Did you know that there is a story by Haruki Murakami in this week's New Yorker? (feb. 13-20)
I won't spoil it for you, but I can see how someone would hate him now!
I don't read the New Yorker, but I can see how nonetheless!
why would people hate him?
Because he inserted something ridiculous out of the blue in the middle of the story!
But just that is good.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is just a classic - insertng ridiculous stuff out of the blue can be indeed good
I'm not saying I didn't like the story :D
I loved what he did with it, but I can see how it would irritate someone
There's nothing ridiculous in that short story. Now if Y. asked M. to be her petite soeur in the middle of the story, I would consider it. :-P
Who is Haruki Murakami?
I'm Japanese,but I have never read his book.
Oh, I thought he was quite big in Japan... he writes novels about many things, but his best ones are strange oddyseys which happen amidst the lives of everyday people. Sort of like some of Kobo Abe's stuff, but perhaps not as far-out, and, some argue, better. I reccomend The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Nejimakidori Chronicle)
he's the best writer in Japan i think
Murakami's most popular work is arguably Norwegian Wood (ノウェーの森). He's undoubtedly famous for a Japanese writer in the so-called "western world," mostly because of the deluge of cultural references to the U.S. and European pop music, unabashed discussions of "fastfood sex," modern fashion, and the occasional jabs at student movement in the 60's as well as capitalism, which makes him posh as well as pop to western sensibilities. He's also quite a problematic writer in Japan because his prose is often criticized for being "not Japanese enough." Murakami has been greatly influenced by American writers such as Raymond Chandler and Truman Capote, whose many works he translated into Japanese afaik.
Personally, I think the Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World, and Dance, Dance, Dance make up his four best works. The novels he's written since Sputnik Sweetheart seem to range from subpar to downright boring. One of the biggest problems with Murakami is his way of recyling motifs so that his novels look very similar in content, even though it is obvious that the themes explored in his novels are always, but not always completely, distinct from one book to the other. In Dance, Dance, Dance, Murakami inserts the caricature of a successful hack writer named Makimura, who sees his work as nothing but "shoveling cultural snow." Sometimes I wonder if that's how Murakami sees himself as a writer; but at least I know sometimes that's how I think of him.
Well, I was personally kind of disappointed by Norwegian Wood - it's not bad at all, but it has none of the weirdness which makes Murakami so special - though the book has got a very interesting atmosphere and I quite liked it... I mean, I was disappointed because it wasn't like his other books that I had read. But it's good, anyway.
Some foreigners say that Haruki is quite popular in Japan.
But I dont think so. Of course he is famous, but there are not so many people who really love his works.
What's funny on him is that before Haruki got famous in CHina, Russia and USA, most critics in Japan were mockering him and regarded him as some relics.
But once he got world-wide fame, all critics suddenly changed their words and began to flatter.
Anyone else notice that Murakami has a thing for wells and map makers?
i tried reading hard-boiled wonderand and the end of the world last year and got really bored with it halfway through
was i missing something?
I'm currently reading it and liking it. Personally I like 'Kafka on the shore' as well as a 'Wild Sheep Chase' It think it is quite strange what happens in his books though. It's like things jump from one to another almost totally randomly. It's ok, but still very strange.
kafka on the shore was a return to form for murakami...though i didn't rush out for the short story book yet.
and norwegian wood is very different to his other work, vut is possibly more accessible because of it....
Kafka, himself, was one cool writer. I loved both, The Trail, and The Castle. Though couldn't quite grasp the short story called, Metamorphosis. He must have been on lsd or something when he wrote that one. (Do Jews take drugs?)
i`m currently reading UNDERGROUND now. Its sorta like Murakami interviewing the victims of the Aum Shinrikyo subway gas attacks. I like it alot so far.
As much as I'd love to get Murakami's book of short stories, I rather have a paperback version of it. Of course this will mean that I'll have to wait at LEAST a year to get it. D:
It's one of the world's great shames that it's far easier to translate anime and comics than it is to translate novels.
Has anyone read After Dark yet?
I've only read Norwegian Wood, and from what I've heard about his other works, I'm not greatly interested in dreamy, surreal things. I like my feet firmly planted on the ground.
After Dark was decent, but I wasn't really surprised by any of the events and the subplot with the older sister (if you could call it a subplot) seemed pointless.
Personally, my favorite Murakami book is Dance, Dance, Dance (although I haven't read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Kafka on the Shore yet). Just hinting at the supernatural without making it the focus of the story isn't something many writers seem to be able to do effectively; he's great at it.
