Haruki Murakami anyone?

[Calibandar]

Became interested in some of his works the last few days and wondered what you guys have read of his, and what you thought?

I think I like his more "realistic" books more, such as "Colorless" which appeals to me a bit and Norwegian Wood, South of the Border, but I am also quite fascinated by 1Q84 and its premise, and it being seen as his magnum opus, so would love thoughts on that trilogy-in-1 in particular.

He has a new book coming out in a few months as well which looks interesting, first novel of his in 6 years.

[DaveSumm]

I read 1Q84, and I liked it well enough. My main issue is that it all has the feel of some grand mystery that will pay off in some elegant way, but it doesn’t really. It just kinda … floats poetically to a conclusion. A friend said it wasn’t his best work, so I tried Wind Up Bird Chronicle and again, it was enjoyable but not enough to carry on with any more of his works. It did contain some incredible passages (there’s a bit where someone recounts a time he got stuck down a well, it was years ago I read it so I can’t remember why it hit me really hard, but it did), but again, all the weirdness doesn’t really end up having an explanation, it’s all just a bit weird. 

I would say Wind Up is an easier commitment and still seems pretty representative of what you can expect in 1Q84, so start there. But whatever you get out of the first half, don’t expect the second half to bail you out if you’re not feeling it. Take each chapter on its own merits.

ETA: actually re-reading your post, I’m not sure if you’ve already read 1Q84, I assumed not.

Edited January 14 by DaveSumm

[Calibandar]

1Q84 I still not read yes, most interested in that, plus his new one releasing this year, and some of the mainstream ones like Norwegian Wood. The rest is a bit too surreal for my taste.

[Ser Rodrigo Belmonte II]

Have only read Norwegian Wood but his writing is depressing af, don’t think I’ll continue reading him anytime soon.

[Iskaral Pust]

I read 1Q84 and enjoyed the writing but had to make my peace with the underwhelming resolution.  I read another afterward but don’t recall which.  At that point I decided I like his prose but the tone, plot and characterization are too ethereally depressive. I haven’t returned since.

[Calibandar]

Well, I have bought the massive tome that is 1Q84 and will read that at some point.

Also bought Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun as a well regarded counterweight a third of its size, both books really intrigue me.

[TheLastWolf]

Kafka on the shore can never be overrated enough. I'm about halfway through a planned dozen rereads and something new pops up every time

[Phylum of Alexandria]

I'd like to read more of his work. I've read Norwegian Wood, and while I liked it more than loved it, his other books would likely fare better, as magical realism is very much my thing.

One thing that has stopped me from reading further is that I was thinking of trying to read in the original Japanese. Alas, while my comprehension of spoken Japanese is pretty good, my reading has really deteriorated. Obviously English would be the way to go, but I'm so curious as to what I'd be missing from the original text. So, I can't get out of that mental loop of inaction.

[Larry of the Lawn]

2 hours ago, Phylum of Alexandria said:

I'd like to read more of his work. I've read Norwegian Wood, and while I liked it more than loved it, his other books would likely fare better, as magical realism is very much my thing.

One thing that has stopped me from reading further is that I was thinking of trying to read in the original Japanese. Alas, while my comprehension of spoken Japanese is pretty good, my reading has really deteriorated. Obviously English would be the way to go, but I'm so curious as to what I'd be missing from the original text. So, I can't get out of that mental loop of inaction.

Doesn't Murakami write in English and then does his own Japanese translations?

[Phylum of Alexandria]

34 minutes ago, Larry of the Lawn said:

Doesn't Murakami write in English and then does his own Japanese translations?

No, he writes in Japanese and has other people translate into English.

[Larry of the Lawn]

15 minutes ago, Phylum of Alexandria said:

No, he writes in Japanese and has other people translate into English.

I know Hear the Wind Sing he wrote in English and then translated it because he didn't like the sound of his prose in composed Japanese, but he does seem to have a abandoned this at some point.  You can defintely find interviews where he talks about writing in English and then translating it.

[Phylum of Alexandria]

1 hour ago, Larry of the Lawn said:

I know Hear the Wind Sing he wrote in English and then translated it because he didn't like the sound of his prose in composed Japanese, but he does seem to have a abandoned this at some point.  You can defintely find interviews where he talks about writing in English and then translating it.

