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Underground > Books, Criticism & Writing >

Haruki Murakami

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09:52 / 13.11.01

One of the few writers who has never let me down. I have kept all of the books of his that I have read (I usually give spent fiction away), and dip into them like cherished vintage liquor: sometimes a little sip, sometimes an all nighter.

What do folk think of his stuff? I would really like to hear from someone who loathes it.

09:52 / 13.11.01

I've only read South of the Border, West of the Sun. It's the first book in about fifteen years that I've read in one sitting.

I thought it was a very sad, very moving story. It bought back a lot of feelings I thought I'd dealt with (the power of memory in the book is very strong). It's also got some of the only necessary sex I've ever read (totally instrumental to the characters and their relationship, very beautifully written).

Some of the scenes were heartbreaking. The scene where Hajime feeds water to Shimamoto in the form of melted snow from his own mouth... awww...

The gaping hole where Shimamoto's later life should be is kinda horrific, too. Her characterisation really reminded me of an ex who I'd rather not remember.

The Return Of Rothkoid

10:25 / 13.11.01

I love Murakami's stuff. I've been into him for a couple of years; bought The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle on impulse when it was released in Australia a couple of years ago, but didn't really start to think he was something special until I read the earlier "sheep" trilogy. I guess it was in those ones, the weird mix of the metaphysical and the detective, that hooked me. I'd love to know how much his style is informed by his previous employment as a translator of other novels, particularly Carver.

Expressionless; I'd have to say that South Of The Border, West Of The Sun is not one of my most favourite Murakami books; it's a little too submerged, I guess. If anything, that's what can irritate about his work - sometimes it seems a little too detached, when compared to his other writing. The line between peacefulness and detachment is pretty thin, I guess - I think it probably was explored best in Norwegian Wood.

It's times like this that I wish I was able to read his stuff in the original version - I wonder how much is lost in translation; though I've no doubt that the Birnbaum ones are about as good as they're gonna get - the other translators' work doesn't seem quite as natural, in my experience of reading Murakami's work.

The Natural Way

10:50 / 13.11.01

Sorry, can't hate him for you, cause I love him and fruss. The Wild Sheep Chase was fantastic and now I must have more. Have nothing more constructive to say than that.

The Natural Way

10:52 / 13.11.01

And what's all this about a "sheep trilogy"?

Give it. Give it now.

The Return Of Rothkoid

11:49 / 13.11.01

I might've fucked up the order - apparently, there's other novels that have yet to be translated (Pinball and others) that're in what's called "The Rat trilogy" - but I've always thought that A Wild Sheep Chase, Dance, Dance, Dance and Hard Boiled Wonderland... are tied pretty closely together...

The Natural Way

12:50 / 13.11.01

Okay, shall follow that up..........

Knodge - YOUR nemesis!

17:26 / 13.11.01

I have only read South of the Border, West of the Sun and thought it was wonderful. It completely wrapped me up into the various character's lives.

I have been trying to decide which of his books to try next... any suggestions?

The Return Of Rothkoid

17:56 / 13.11.01

Try Norwegian Wood, maybe - unless you want to break into the world of sheep-men and hallucination, in which case something like Dance, Dance, Dance is in order...

Twig the Wonder Kid

22:43 / 13.11.01

I got Wind Up Bird Chronicle on the recommendation of a Barbelithian more than a year ago.

I wish I could remember who it was so I could thank them for introducing me to a writer I'd never heard of before then.

WUBC is excellent, a huge tale of nothing populated with many minor tales of great things. You can dive in anywhere and surface with something wonderful. It's a book I haven't really stopped reading since I bought it.

09:54 / 15.11.01

what a nice mutual admiration society we've got here. i have to join in. murakami is one of my most favorites. i've read the last page of norwegian wood like 5 million times. it has never degraded in beauty.

19:06 / 20.11.01

Me too, he's one of my favorites too. Saw him give a reading last year; he read part of a story about a giant toad who helps saves Tokyo from some evil thing. He read some of it in English and some of it in Japanese, if I remember correctly. Jonathan Lethem was there asking him questions. It was fucking great.

Tryphena Absent

23:10 / 28.06.03

Ooh, I'm resurrecting this very briefly to tell everyone to go and see The Elephant Vanishes at the Barbican. This is the wrong forum but erm... this doesn't quite deserve its own space. The adaptation takes the form of complicite (physical theatre). It's very very good, incredibly visual, very Murakami and IMO about as good as theatre gets. I could rave about it for hours but I'm not going to, it was wonderful, go and see it- if you like Murakami and you don't go then you're missing something marvellous.

12:41 / 29.06.03

I've only read Sputnik Sweetheart and it... didn't grab me. Some of it was beautiful, but most of it seemed stilted, and the story didn't grab me, and it just seemed half-arsed. I bought Wind-Up Bird Cronicle to give him another go, and I'll probablly read just about everything by him JUST IN CASE, but if Sputnik didn't do it for me, well the rest?

Tryphena Absent

12:51 / 29.06.03

You should probably start with Norweigan Wood. That's the one that tends to grab people. I love Sputnik Sweetheart but I'm a little mad about space and the Japanese attitude to loss and romance so there's no surprise.

The Return Of Rothkoid

14:02 / 29.06.03

Well... I'd only say Norwegian Wood if you're looking for something that's a bit more normal. If you want Lynchean detective stories, go for Dance, Dance, Dance or A Wild Sheep Chase.

