Masuji Ono was once a painter of the Ukiyo, the traditional pleasure-seeking "floating world" of geishas, cherry blossoms, and teahouses. But he also worked as an enthusiastic propagandist, creating posters in support of the imperialist Japanese government during World War II--a war in which his wife and son were killed. Now, defeated and humiliated, Japan is becoming increasingly Westernized and alien, and Masuji finds himself an outcast, even to his grown daughters, who have no respect for him. When one of them becomes engaged and her fianci's family seeks information about the Ono family background, Masuji's unfortunate past as a cog in the wheel that led his country to disaster is inescapable. The pathos of Masuji's situation (much like that of the English butler in Ishiguro's later novel THE REMAINS OF THE DAY) leads to questions about the motives of art and the reach of personal responsibility. Kazuo Ishiguro won the Whitbread Prize in 1986 for AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD, his second novel.
