Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro

Texta is no ordinary book club; it's for people who love art. We use fiction (mostly) to unpack the subjects, themes and emotions of art. Conversation is never colourless, and is facilitated by our brains trust from QUT Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice Faculty.

Each of these stories is heartbreaking in its own way, but some have moments of great comedy, and they all require a level of attention that, typically, Ishiguro's writing rewards.

The Observer

To coincide with the exhibition William Robinson: Nocturne at the William Robinson Gallery, we will be discussing Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro, a collection of five short stories in which music is a vivid and essential character.

In a sublime story cycle, Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro explores ideas of love, music, and the passing of time. From the piazzas of Italy to the Malvern Hills, a London flat to the 'hush-hush floor' of an exclusive Hollywood hotel, the characters we encounter range from young dreamers to cafe musicians to faded stars, all of them at some moment of reckoning. Gentle, intimate, and witty, this quintet is marked by a haunting theme: the struggle to keep alive a sense of life's romance, even as one gets older, relationships flounder and youthful hopes recede.

The evening commences with a tour of the current exhibition, followed by a beverage of your choice and conversations about Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall. Discussions will include audio descriptions of the artworks, which make art accessible for people who are blind or with low vision.

Texta is held through the year on Tuesday evenings. Purchase this title as an audio book from audible or from the Bookshop at the QUT Depot.