Haruki Murakami

[TheBearJew]

I just finished reading Norwegian Wood, and as I delve more deeply into his work, I'm only more impressed. He has a rare knack for making the fantastic seem real, and his metaphysical themes, deep characters, and inventive motifs draw me in each time.

Anyway, it's the seventh book of his I've read, and he's slowly become one of my favorite modern writers. What do you guys think of him and his work?

[Helga]

I have only read 'after the quake' and 'underground' and loved both of them. like you said he makes the unreal seem real, and not bizarre... I have to agree that he is slowly becoming at least one of my favourite contemporary writers

[Katy North]

I agree... every book I read by him is absolutely excellent. I loved his "Kafka on the Shore".

[Uroboros1989]

Wow! that's awesome! I totally love his works, and for me he is the best modern author. I'm waiting when he gets the Noble Prize, because he really deserves it! I've read many of his books. The best one is "Sputnik Sweetheart" i think. They are simply magical! The author's connections pure realism with inexplicable phenomena make his works outstanding and unique.

Oh I'm really glad that The Bear Jew created this topic :)

[Katy North]

Yes, he has such an imagination! Just his titles speak volumes:

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the end of the Universe
The Wind-up Bird Chronicles
Kafka on the Shore
Sputnik Sweetheart
A Wild Sheep Chase
The Elephant Vanishes

I know they say to never judge a book by it's cover, but when I first saw his books I knew I was going to love them just by reading the titles!

[Page Turner]

I just discovered his work last October and have read the seven books that were available at my local library. Looks like I'll have to break out the wallet to read the rest. There really is something special about his writing.

[Uroboros1989]

I know they say to never judge a book by it's cover, but when I first saw his books I knew I was going to love them just by reading the titles!

frankly speaking you didn't judge the books by it's covers but you judged books by their titles, indeed... that's difference....better difference :)
I have to admit that uncanny titles attract us to read, and "say" much about quality of a book

[ponty]

Read them all. Looking forward to English translation of his new one. Jay Rubin to translate. Loved Kafka, but my favourite would be Wild Sheep then Dance Dance Dance. Pretty cool when you considered when they were written. I live in Tokyo on and off and love recognising station names etc. After Dark a little disappointing though

[Tallon]

I'm a fan, i think The Wind-up Bird Chron is his best work and has been on the decline since then a little.

[DonovanTalbot]

Inspite once again encountering unanimous praise for this writer I have yet to read. Looking forward to it.

[jimjonesrobot]

He's my favourite author. I own all his English-translated novels (including the two only released in Japan [yay for eBay!]), short story collection and non-fiction works. My favourite novel of his is After Dark which I doubt very many Murakami fans would have in their top three.

[Mr.lucifer]

He's one of the critically acclaimed authors I'm interested in reading someday.

[DougSlug]

Just thought I'd mention that Paul Theroux's latest travel narrative, Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, includes a chapter on Tokyo where Theroux meets up with Murukami and they hang out. Theroux includes some very interesting biographical tidbits about Murukami. I was intrigued enough that I want to read Murukami now.

BTW, Theroux's book is xlnt, and the chapter on Tokyo in particular is brilliant.

[Spoleto]

He is absolutely one of my favorite authors, his writing style is captivating and the observations on life by the characters often have me reading aloud/wanting to read aloud but being on a train.

I can't say whether it's the offbeat plots or the weird and wonderful characters that draw me in, but it all fits together without feeling *too* insane, never contrived and always profound, emotional and personal.

Love it.

- Liam

P.S Just read the first story in "After the quake" called "UFO In Kushiro" and thought it was brilliant, what do people think?

[windup_bird]

murakami is great. he has the uncanny ability to put complex feelings into very simple words and transform the bizarre into something beatific. he's definitely one of my favorite authors of all time.

[andrewoberg]

murakami is great. he has the uncanny ability to put complex feelings into very simple words and transform the bizarre into something beatific. he's definitely one of my favorite authors of all time.

Well, him and his translator. Taking a work of fiction in Japanese and faithfully translating it into English is an enormous task of incredible complexity. And not just linguistically, there are mountains of cultural implications that come through in Japanese but don't come through in English unless the translations are done very, very carefully.

[Thom Holliday]

I've only read Kafka on the Shore, and I must say, I was very impressed with it. Murakami is a masterful plotter and his writing is poetic, but still active and not overly flimsy!

[tonywalt]

Has anyone read Haruki Murakami’s ‘Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage’?

