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LONDON — Kazuo Ishiguro, the novelist best known for his book "The Remains of the Day," was Thursday awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature.

The Swedish Academy said his "novels of great emotional force [had] uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world."

Kazuo Ishiguro. David Cooper / Toronto Star via Getty Images

Ishiguro, who was born in Japan but moved to the United Kingdom when he was five years old, has written eight books as well as scripts for film and television.

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His most renowned novel, "The Remains of the Day," published in 1989 was turned into a 1993 drama film starring Anthony Hopkins.

The academy says the themes Ishiguro is most associated with are memory, time, and self-delusion.

Ishiguro told BBC News winning the prize was a "magnificent honor" and that he was "in the footsteps of the greatest authors that have lived."

Ishiguro is the 114th Nobel laureate in Literature.

Last year's $1.1 million prize was awarded to Bob Dylan, sparking a debate about whether popular song lyrics can legitimately be considered literature.

The 76-year-old music legend caused controversy with his reluctance to publicly acknowledge the distinction, which he finally accepted in a private ceremony months after his win was announced.

Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and inventor whose will established the prizes, said he wanted the literature award to honor "ideal" work, without defining the term.