The Ark Sakura

A surreal work of science fiction from one of Japan's most brilliant novelists

In anticipation of a coming nuclear apocalypse, Mole has converted a huge underground quarry into an 'ark'. While searching for his crew, he falls for the tricks of a wily insect dealer and his friends.

In the surreal drama that ensues, the ark is invaded by first a gang of youths and then a sinister group of elderly people, before Mole himself becomes trapped in the ark's central piece of equipment — a giant toilet powerful enough to flush almost anything out to sea . . .

A science-fiction classic from acclaimed Japanese novelist Kobe Abe, The Ark Sakura's Kafkaesque embrace of nuclear disaster and ecological catastrophe is at turns both hilarious and desperate.

ISBN: 9780241454589 | Published: 14 September 2021 (first published 1984) | Paperback | 384 pages
ISBN: 9780241675304 | Published: 5 December 2023 | Paperback | 336 pages