[Lykren]

Am I the only one who thought The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was bad?

[mona amon]

Lykren, I loved the book, but you might enjoy this review - http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/122557470?book_show_action=true&page=1

[ladderandbucket]

Am I the only one who thought The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was bad?

I didn't like it much. Some parts were good but I felt like there wasn't any real logic or meaning behind any of it. It was as though he had a bunch of stories and odd ideas that he tried to fit into one long book. Didn't work for me at all.

I thought Norwegian Wood was excellent and the short story collection After the Quake was ok, so I might try another Murakami book one day. His new one sounds interesting.

[mal4mac]

Am I the only one who thought The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was bad?

No, I thought it was tedious.

[Poetaster]

I have read only a couple of Murakami's books. Norwegian Wood, After Dark, and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - a short story collection. I really like his work, I just have not read enough to form a very interesting opinion on him however.

[Artorius]

Murakami is great but I always seem to like the first parts of his books better than the latter parts.

[Lykren]

I've heard that Norwegian Wood (as well as Colorless Tsukuru) is very different from his later work, so I'm willing to give it a try. But The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle seemed sloppy and rambling to me.

[Poetaster]

I don't think Tsukuru is out yet in my country, either that or I don't know because I've not been to a book shop in some time. As soon as I can I will read it, because some of the reviews from places where it is out sound good. I have 1Q84 on my shelves still to read, I'll be getting around to that pretty soon.

[JCamilo]

Not impressed at all with him. I may try his short stories, but after reading Norwegian Wood, My Darling Sputnik, Kafka on the Shore, he disapointed me a lot. At first I tried to put the blame on the translator, so I tried one work after another. But even in the portuguese translation you end with a taste of dissolving candy in the mouth while reading Kawabata, and no translation was able to make Soseki's Kokoro be less pointgnaint or Tanizaki's Matrioska Sisters be less engaging.

I felt the characters of murakami to be empty bags, swallow. Kafka on the shore was a little more interesting, but the praise as a kind of magic realism is off the mark. It worked more like Stephen King or at best, Neil Gaiman. Even with the flaw of those two: the last half of the book was quite inferior than the premisse of the book. Some interesting fantasy there and there, but nothing to promote me to try further. Maybe his short stories, but even so, it is clear he is "adapted" to the international market. Not a complete hack, but certainly a best-seller formula author.

[tonywalt]

Not impressed at all with him. I may try his short stories, but after reading Norwegian Wood, My Darling Sputnik, Kafka on the Shore, he disapointed me a lot. At first I tried to put the blame on the translator, so I tried one work after another. But even in the portuguese translation you end with a taste of dissolving candy in the mouth while reading Kawabata, and no translation was able to make Soseki's Kokoro be less pointgnaint or Tanizaki's Matrioska Sisters be less engaging.

I felt the characters of murakami to be empty bags, swallow. Kafka on the shore was a little more interesting, but the praise as a kind of magic realism is off the mark. It worked more like Stephen King or at best, Neil Gaiman. Even with the flaw of those two: the last half of the book was quite inferior than the premisse of the book. Some interesting fantasy there and there, but nothing to promote me to try further. Maybe his short stories, but even so, it is clear he is "adapted" to the international market. Not a complete hack, but certainly a best-seller formula author.

I agree, he misses a strong human element in his recent books - and goes too far into a surreal dreamy world that becomes, for myself, sleepy.

[Eskeyp]

Long thought, what's wrong. And then, finally, formulated a list of claims to the Murakami-san.

1) It's very American. American culture plays in all his books. What do I mean? Mention endless variety of musical groups, famous and not so writers, and more. Understand, people like jazz. I have nothing against. But why always insert it in all of his books?

2) Continuing the theme amerikanschiny, that's what I wanted to say. As one other displaced as a consequence of completely missing Japanese aesthetics. Why do I need to read Japanese writer who writes about America? I'd rather admire the American. He writes honestly and brighter.

3) Sex. It very much. Not even the very description of the process, and attention genitals. It's unpleasant to read. I can understand and accept it at what some countercultural writers (of the same namesake Palahniuk or Ryu). But here it is, as a rule, is not the place.

4) Beer. The main characters are constantly drink it. Of course, I understand, write about what you know and all that. But. How much can be about the same?

What else? This novel is very boring. there is practically nothing happens. Heroes drink and talk about the members. And the language is rather primitive. While here, I admit that this translation flaws.

