Kōbō Abe crafted truly singular books. His stories often read like strange dreams, perhaps even nightmares, as he questioned what it means to be human in an unsettling world.
If you were captivated by his novels, especially the way he merged the ordinary with the bizarre, you might be searching for authors who have a similar sensibility. Here are some writers you may enjoy if you want to discover books with a similar feel to Abe’s.
Franz Kafka was a Czech author known for surreal or absurd stories that explore isolation, identity, and existential anxiety. Fans of Kōbō Abe’s “The Woman in the Dunes” may appreciate Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis.”
This novel introduces Gregor Samsa, who wakes up one morning transformed into a giant insect. As Gregor adapts to his troubling new form, his relationships and family life also begin to change dramatically.
Kafka’s bizarre yet profound storytelling raises interesting questions about alienation and humanity. For readers intrigued by Abe’s unsettling tension and strange scenarios, Kafka offers a similarly powerful and thought-provoking reading experience.
Books by Haruki Murakami often blend the ordinary with surreal elements, creating a mood of quiet strangeness that will appeal to readers who enjoy Kōbō Abe’s work.
In his novel “Kafka on the Shore,” Murakami tells the parallel stories of two unique characters: Kafka Tamura, a teenage runaway haunted by a dark prophecy, and Nakata, an elderly man with an unusual talent for communicating with cats.
Their paths cross through mysterious events that blur the line between fantasy and reality. The book unfolds in a dreamlike yet effortlessly readable style, exploring identity, memory, and the hidden connections that bind people together.
If you appreciated how Abe’s novels question reality and identity, Murakami’s imaginative worlds might resonate equally with you.
Yukio Mishima was a Japanese novelist who explored complex psychological depths and vivid symbolism, similar to Kōbō Abe’s style.
His book “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea” tells the unsettling story of a young boy named Noboru who idolizes strength and detests sentimental softness.
When his mother begins a romantic relationship with a sailor named Ryuji, Noboru sees a heroic figure brought down by domestic comforts. Noboru and his friends plot a chilling way to restore their idealized view of strength and purity.
Mishima’s storytelling examines distorted ideals, youthful innocence gone wrong, and the tension between individuality and societal demands.
Readers who appreciate Kōbō Abe’s surreal narratives and eerie settings may find J.G. Ballard’s fiction equally fascinating. Ballard often explores strange psychological landscapes shaped by modern anxieties and the dark side of technology.
His novel “High-Rise” paints a disturbing scene where residents of a luxurious apartment building descend into chaos and brutality after minor disputes escalate out of control. Each floor gradually turns into a battlefield as civility is shed.
Ballard creates an unsettling mirror of society, challenging readers to question how thin the line between civilization and savagery truly is.
Readers who enjoy Kōbō Abe’s exploration of isolation and the absurd nature of existence may appreciate the work of Albert Camus. Camus, a French-Algerian writer, often reflects on human existence and the absurdity faced by individuals.
His novel “The Stranger” centers on Meursault, an emotionally detached man whose life takes a dramatic turn after committing an inexplicable crime. Camus depicts Meursault’s struggle with societal expectations and the inherent meaninglessness he observes in the world.
The book’s stark, direct storytelling and existential themes resonate with readers drawn to Abe’s thought-provoking narratives.
Books by Samuel Beckett often explore themes of isolation, absurdity, and the search for meaning in an uncertain world. If you’ve found yourself captivated by Kōbō Abe’s surreal narratives, Beckett’s “Molloy” might be a perfect next read.
The novel centers on two main characters, Molloy and Moran, each narrating their own bizarre journeys filled with strange encounters and puzzling reflections.
As you follow both narratives, you experience the disorienting yet fascinating inner monologues that question reality, identity, and existence itself.
The book blends existential humor with dark introspection in a way that resonates deeply with readers drawn to Abe’s distinctive style.
Italo Calvino was an Italian writer known for blending reality and fantasy in his stories. His imaginative style offers readers of Kōbō Abe an intriguing exploration of unexpected worlds and compelling ideas. A great example is “Invisible Cities.”
In this novel, Marco Polo describes to Kublai Khan a series of fantastic cities he has visited. Each chapter brings to life exotic urban landscapes. Yet beneath their odd features, these cities reflect deeper truths about memory, desire, loss, and humanity itself.
Readers who appreciate strange, surreal narratives that explore human nature in surprising ways will find Calvino’s works similarly fascinating.
Kazuo Ishiguro is a novelist whose works explore complex human emotions, memories, and identity. Readers who appreciate the surreal and thought-provoking style of Kōbō Abe may enjoy Ishiguro’s novel “The Unconsoled.”
