If you enjoy reading books by Kōbō Abe then you might also like the following authors:
Franz Kafka wrote stories that feel strange and unsettling, a bit like stepping into a dream where nothing works quite the way it should. In “The Metamorphosis,” a man wakes up to find he’s turned into a giant insect, and his life falls apart as he struggles to cope with it.
“The Trial” follows a man who gets arrested without being told why, lost in a nightmarish system of endless bureaucracy. If you enjoy the surreal and unsettling worlds of Kōbō Abe, Kafka’s works might resonate with you.
Haruki Murakami writes stories that often blend the surreal with the everyday. In “Norwegian Wood,” he explores love, loss, and memory through the life of a young college student.
“Kafka on the Shore” weaves together the journeys of a runaway boy and an elderly man with strange, otherworldly events shaping their paths. His work often leaves readers reflecting on the mysteries of life.
Yukio Mishima is known for exploring the darker sides of human nature and society. If you enjoy Kōbō Abe, you might find his work interesting too.
One of his novels, “The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea,” centers on a boy who becomes involved with a sailor and a secret, unsettling group.
“The Temple of the Golden Pavilion” tells the story of a troubled young man who becomes obsessed with beauty and destruction, leading to a shocking act. Mishima’s writing often dives into psychological conflict and explores alienation in intriguing ways.
J.G. Ballard wrote stories that explore unusual and unsettling ideas about the world. In “Crash,” he examines the strange connection between humans and technology through characters obsessed with car crashes.
“Empire of the Sun” is a personal story based on his childhood in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. Another novel, “The Drowned World,” imagines a future where rising waters have submerged cities, transforming the landscape and the people living in it.
Albert Camus wrote stories that explore human existence and the absurd. His novel “The Stranger” follows a man who seems detached from the world around him, facing choices that test his relationship with society.
“The Plague” tells the tale of a town struck by a deadly disease and the ways people react under pressure. These books share a focus on isolation and meaning, which fans of Kōbō Abe might find interesting.
Samuel Beckett wrote unique and thought-provoking novels. “Murphy” is about a man seeking meaning in an absurd world, often resisting conventional living. “Molloy” follows a wandering man searching for his mother while reflecting on his existence.
These works explore themes of identity and human struggle in bleak but fascinating ways.
Italo Calvino wrote stories that mix the strange and the thought-provoking. If you enjoy Kōbō Abe, you might like his novel “Invisible Cities,” which explores imaginary cities through a series of poetic conversations.
Another fascinating one is “The Baron in the Trees,” where a boy decides to live his entire life in the trees, rejecting conventional society and finding freedom in his own way.
His books are full of unusual ideas and perspectives that give you something to think about long after reading.
Kazuo Ishiguro is known for exploring memory, identity, and emotion in his stories. In “The Remains of the Day,” he tells the story of a loyal but reserved butler reflecting on his life and service.
“Never Let Me Go” follows a group of friends uncovering the dark truth behind their existence, set in a world that feels both familiar and unsettling. His writing often leaves readers questioning what it means to live a meaningful life.
Clarice Lispector writes stories that explore human emotions and the strangeness of existence. Fans of Kōbō Abe might enjoy her novel “The Passion According to G.H.,” where a woman confronts the mysteries of her inner self after an unsettling encounter with a cockroach.
“The Hour of the Star” tells the story of a poor girl in Brazil, revealing both her struggles and the unsettling truths about those observing her life. Lispector’s work often pulls you into the uncomfortable and thought-provoking, making it hard to look away.
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa wrote thoughtful and intense stories. “Rashōmon” explores human morality through the choices of desperate characters faced with survival. “In a Grove” tells a story about a murder from several perspectives, raising questions about truth and memory.
“The Spider’s Thread” is a short tale with a moral focus, dealing with redemption and selfishness. His works often touch on deep themes with striking clarity.
Paul Auster creates stories that blur the line between reality and imagination, which might appeal to fans of Kōbō Abe. In “Moon Palace,” he explores isolation and self-discovery through the journey of a young man who loses everything and starts over.
“The New York Trilogy” is a set of interconnected stories that mix detective fiction with questions about identity and existence.
Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote stories that explore deep emotions and human struggles. In “Crime and Punishment,” he tells the story of a man wrestling with guilt after committing murder. “The Brothers Karamazov” looks at family conflict and questions about faith and morality.
His books often focus on big questions about life and the choices people make.
Hermann Hesse wrote thoughtful and imaginative stories that explore inner struggles and questions about existence. In “Steppenwolf,” he looks at a man torn between the wild and the civilized parts of himself.
“The Glass Bead Game” is about a distant future where intellectuals dedicate their lives to mastering a strange and abstract game, raising big questions about knowledge and purpose.
If you enjoy the way Kōbō Abe dives into the surreal and philosophical, you might find Hesse’s work worth checking out.
Margaret Atwood writes stories that often explore power, society, and the human condition. In “The Handmaid’s Tale,” she imagines a harsh future where women lose their rights under a theocratic regime.
“Oryx and Crake” is about a world shaped by genetic engineering and environmental collapse, where survival becomes a struggle. Her books often make you think about the world we live in and where it might be headed.
Philip K. Dick wrote stories that play with reality and question what it means to be human. In “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, he explores a world where artificial beings challenge the boundary between human and machine.
“The Man in the High Castle” imagines an alternate history where the Axis powers won World War II, turning everything you know on its head. His work is strange and thought-provoking, and fans of Kōbō Abe’s surreal and unsettling worlds might enjoy it.