I don't know all that much about Murakami, but for what it's worth, the Wikipedia page for Hear the Wind Sing says it was written in Japanese, and translated into English by Alfred Birnbaum.

[DaveSumm]

I guess it’s part and parcel of Japanese being such a different language to English, but I was distracted quite regularly reading 1Q84 and wondering what was being lost in translation. I assume the title itself makes some sort of sense in Japanese, like 1Q would rhyme with 19? And the girl who spoke without question marks also struck me as odd, and I assumed was some other deviation from Japanese dialect. I also have a vague memory that explaining why Aomame didn’t like her name was a bit laboured, like it needed translating twice to grasp the connection to beans.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Couldn't find the actual text from his essay collection online (and been awhile since I read it) but I did find this:

Quote

Best selling international author Haruki Murakami turned his weakness in writing English to his strength in developing a uniquely clear, simple and fluent writing style. 

Murakami’s writing is easy and comfortable to read. This is one reason he is my favorite fiction writer.

I have long been fascinated with International writers who find their unique style and voice by writing in a foreign language. Franz Kafka, the 20th Century Czech writing in German, is perhaps the most famous, but contemporary Japanese writer Haruki Murakami is another example. He writes his first drafts in English and then translates them into Japanese to create what he calls "an unadorned 'neutral' style that would allow me freer movement". (2022, p.31)

Admittedly from some rando's LinkedIn, but at least it's cited from the essay collection 

[Phylum of Alexandria]

1 hour ago, Larry of the Lawn said:

Best selling international author Haruki Murakami turned his weakness in writing English to his strength in developing a uniquely clear, simple and fluent writing style. 

Murakami’s writing is easy and comfortable to read. This is one reason he is my favorite fiction writer.

I have long been fascinated with International writers who find their unique style and voice by writing in a foreign language. Franz Kafka, the 20th Century Czech writing in German, is perhaps the most famous, but contemporary Japanese writer Haruki Murakami is another example. He writes his first drafts in English and then translates them into Japanese to create what he calls "an unadorned 'neutral' style that would allow me freer movement". (2022, p.31)

Ah, I see. So, more as part of his creative process in writing his stories out. That makes sense. Though it's revealing that they still hire translators for the English version they sell.

His method almost sounds like how the Surrealists came up with ways to free themselves from planning and deliberation, and to get more creative. Like Joan Miro starting with drips and splotches of paint to create his dreamlike amoeba scenes. Or maybe not, who knows.

[Phylum of Alexandria]

2 hours ago, DaveSumm said:

1Q would rhyme with 19

It rhymes if you sound out the numbers separately: "ichi kyuu " rather than "jyuu-kyuu," or 19.

[IFR]

5 hours ago, Phylum of Alexandria said:

It rhymes if you sound out the numbers separately: "ichi kyuu " rather than "jyuu-kyuu," or 19.

It's a homonym, not a rhyme. 19 is ichi kyuu, and 1Q is ichi kyuu.

(Not a professional, I took Japanese classes in high school to unremarkable results.)

Per the thread, I read the short story collection The Elephant Vinishes. It was pretty good overall.

[Phylum of Alexandria]

5 hours ago, IFR said:

It's a homonym, not a rhyme.

lol. It's a homonym that rhymes. I'm a guy, and yet I feel like I was mansplained.

[IFR]

On 2/8/2024 at 5:26 AM, Phylum of Alexandria said:

lol. It's a homonym that rhymes. I'm a guy, and yet I feel like I was mansplained.

It's not a patronizing explanation if it's an actual correction. And it was offered with good intentions.

I quote how wikipedia defines rhyme:

Quote

Though homophones and homonyms satisfy the first condition for rhyming—that is, that the stressed vowel sound is the same—they do not satisfy the second: that the preceding consonant be different. As stated above, in a perfect rhyme the last stressed vowel and all following sounds are identical in both words.

Do "may" and "May" rhyme?

[Phylum of Alexandria]

1 hour ago, IFR said:

It's not a patronizing explanation if it's an actual correction. And it was offered with good intentions.

I quote how wikipedia defines rhyme:

Gee, you must be so fun at parties.

The first commenter mentioned rhyming, and I went with it. The End. 

Really not into pedantry, thanks.