Hiro Arikawa – författare

Läs om sju katter vars liv sammanflätas med deras människor, och vad de betyder för varandra i den här livsbejakande novellsamlingen.

En hjälplös kattunge räddas ur ett återvinningskärl och lär sin husse att ta hand om sitt nyfödda barn. En äldre katt försöker knäcka koden för att kunna följa sin ägare in i livet efter döden. En flock med vilda katter på en ö lär en ung pojke att inte ställa sig i vägen för naturen. En familj är förvånad över hur lojal deras katt är till den otillgänglige pappan. En kvinna svär över hur hennes katt konstant väcker henne på natten.

Katten som stannade kvar utforskar livet och döden och hur katten alltid finns där för människan – på sitt vis.

Hiro Arikawa föddes 1972 i Kochi, Japan. 2003 vann hon en tävling för nya författare som blev startskottet för en framgångsrik författarkarriär. En av hennes mest kända böcker är En katts resedagbok, som blev en internationell bästsäljare och som även filmatiserats.

Random House presents the audiobook edition of The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa, read by George Blagden. The tender feelgood story of a man''s journey around Japan with a streetcat. Translated by Philip Gabriel, a translator of Murakami. It''s not the journey that counts, but who''s at your side.Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van. Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn’t know why and Satoru won’t say. Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and humour, Nana’s story explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about the value of friendship and solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take. TRAVELLING CAT has already demonstrated its power to move thousands with a message of kindness and truth. It shows, above all, how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives.A WATERSONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR 2017‘Bewitching… as self-possessed and comforting as – well, a cat’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH''A delightful tale of loyalty and friendship'' JOHN BOYNE, IRISH TIMES

Brought to you by Penguin.THE JAPANESE BESTSELLERA PERFECT READ FOR CAT-LOVERSAgainst changing seasons in Japan, seven cats weave their way through their owners'' lives ...We meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a holiday island shows a young boy not to stand in nature''s way; a family is perplexed by their cat''s devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat constantly visits her at night; and an elderly cat, Kota, hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be together for ever.Bursting with empathy and love, THE GOODBYE CAT explores the unstoppable cycle of life as we see how the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down. A huge bestseller in Japan, every page is a joyous celebration of cats and how we cannot resist sharing our lives with them.''Bewitching and comforting'' TELEGRAPHJAPANESE READERS LOVE THE GOODBYE CAT- ''Wonderful! These cats are charming and truly come alive. The book is full of human - or rather, cat kindness''*****- ''Irresistible. This is the first time since The Travelling Cat Chronicles that I cried my eyes out over a book''*****- ''I''m glad I didn''t read it outside because I couldn''t stop crying. Truly life-enhancing''*****© Hiro Arikawa 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

Brought to you by Penguin.DISCOVER YOUR NEXT FEELGOOD JAPANESE NOVEL, BY THE AUTHOR OF THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLESOver 1.5 million copies sold in JapanFamously scenic, the Hankyu commuter train trundles daily through changing landscape unaware of the heartaches of the passengers it carries.On the outward journey we are introduced to the emotional dilemmas of five characters as we puzzle out how they will unravel; on the return journey six months later, we watch them resolve:- a man meets the woman who always happens to borrow a library book just before he can take it out himself- a woman in a white bridal dress boards looking inexplicably sad- a university student leaves his hometown for the first time- a girl prepares to leave her abusive boyfriend;- a widow discusses adopting the Dachshund she has always wanted with her granddaughter.

As the season and the landscapes change, passengers jostle and connect, holding and releasing their dreams and desires, as this famous little train carries them ever forward towards the person each intends to become.© Hiro Arikawa 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025