Murakami has a great skill in making weird events and beings seem absolutely normal and everday. Sometimes when reading his books I just stop and smile because he's just done a total mindfuck with the story being sort of random and yet connected in every way.
I love Murakami. If I could suddenly become a skilled writer, I would write like him. What I mean is, we share the same views and style. I wouldn't really call the elements 'random.' It's more of a Vonnegut meets Kafka kind of random, which isn't really random at all but simply complex. (Oxymoron!)
I've read Norwegian Wood before, and I'm now finishing The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle... I liked the former, but did not ponder overmuch. However, the latter made me think of Tim Powers a lot...
Murakami's work is great. I love "dance, dance, dance" most.
In his story a surrealistic event often happens, but he portrays it as if it is quite normal thing.
He is very good at giving reality (feeling of everyday life) to conceptual, fantastic world.
>>12
Murakami isn't as popular in Japan as he is overseas. He himself has admitted that he writes his Japanese in a way that lends itself to easy translation. That would amount to doing things such as not using certain difficult-to-translate idioms, presenting the story in a more Western way, etc. The accusation that his writing is not "Japanese enough" is, from what I've heard, justified.
As for myself, I've only read a couple of his short stories. I thought they were good, but I haven't come across anything amazing so far. I guess I need to read more before I can make a final decision, though -- I haven't even read one of his full-length novels yet.
...but I'll be reading Mishima Yukio before I read Murakami Haruki. Mishima is more famous in Japan, and supposedly the most recent "best" author. Common Japanese opinion would likely dictate that Mishima is superior to Murakami.
(Mishima Yukio is the guy who led a coup in the 70's, which resulted with him committing seppuku. He was a bit of an unusual man, but then again, most remarkable men are.)
I've picked up After Dark, and am hoping to dig into that soon.
I really enjoyed Kafka on the Shore... but I really don't care for his style. I like meaty works; metaphysical, well-written, poetic, etc., and I just feel like he delivers any of these (except metaphysics, I suppose).
I'm a really big fan of Murakami.
My first one was After Dark.. I've seen the cover and thought "I need to read this book" (..the german Cover is way cooler than the english one)
After that I read "Hard Boiled Wonderland" and at the moment i'm reading "Norwegian Wood"
..next will be Kafka on the Shore, i guess ^^
Really? Damn- when I hear his name [or read it in this instance] I get shivers- I really like his styles and how he writes- I've read After Dark as my first book- and was previously interested but didn't remember what his name was when my friend started reading his works- I need to pick up more of his things.
Does anyone know any other Japanese or Author who takes a style similar to this?
yoshitomo banana
>Since childhood, Murakami has been heavily influenced by Western culture, particularly Western music and literature. He grew up reading a range of works by American writers such as Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan, and he is often distinguished from other Japanese writers for his Western influences.
when it comes to presenting the surreal and having it seem entirely within the bounds of expectation, I much prefer Taichi Yamada's I Haven't Dreamed of Flying for a While to anything written by Murakami
just putting that out there
Sounds cool, >>40
I'll make sure to give it a read sometime and then deliver my FINAL AND CRUSHING JUDGEMENT on your taste for awesome Japanese literature.
Ryu Murakami is far more popular in Japan. I think knowledge of Haruki is more a reaction to his popularity in the west.
Although his first book, I believe, did quite well in Japan when it was first published.
Someone said he writes in a way that is easily translated. But he's also said that rehearsing is important when it comes to English language speeches because he lacks the grasp of English (not necessarily vocabulary) to pick the right words on the fly from a sea of options. Whereas his job is twisting and manipulating and mastering written Japanese. So I think he is comfortable in Japanese in that way.
His references, subject matter and philosophy is just not particularly Japanese.
>>42
To be honest I can't be bothered to look up any figures, but Haruki has sold way more than Ryuu, and although he probably owes a fair bit of that to Norwegian Wood (the first part of which was Japan's highest selling book of all time for a while), he' s still the more popular of the two. It's hardly suprising either, his books are generally easier reading than Ryuu's.
You're right about his style though. In fact his prose is sometimes criticised for reading like a translation into Japanese of an English book.
But in discussion I find that more people seem to know Ryu's name. Which led me to the conclusion that among Japanese people, Ryu is more well-known.
That being said, Haruki's new book almost immediately sold out of the first printing. And received enormous pre-orders. Which makes sense to me.
I have just found people more responsive when I mention Ryu Murakami.
At least critically, Ryu is more popular. Japanese critics tend to be, well, critical of Haruki.
