Boxing Day Sale is live! Up to 20% off 2000+ Books

Under the Eye of the Big Bird

Shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2025
3.76 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 4,310 ratings, 860 reviews)
Brief Description
In the distant future, humans are on the verge of extinction and have settled in small tribes across the planet under the observation and care of the Mothers. Some children are made in factories, from cells of rabbits and dolphins; some live by getting nutrients from... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
Save 13% Off
Savings are calculated from our regular price of $32.00 compared to the current price of $28.00.
$2800
Elsewhere:
$3699
On Sale
in Boxing Day Sale until 30 Dec or while stocks last
FAST NZ-WIDE DELIVERY Ships from our Auckland Warehouse. In-store pickups from our Auckland store.

Found a better price? Request a price match

Under the Eye of the Big Bird

An inventive and immersive novel about a future in which humans are nearing extinction - from the bestselling author of Strange Weather in Tokyo.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In the distant future, humans are on the verge of extinction and have settled in small tribes across the planet under the observation and care of the Mothers. Some children are made in factories, from cells of rabbits and dolphins; some live by getting nutrients from water and light, like plants. The survival of the race depends on the interbreeding of these and other alien beings - but it is far from certain that connection, love, reproduction, and evolution will persist among the inhabitants of this faltering new world.

Unfolding over geological eons, Under the Eye of the Big Bird is at once an astonishing vision of the end of our species as we know it and a meditation on the qualities that, for better and worse, make us human.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781803512983

Publisher: Granta Publications Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 16 January 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Granta Publications Ltd

Contributors:

  • Translated by Asa Yoneda

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 135.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 293g

Pages: 288

About the Author

HIROMI KAWAKAMI was born in Tokyo in 1958. In 2001 she won the Tanizaki Prize for Strange Weather in Tokyo, which became an international bestseller and was shortlisted for the 2013 Man Asian Literary Prize and the 2014 International Foreign Fiction Prize. Her other fiction in translation includes The Nakano Thrift Shop, The Ten Loves of Mr Nishino, People from My Neighbourhood, and The Third Love. Kawakami has contributed to editions of Granta in both the UK and Japan and is one of Japan's most popular contemporary novelists.

ASA YONEDA was born in Osaka and studied language, literature, and translation at University of Oxford and SOAS University of London. She now lives in Bristol, U.K. In addition to Yukiko Motoya, she has translated works by Banana Yoshimoto, Aoko Matsuda, and Natsuko Kuroda.

Also by Hiromi Kawakami

View all

More from General Fiction

View all

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 80,000 books and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.