculative fiction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nAlasdair Gray (1934–2019) was a Scottish writer and artist, born in Glasgow, where he trained at the Glasgow School of Art. Lanark, his debut novel published in 1981, took over a quarter of a century to write and remains his most celebrated work, establishing him as a central figure in modern Scottish literature. He went on to write numerous novels, short stories and works of nonfiction, and was equally renowned for his artwork and murals. William Boyd, who contributes the introduction to this edition, is a bestselling and multi-award-winning British novelist known for works including Any Human Heart and Restless.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Scottish Classic\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nA genuinely singular reading experience, Lanark rewards readers with its ambition, wit and imaginative scope. Whether you're discovering Gray's masterwork for the first time or adding this handsome Canons edition to your collection, it's essential reading for lovers of literary fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePlease Note: Cover design may vary slightly from the image shown; this listing is for the UK edition with ISBN 9781782117148 as described.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alasdair Gray","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56289867104638,"sku":"SNG11691","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/4549\/8093\/files\/lanark-a-life-in-four-books-alasdair-gray-canongate-canons-paperback.webp?v=1784375294"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.letsbuybooks.com\/collections\/canons.oembed","provider":"Lets Buy Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}