>>44
I've not had so many conversations about Ryuu, but I have a feeling it's a difference in the kind of people we talk to.
While I do think Haruki is more popular overall, I agree that Ryuu is more "popular" and well regarded in the critical opinion, and no doubt in the opinions of more serious and critical readers as well. Also, I should emphasise that although critical opinion of it is not so great, Norwegian Wood really is resposible for a large part of Haruki's popularity. Most of the Japanese people I've had conversations about Haruki with would count it as their favourite of his books, and I think I've talked to a few people who don't like his others at all.
I'm not exactly sure what the deal with his latest was, certainly you'd expect it to do well but it sold like crazy and wiki claims it was a social phenomenon that increased the sales of things mentioned in the book and of his previous novels.
>>45
Oh, and I also meant to say that I'm not disagreeing that Ryuu is well known, just saying Haruki is more widely read and more popular in that respect. For one thing, Haruki is very media shy, whereas Ryuu hosted a TV show and is involved in a lot of things outside writing.
(goddamn catchpa, I had to switch browsers because it wouldn't refresh)
Yeah, I understand what you are saying. I guess after living in Japan for a while, I just got this impression that westerners cared more about Haruki then the Japanese really did.
But I think it is more a case of critical opinion being higher in the west. Western critics seem to gush over Haruki, whereas Ryu is a more established name among Japanese critics.
Yeah, and then there's Ryu's TV show and the films he has made on top of his novels. I am sure a lot of people I talked to were just aware of him from television or something as opposed to from his novels.
Also, I agree about it being partly because of the type of people we talk to as well.
Murakami writes dry postmodern trash. I can't stand that asshat.
Of course, I read his stuff anyway. :(
>>49 I mean Haruki there. But actually, I've read one of Ryu's as well (Piercing, or something like that). It was also shit.
I wonder if there's any good modern Japanese writing.
レキシントンの幽霊
Favourite of iichan posters.
LSD was not discovered until after Kafka's death and it's very unlikely that he tool psychedelic cacti or mushrooms. I think The Metamorphosis was less of a 'whoa trippy I'm a bug' and more of a metaphor for being accepted for what you are, although the book has a rather negative outlook in that regard as Gregod is basically abandoned unloved and left to die by his family.
Regarding Murakami, he used to be my favorite author. I discovered Dance Dance Dance about five years ago and went on to read most of his other stuff with the exceptions of Norwegian Wood and his first four novels or so. Once I got to the point where I felt like rereading some of them (I re read Kafka on the Shore and The Wind up Bird Chronicle) I realized all his works were more or less the same. I love the way he weaves surrealism into the quotidien but I notice it gets repetitive rather fast. This is especially noticeable when you read a book of his short stories cover to cover. Almost all of them follow the plot of a normal guy or girl who has some random thing happen and then some sort of resolution. Even the protagonists are frequently identical.
Anyways, I still love Murakami, but it's been a while since I've picked up a book of his.
>>52
I'm nearly the opposite; I've only read Norwegian Wood and a few of his short stories. I've heard that Norwegian Wood is his most realistic novel, and that it departs from his more Kafka-esque works.
Also, the dorm in Norwegian Wood is based on Wakeijuku, a real orgnaization with a little compound and a collection of dormitories for young men going to college, located in Bunkyo-ku in Tokyo. I stayed there for a year. It was super lulzy for me reading about it in Norwegian Wood, even though Murakami exaggerated some parts, and even though Murakami stayed there (he did) years before I did (e.g., there was never anybody raising or lowering the Japanese flag to the national anthem while I was there). The most accurate part about that place was the dirtiness of the rooms...so fucking dirty
>>53
I'm Japanese.
I think some sort of thing that represents the national anthem is going away nationally. We Japanese people can imagine that scene easily because that was everyday routine before. Maybe it had been true roughly, even Murakami remade it a little.
I personally love Murakami, he is probably one of my favourite authors. I've read most of his books and am looking for similar authors. So far on my list of books to read are:
Hotel Iris
The Crimson Labyrinth
Salmonella Men on Planet Porno
If you can recommend any others, please do!
>Hotel Iris
>If you can recommend any others, please do!
Also by Yoko Ogawa: The Diving Pool. A must-read.
>>52
Metamorphosis was totally metaphors and shit. I personally feel it was about the inhumanity of living your life exclusively for work. But I had a Lit teacher who made a pretty compelling argument about how Gregor Samsa wants to fuck his sister.
Anybody read 1Q84 yet?
Maybe I'll read some of these books. I got a nice new nook for Christmas so ebooks are a bit more pleasant to read.