Haruki Murakami and Irvine Welsh

[Veva]

Hi.... I have 2 questions and I would like you to tell me what do u think is the best...
1. I have never read anything by Haruki Murakami and I am thinking of starting his novels, so what do u think I should read first?
2. I would like to read Irvine Welsh, I did the Trainspotting and as I am not a native speaker, I found it hard to swallow the vocabulary and slang, but I am not going to be put down so I would like you to recommend me something easier by this author.
Thanks for all suggestions....

[Kafka's Crow]

I have read Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-up Bird Chronicles and the latter is definitely a great book.

As far as Welsh is concerned I have read Trainspotting, Filth and Porno. The cast from Trainspotting returns in Porno. Poignantly hilarious stuff. These people are so common, so real. English Literature seriously lacks depiction of low social classes, specially the unemployed and the unemployable (a huge social sub-sector in the UK). The Scottish crew in these novels depict that group. They are poor, very very poor but enjoy the rock-star life style playing with drugs, sex and infinite leisure. I read these books over five years ago and can not recall much of the plot but still the explicitness and starkness of situations make them unforgettable.

[plh]

I have read Kafka on the Shore and The Wind-up Bird Chronicles and the latter is definitely a great book.

For the first time reader of Murakami I'd recommend Kafka over Wind-up Bird. These are rather long, esp. the latter. Norwegian Wood is also a good choice. If you like weirdness there is Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. (In case Kafka is not weird enough!)
-plh

[Hotaru]

On the issue of Murakami, I think you should start of with Kafka on the shore. As it is one of his latest, it pretty much defines his writing style. If I were to choose my Murakami starting point from scratch though, I would choose Hard boiled wonderland and the end of the world, no doubt.

As for Welsh, I reccommend Filth, cuz' it's filthy

[lupe]

I don't really understand why there should be a "starting" book from Murakami. His style of writing is very easy and popular, so - if one likes this kind of novels - he won't have any difficulty for any of his books. "Sputnik sweetheart" and ”A Wild sheep chase" were the two last Murakami books I read and I'm sure they go as well as a good introduction to his world.

As far as Irvine Welsh goes, I haven't read any of his books in English. However, from the ones I read in translation, the one that I enjoyed most was "Glue", which can also qualify for a first "touch" with the author.

[semi-fly]

I'd like to think that it's a good idea to read an authors work from the beginning. Regarding Haruki Murakami his first book, Hear the Wind Sing, is rather hard to locate at least in English as well as his follow-up, Pinball, 1973. When such things occur it's nice to know where then a good starting point is in an authors work in order to get a good idea/feeling about the author.

I'm only starting to get into Haruki Murakami's work so I can't offer a great deal of incite on his work. Depending on what you're looking for I would probably suggest Norwegian Wood or Kafka by the Shore as a nice introduction. Kafka by the Shore uses a great deal of metaphors so it may take a little time to get into to it.