15:06 / 29.06.03

I've read The Elephant Vanishes, Norwegian Wood, and Sputnik Sweetheart, in that order. I loved them to bits - the pacing was strangely calming, and everything that happens, no matter how weird, is just accepted as is (e.g., weird supernatural stuff happens and the reaction is along the lines of "Huh, how about that." A friend of mine said it fell into the magic realism category - is that right?).

I'd like to read Underground one of these days ... has anyone read it?

19:12 / 29.06.03

I've read some of Underground, and plan to probably read it in full this summer. It's well written, and fascinating - and the interviews are superb. It works because it's about both the Tokyo Underground attacks and how they interacted with the extant Japanese psyche and modified it. Very good; definitely worth a read, and not much like his fiction. In fact, in some ways, I prefered his more journalistic tone.

22:39 / 29.06.03

REALLY looking forward to Complicites' Elephant Vanishes. Got tickets for this Thursday. I'm pretty much a newcomer to Murakami having picked up Hard Boiled Wonderland on a whim in a second hand shop only a few months ago. What had i been missing!! Absolutly brilliant stuff. Quickly followed it with 'Wind Up Bird' (which i think is the best so far), 'Dance Dance Dance' and 'Wild Sheep'. Have to say that i wasn't too impressed with 'Norweigan Wood' but i guess thats because i was looking for more 'Lynchean detective stories' as Rothkoid puts it. Still a well written book though...

Theatr De'Complicite are an inspired choise to adapt them. Pretty much everything they touch turns to gold. Still reeling from ' Street of Crocodiles' years ago

08:25 / 30.06.03

I've only recently read Sputnik Sweetheart, but thought it was very beautiful. I was very struck by the dreamlike quality of the book - particularly memorable was the segment in the ferris wheel.
A good friend bought me Underground in hardbook for my birthday a few years back. I'm ashamed to say that I hadn't heard of Murakami then and thought this was a bizarre present that he'd probably got cheap because he's a bookseller. It is still sat on my shelf. Unread.
Now I know better I shall tackle this number forthwith.

The Return Of Rothkoid

11:25 / 01.07.03

Anyone who sees the stage show - please fill me in! Am very envious. I really dig Murakami, and can only pray that someone lands this show for the Sydney Biennale.

15:35 / 01.07.03

eek. i have read most of Murakami's stuff and frickin love it. What's this thretre thingie? and who wants to see ti with me?

16:21 / 01.07.03

You'd better hurry up as it closes on the 6th. I've got tickets for Thursday.Not sure if it's sold out or not.

Tryphena Absent

16:48 / 01.07.03

Theatr De'Complicite are an inspired choise to adapt them

Yes, but I don't think you realise quite how inspired until you've seen this show. I mean the audience came close to a standing ovation, rapturous applause all round! Sorry, I'm just wishing I had the money to go and see it again.

I'm glad someone else is going to see it- perhaps we can discuss it afterwards?!

nedrichards is confused

13:34 / 02.07.03

Just went yesterday and the audience did give it a standing ovation. Oh my, it's night like those when live theatre just makes *sense*.

16:47 / 02.07.03

hmmm...i think i'll try to catch the last show on sunday 5pm, if there are any cheapie tickets left...

15:05 / 03.07.03

Presumably it's still worth seeing even if you haven't read the book then? (I have and enjoyed it, but was thinking of convincing some friends who haven't read any to go.)

11:50 / 24.08.03

Waterstones are doing three for two on his books.

13:59 / 26.08.03

I am currently embroiled in The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and I am enjoying it. It reads a bit like a lengthy shaggy dog story, but the hand of the author is a little too obvious - you can see that threads are going to tie together long before they actually do. However, this doesn't spoil the pleasure of reading it - just makes one feel pleasantly clever for noticing.

I like the part where Toru climbs into the well. That is exactly what I would have done.

19:16 / 05.09.03

Yeah, I'm about halfway through it right now, KKC. And loving it.

Okada's uncle is Hajime from South of the Border, West of the Sun, right?

10:21 / 06.09.03

Yeh, I'm reading it too. I'm liking it a lot more then Sputnik, but still I find the style just... boring, really. Short, repeated sentence structures and too few conjunctions. Some sub clauses would go a-miss either.

10:38 / 16.09.03

So has anyone else finished Wind Up yet? Am I remedial in my disliking of the ending?

SPOILERS

However, did anyone else find the way that Toru never really seemed to grasp just how big his fight was beautiful? That he never semed to notice he was fighting for humanity against an enormous foe, but somehow always seemed to think it was him vs. his inlaws?

22:21 / 16.09.03

I loved it. Very, very much. Okada's actions and circumstances reminded me so much of phases of my own life. And I fell madly in love with May. She should have her own novel.

And yeah, I agree with you about Toru's narrowing of the scope of the story, pin. Although his perspective intensified the emotional weight.

Twig the Wonder Kid

22:32 / 24.09.03

Can you expand on that a little, Pin?

I read it as an existential tale, did I miss a whole layer of metaphor somewhere?

15:22 / 06.04.04

Ok, I'm late to join the thread. But as far as I know there is no sheep trilogy. There's wild sheep chase and dance, dance, dance - read in this order. Same protagonist. Dance, Dance, Dance continues where wild sheep leaves off. Hard Boiled Wonderland is brilliant but not typical of Murakami's style (poor translation?). It's a tad sci-fi in places but don't let that put you off. Still a work of a f*cking genius. Wind Up Bird is possibly his best but start with a slimmer book to get a taste for him. If you love Murakami then I suggest you read Ghostwritten by David Mitchell. He's lived in Japan and is quite obviously influenced by the great HM.

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