The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

A beautifully designed special edition of the must-read dystopia from one of Japan's most urgent literary voices.

On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses. . .

To the people on the island, a disappeared thing no longer has any meaning. It can be burned in the garden, thrown in the river, or handed over to the Memory Police. Soon enough, the island forgets it ever existed.

When a young novelist discovers that her editor is in danger of being taken away by the Memory Police, she desperately wants to save him. For some reason, he doesn't forget, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for him to hide his memories. Who knows what will vanish next?

VINTAGE JAPANESE CLASSICS - nine masterpieces of Japanese fiction in gorgeous new gift editions.

'Beautiful... Haunting' Sunday Times

'This timeless fable of control and loss feels more timely than ever' Guardian

'A dreamlike story of dystopia' Jia Tolentino

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
‘I cried. . . cracking ending’ 5* reader review
‘I loved it!’ 5* reader review
‘A must read’ 5* reader review
‘Worth 6 stars… what a novel!’ 5* reader review
‘Dark and unsettling - a fantastic read’ 5* reader review

TRANSLATED BY STEPHEN SNYDER

Yoko Ogawa has won every major Japanese literary award. Her fiction has appeared in the New Yorker, A Public Space and Zoetrope. Her works include The Diving Pool, The Housekeeper and the Professor, Hotel Iris and Revenge. Her dystopian novel, The Memory Police, was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. Stephen Snyder is a translator and professor of Japanese Studies at Middlebury College, Vermont, USA. He has translated works by Kenzaburo Oe, Ryu Murakami, and Miri Yu, among others. His translation of Natsuo Kirino’s Out was a finalist for the Edgar Award for best mystery novel in 2004, his translation of Yoko Ogawa’s Hotel Iris was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize in 2011 and The Memory Police was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2020.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781529988413
ISBN 10	1529988411
Title	The Memory Police
Author	Ogawa Yoko
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Vintage Classics
Year published	2026-08-06
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.