Klara and the Sun（クララとお日さま） by Kazuo Ishiguro
日本語
『クララとお日さま』Kazuo Ishiguro著
以下、邦訳書ではなく原著を読んでの感想です。
著書がイギリス人ということは知っていたので、序盤を読み進めるうちに英国英語の雰囲気を感じないことに違和感を覚えました。読み進めていくとアメリカが舞台だということが分かります（このアメリカという舞台設定がストーリーに影響を与えることはありません）。
話の語り手はクララ。AF (Artificial Frient) と呼ばれるロボットです。過去の回想というかたちで話を進めていきます。
クララの語りの中には「今後良くないことが起こる」と示唆する発言があるため、ディストピアという世界に加え、このクララの回想が物語に影を落とします。
それではこの物語は全体的に暗い雰囲気で進んでいくのかというと、そういうわけではありません。
クララはロボットということもあり視界に映るものを分析しながら、行動しているようです。そして AF の電力源は太陽、お日さまです。
彼女は太陽の動きをつぶさに観察します。日が昇る様子、降りる様子。日光が建物にどのように降り注いで、どんな影を作るのか。
灼熱のじりじりとする太陽ではなく、肌にまとわりつくじっとりとした不快な太陽でもありません。暖かく、優しく包んでくれる太陽がクララの体だけでなく心の支えにもなっています。
終始、お日さまの描写です。
暗い雰囲気に包まれながら進んでいくだろうストーリーに、光と明るい色を落とすのがまたクララです。
この本の舞台設定はディストピアなのですが、物語の大筋に関係はしてきません。
この本のテーマはロボットと人間、そして「人間の心」です。
個人的には優しい登場人物の多い物語が好きなので、この本はお気に入りの一冊となりました。
めったに邦訳には手を出さないのですが、手が伸びそうです。
English
As I haven't read his renowned works "Never Let Me Go" and "The Remains of the Day", no comparison is to be made to his latest novel "Klara and the Sun".
I knew that the author Kazuo Ishiguro is a british novelist and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, and thus I was a bit baffled after reading through ten or so pages.
The word of choice, the writing style, sentence pattenrs, rhythms...it was more like American style. And actually, yes, the story is set in America. This fact in my opinion did not impact the story per se but did so to the story images such as fields (American fields) and the sun in the sky (American sky).
The story is retrospectively narrated by Klara, an AF (Artificial Friend), who is on sale at a store that sells various AFs, boy and girl, from old to new. Their source of energy is mostly the sun, solar energy.
Reading through "Klara and the Sun", you probably will be filled with a sense of foreboding. Klara tells the story retrospectively and mentions coming events that does not sound pleasant.
In those days, when Josie’s health was quite good,
Ishiguro, Kazuo. Klara and the Sun (p.47). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle 版.
Also, this story is set in a dystopian America.
You now surely have an ominous feeling.
However, what makes this book distinctive from other dytopian novels is the sun, not blazing, not sizzling, but warm and gentle sun, which casts a light and color into this story.
Klara likes to watch the sun. How he (Klara calls the sun "he") goes up and down, how he casts his rays onto where and what angles, and how he leaves what shape of shadow.
Always the sun. Countless times it appeas in the story. Being an AF, she describes (or anlayzes) the sun everytime and everywhere.
It is always there. Not only in the book. Before us. The sun.
I completely forgot about it and have shown little appreciation for its presence. Klara reminded me of that.
Each AF has a unique character. Klara notices a slightest thing even in humans, though her ability is inferior to that of humans. She also learns things from experience.
She is a robot. But she uses the phrase "I fear".
Although "Klara and the Sun" is a dystopian story, it is not of much importance in this novel in my view. What this novel depicts is human being.
What makes human being human?
Let's have a look and find your answer.