This book centers around Ryder, a celebrated pianist who arrives in an unnamed European city to give an important performance. Yet his visit quickly becomes strange and inexplicable; the people he meets seem to know him intimately, even though he cannot remember them.
Reality shifts gradually, creating a dreamlike atmosphere where memory is unreliable and personal confusion deepens.
Ishiguro masterfully blends psychological elements with subtle mystery, making “The Unconsoled” resonate with fans of Abe’s novels such as “The Woman in the Dunes.”
Clarice Lispector was a Brazilian novelist born in Ukraine, known for her deep psychological explorations and stories of identity and isolation.
If you enjoyed the surreal and thought-provoking narratives of Kōbō Abe, Lispector’s “The Passion According to G.H.” may resonate with you. The novel follows a woman named G.H. who confronts a crisis of self after an unsettling discovery in her apartment.
The story moves inward, exploring the woman’s consciousness and questioning her sense of reality. It’s a strange and intense journey into the human psyche, portrayed with sharp clarity and a dreamlike atmosphere reminding readers of Abe’s “The Woman in the Dunes.”
Readers who appreciate Kōbō Abe’s exploration of the surreal and psychological elements might find Ryūnosuke Akutagawa fascinating. Akutagawa is best known for his short stories, especially “Rashomon and Other Stories.”
“In a Grove,” one of the standout pieces, centers around a mysterious crime in ancient Japan. The narrative cleverly presents multiple contradictory testimonies from witnesses, leaving the truth hard to pin down.
Akutagawa skillfully examines human nature, morality, and the subjective quality of truth, themes that fans of Abe’s unsettling narratives will recognize and thoroughly enjoy.
Paul Auster is an American author known for his exploration of identity, isolation, and absurdity, themes readers who appreciate Kōbō Abe will recognize. In his novel “The New York Trilogy,” Auster plays with mystery and identity in three interconnected detective stories.
The first, “City of Glass,” follows Daniel Quinn, a writer who becomes entangled in a bizarre investigation after a wrong-number call.
As Quinn moves deeper into the case, reality begins to shift and unravel, leading to strange and shifting identities reminiscent of Abe’s “The Face of Another.”
Auster uses enigmatic narratives and existential puzzles that draw readers into a fascinating world of ambiguity and surreal events.
Readers who enjoyed Kōbō Abe’s surreal and introspective storytelling might appreciate Fyodor Dostoevsky, a Russian author known for exploring deep psychological themes and moral questions.
Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” follows Raskolnikov, a conflicted young man who commits a murder, convinced he’s justified by exceptional moral reasoning. As guilt consumes Raskolnikov, the story examines ideas about morality, conscience, and redemption.
Dostoevsky’s exploration of how internal torment shapes his character’s mind may resonate with readers drawn to Abe’s thought-provoking narratives.
Readers who enjoy the surreal and thought-provoking nature of Kōbō Abe will likely appreciate the novels of Hermann Hesse. Hesse’s writing often explores identity, isolation, and the search for meaning through unusual journeys or personal transformations.
In his novel “Steppenwolf,” readers meet Harry Haller, a man torn between his civilized self and an inner wildness symbolized by a wolf. Haller struggles intensely with feelings of alienation in modern society.
His encounters with mysterious characters lead him into bizarre, dream-like experiences that challenge his sense of identity and reality. Readers interested in psychological depth and imaginative storytelling may find Hermann Hesse’s approach appealing and rewarding.
Books by Margaret Atwood explore strange and unsettling territory in a way readers of Kōbō Abe often appreciate. In “Oryx and Crake,” Atwood paints an eerie future with genetic engineering run amok, mysterious creatures, and society’s collapse into isolation and chaos.
The main character, known as Snowman, navigates the ruins of a devastated world, haunted by memories of his old friends, Oryx and Crake, and the roles they played in shaping this disturbing reality.
The story is full of thought-provoking scenarios and blurred lines between humanity and scientific ambition, elements familiar to Abe’s readers from novels such as “The Woman in the Dunes.”
Philip K. Dick explores the strange borderlands between reality and what lies just beyond, often creating surreal and thought-provoking narratives. If you enjoy Kōbō Abe’s way of unsettling everyday life in his novels, you’ll appreciate Dick’s novel “Ubik.”
In “Ubik,” Joe Chip works as a technician in a future world where psychic espionage is commonplace. After a bizarre ambush leaves him uncertain what’s real, he and his colleagues become trapped in a strange shifting reality.
The line separating the living from the dead becomes unclear, and Joe’s only hope is a mysterious substance called Ubik. This story combines philosophical questions about identity and consciousness with a fast-paced and unpredictable narrative.