[Quietudity]

I'm trying to reply in this thread but I keep receiving this error message.
Post denied. New posts are limited by number of URLs it may contain and checked if it doesn't contain forbidden words.

My post doesn't have Url's, and doesn't contain any forbidden words, I'm at a loss. There doesn't seem to be a help center here either..

[kev67]

I have only read a couple of his books: Norwegian Wood and What I Talk About when I Talk About Running. The 2nd book was a non-fiction book about his marathon running. I found Norwegian Wood very moving. I slightly disapproved of all the self-destruction. I was surprised by how western it seemed. It made me want to get on a plane and visit those Japanese mountains. It contained a surprising amount of sex. The only thing I was not convinced about was the dialogue. The protagonist was supposedly a great raconteur, but to me he seemed rather dull.

[Poetaster]

I have only read a couple of his books: Norwegian Wood and What I Talk About when I Talk About Running. The 2nd book was a non-fiction book about his marathon running. I found Norwegian Wood very moving. I slightly disapproved of all the self-destruction. I was surprised by how western it seemed. It made me want to get on a plane and visit those Japanese mountains. It contained a surprising amount of sex. The only thing I was not convinced about was the dialogue. The protagonist was supposedly a great raconteur, but to me he seemed rather dull.

I wasn't surprised by how western it is. Murakami was primarily inspired by moving away from 'Japanese' literature, and moving toward American short fiction.

[tonywalt]

I don't think Tsukuru is out yet in my country, either that or I don't know because I've not been to a book shop in some time. As soon as I can I will read it, because some of the reviews from places where it is out sound good. I have 1Q84 on my shelves still to read, I'll be getting around to that pretty soon.

It is out now, in the UK

[tonywalt]

Long thought, what's wrong. And then, finally, formulated a list of claims to the Murakami-san.

1) It's very American. American culture plays in all his books. What do I mean? Mention endless variety of musical groups, famous and not so writers, and more. Understand, people like jazz. I have nothing against. But why always insert it in all of his books?

2) Continuing the theme amerikanschiny, that's what I wanted to say. As one other displaced as a consequence of completely missing Japanese aesthetics. Why do I need to read Japanese writer who writes about America? I'd rather admire the American. He writes honestly and brighter.

3) Sex. It very much. Not even the very description of the process, and attention genitals. It's unpleasant to read. I can understand and accept it at what some countercultural writers (of the same namesake Palahniuk or Ryu). But here it is, as a rule, is not the place.

4) Beer. The main characters are constantly drink it. Of course, I understand, write about what you know and all that. But. How much can be about the same?

What else? This novel is very boring. there is practically nothing happens. Heroes drink and talk about the members. And the language is rather primitive. While here, I admit that this translation flaws.

How is writing about the West, as a Japanese writer somehow wrong? If someone write about Africa alot would that be criticized: No, it wouldn't. But somehow writing about America is not a good theme. He's an Ameriphile, but it does not effect the quality of the work. And neither does Jazz. He owned a Jazz bar for years, so jazz, America and beer are constant themes. It is what he knows.

[totoro]

He's a genius. I loved 1Q84 especially. He has a knack for creating beautiful details.

[Poetaster]

It is out now, in the UK

Yeah, I wrote that post apparently only two days before it came out here in the UK.

[Marbles]

How is writing about the West, as a Japanese writer somehow wrong? If someone write about Africa alot would that be criticized: No, it wouldn't. But somehow writing about America is not a good theme. He's an Ameriphile, but it does not effect the quality of the work. And neither does Jazz. He owned a Jazz bar for years, so jazz, America and beer are constant themes. It is what he knows.

Writing about the West as a Japanese write is not wrong; all sorts of writers have written about many different and far off parts of the world based on their experiences and what they know. With Murakami, the problem is that, with reference to Norwegian Wood, his novel is in Japanese language, situated in Japan and about Japanese characters. It's not a West-set novel and, therefore, one expected that the story would be loaded more with Japanese culture and music, their peculiarities and idiosyncrasies, than by Western musical, cultural and literary references, which appear in sheer abundance.

If most events of Norwegian Wood had taken place in the United States from the perspective a Japanese protagonist then there would be nothing to criticise.

[JCamilo]

That is far from a problem. Today japanese culture is loaded with western's influence and the characters of Murakami are perfectly japanese being so western... Heck, he is japanese after all and is westernized. This critic is silly, considering one of the major themes of japanese art in XX century is the dictomy between nationalism/tradition and westernization/modernity.

[Marbles]

That is far from a problem. Today japanese culture is loaded with western's influence and the characters of Murakami are perfectly japanese being so western... Heck, he is japanese after all and is westernized. This critic is silly, considering one of the major themes of japanese art in XX century is the dictomy between nationalism/tradition and westernization/modernity.

If Westernisation and modernisation were synonymous there would be no problem. In any case, many things from Western culture have gone worldwide in the age of globalisation and it is fit to consider them in presenting reality as it is. I can't say anything definite about the whole of Murakami oeuvre, but reading him, his signature characters seem to be living in a cultural vacuum at home in Japan; they don't see fit to use their historico-cultural references as points of departure, or celebrate them, but well-versed, as a matter of necessity, in Western music, literature and culture. This is not modernisation; this is Westernisation of a cultural/political slave, without roots and substance.

As for Japanese cultural shift towards Americnaisation after WWII, it calls for a study of Freudian proportions to dissect the collective national psychology that falls in love with a country that nukes its cities and hundreds of thousands of people into the sawdust of oblivion. Tough love eh...

[Urban Sundog]

I wouldn't disagree with anything being said here. I've discussed reading Norwegian Wood with three people, a Russian, a Japanese, and a Korean, none of whom liked it. I didn't expect to like it because I thought the association with the Beatles' song was going to affect the book's credibility, but instead I found it utterly compelling. However I don't think I got either a Westernized or Japanese gestalt from the novel, per se. I think I regarded the characters as more representative of the outliers in any culture. People who do not fit in building their own aesthetic.

Murakami's been top of my favourite books read list for two years, with The Wind Up Bird Chronicles and 1Q84.

[JCamilo]

If Westernisation and modernisation were synonymous there would be no problem. In any case, many things from Western culture have gone worldwide in the age of globalisation and it is fit to consider them in presenting reality as it is. I can't say anything definite about the whole of Murakami oeuvre, but reading him, his signature characters seem to be living in a cultural vacuum at home in Japan; they don't see fit to use their historico-cultural references as points of departure, or celebrate them, but well-versed, as a matter of necessity, in Western music, literature and culture. This is not modernisation; this is Westernisation of a cultural/political slave, without roots and substance.

As for Japanese cultural shift towards Americnaisation after WWII, it calls for a study of Freudian proportions to dissect the collective national psychology that falls in love with a country that nukes its cities and hundreds of thousands of people into the sawdust of oblivion. Tough love eh...

Moderniity and Westernisation are not synonimous, hence I mention both. But they are deeply linked in Japan. (Just like tradition and nationalism are not synonimous). And it is not about post-WWII, it is about the opening to west that Japan had since the XIX century. By the turning of the century you have this conflicts in many of the main writers of the period - Akutugawa, Soseki, Tanizaki... I mean, in Makioka Sisters by Tanizaki each sister is used to show the conflict and his In Praise of Shadows analyse the impact of western aesthetics over japanese aesthetics.

After the war, what happened is that Japanese culture started to invade west (it is a massive cultural industry, second only to USA), and you have artists adapting to western marked. See the Manga/Animes (with clear influence of Walt Disney), the J-Pop genre (which blends in ways that no western would do genres, because of course, to japanese the identidy of those movements are not relevant), movies (Kurosawa for example have been accused of being westernized too), obviously video-games. It is reflected on literature also. Murakami is not less japanese for being so western (albeit, this show his aim to an international audience as well), he is part of a culture that absorved (call it a chimaera) the western culture to the point of mixing the identidies.

Is he a slave, does he have roots or substance - It is a form of judgement (and you may notice, I am not a particular fan of him). Was Borges a slave of european culture? But i would say, Murakami has a form and substance. If he has the talent, like Borges did, to mix and produce a strong identidy, it is another question.

[Marbles]

Moderniity and Westernisation are not synonimous, hence I mention both. But they are deeply linked in Japan. (Just like tradition and nationalism are not synonimous). And it is not about post-WWII, it is about the opening to west that Japan had since the XIX century. By the turning of the century you have this conflicts in many of the main writers of the period - Akutugawa, Soseki, Tanizaki... I mean, in Makioka Sisters by Tanizaki each sister is used to show the conflict and his In Praise of Shadows analyse the impact of western aesthetics over japanese aesthetics.

After the war, what happened is that Japanese culture started to invade west (it is a massive cultural industry, second only to USA), and you have artists adapting to western marked. See the Manga/Animes (with clear influence of Walt Disney), the J-Pop genre (which blends in ways that no western would do genres, because of course, to japanese the identidy of those movements are not relevant), movies (Kurosawa for example have been accused of being westernized too), obviously video-games. It is reflected on literature also. Murakami is not less japanese for being so western (albeit, this show his aim to an international audience as well), he is part of a culture that absorved (call it a chimaera) the western culture to the point of mixing the identidies.

Is he a slave, does he have roots or substance - It is a form of judgement (and you may notice, I am not a particular fan of him). Was Borges a slave of european culture? But i would say, Murakami has a form and substance. If he has the talent, like Borges did, to mix and produce a strong identidy, it is another question.

The mingling of cultures, their borrowings, evolution, changes - organic or otherwise - never stop; Some of it is desirable and for the better, some for the opposite. Since language is culture, no one in their right mind can appreciate what Ataturk did with the Turkish language; by changing its script, among other things, in a burst of linguistic fascism, he rendered future Turkish generations unable to read and appreciate their classical heritage. Does that count as a formidable example of cultural slavery? Write their alphabet and sing their songs so maybe you can start thinking like them on other matters? For me, it does. Talking of which, I do not make the same judgement for Murakami. I just don't know him and his work well enough so can't be presumptuous about him. He is free to use his cultural references, to choose a form and synthesis that suits him, because it is also equally true that the proponents of the so called 'cultural purity' run after a phantom, for there is no such thing and one can't shield a thing as vast and grey as culture to take from foreign cultures, which roundly brings me back to the globalised age and its immense cultural exchange, which I celebrate and enjoy, but not at the cost of subsuming different cultural identities into one big proto-American identity. But that's a big and controversial topic anyway...

I would not bracket Borges with Murakami and other Eastern writers. Since Borges' native language and the one he worked with is Spanish, and as we know that language is culture, he is by birth inextricably twined with European cultural, historical and literary references, which can't be said of Japanese and other Eastern languages. But even with Borges, his internationalism, or international cultural and literary references are so diverse and spread out that it is hard to confine his genius into nationalistic/linguistic boundaries. He was a truly international writer; whereas many non-Westerners who think of themselves as international by putting more and more West into their literature are only mimicking an idea and doing it rather blandly and badly.

[JCamilo]

The mingling of cultures, their borrowings, evolution, changes - organic or otherwise - never stop; Some of it is desirable and for the better, some for the opposite. Since language is culture, no one in their right mind can appreciate what Ataturk did with the Turkish language; by changing its script, among other things, in a burst of linguistic fascism, he rendered future Turkish generations unable to read and appreciate their classical heritage. Does that count as a formidable example of cultural slavery? Write their alphabet and sing their songs so maybe you can start thinking like them on other matters? For me, it does. Talking of which, I do not make the same judgement for Murakami. I just don't know him and his work well enough so can't be presumptuous about him. He is free to use his cultural references, to choose a form and synthesis that suits him, because it is also equally true that the proponents of the so called 'cultural purity' run after a phantom, for there is no such thing and one can't shield a thing as vast and grey as culture to take from foreign cultures, which roundly brings me back to the globalised age and its immense cultural exchange, which I celebrate and enjoy, but not at the cost of subsuming different cultural identities into one big proto-American identity. But that's a big and controversial topic anyway...

Since I do not know a single major culture without external influences (even those japanese authors I mentioned had a huge western influence), I do not see the topic as controversial. Even the founding culture of western, Greece, is more salad of cultural influences. The thing about literature and art is that they will do either they are in a decadent society, a stable society, a rebuilding society, etc. It is neither bad or good, but it can have bad artists and good artists.



I would not bracket Borges with Murakami and other Eastern writers. Since Borges' native language and the one he worked with is Spanish, and as we know that language is culture, he is by birth inextricably twined with European cultural, historical and literary references, which can't be said of Japanese and other Eastern languages. But even with Borges, his internationalism, or international cultural and literary references are so diverse and spread out that it is hard to confine his genius into nationalistic/linguistic boundaries. He was a truly international writer; whereas many non-Westerners who think of themselves as international by putting more and more West into their literature are only mimicking an idea and doing it rather blandly and badly.

Only because of the idiom? So you would consider the absoption of the bible or the 1001 by europe as bad as Murakami? They came from a different culture, with different language and roots.