tiganeasca
Moderator
You might also consider adding Kawakami Hiromi and Horie Toshiyuki.
Murakami Haruki
- Thread starter Stewart
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Stevie B
Current Member
I read a few snippets online from Strange Weather in Tokyo (Kawakami) and it seemed like it would be a light read. Guess I didn't give it enough of a chance? I'm not familiar with Horie. Any recommendations?
tiganeasca
Moderator
You have but one choice: The Bear and the Paving Stone. It's the only thing I know of that's been translated to English. The recommendation is based more on reading of critical "estimates." Hardly scientific or empirically verifiable but he's also won a fistful of noteworthy prizes, including the Mishima Yukio Prize , the Akutagawa Prize (for The Bear And The Paving Stone), the Tanizaki Prize, and the Yomiuri Prize, among others.
Unfortunately, Tsujihara’s best work still remains untranslated into English. The elan for Murakami dominated the Japanese literature into English translation business so throughly throughout the 90s and 00s that many of his contemporaries were unfairly overlooked in favor of what Murakami was offering readers eager for a glimpse of “Japan” during that time: a Western-friendly and digestible vision of the country and culture that plays into the prevalent stereotype of Japanese “quirk”, “otherness”, and “weirdness”. The similarly oppressive counterpart to Kawabata’s “classical Japan”.
Thankfully, the vast progress of the Information Age and the emergence of fan translation circles has disabused many of this false dichotomy in Japanese culture and literature and we are seeing a true renaissance in the translation business, particularly with respect to the new vanguard of female authors and genre writers. It’s good to see this kind of self-correction happening.
Stevie B
Current Member
Looks like it was published by Pushkin Press as part of its Japanese novellas series.
Stevie B
Current Member
I noticed the boost in more recent translations when I was searching for potential gifts prior to the holidays. I used to have a good handle on Japanese authors whose work was available in English. Suddenly, I stumbled upon a large number of new names. Exciting times!
Leseratte
Well-known member
Well, it seems that I was just buying what I thought was modern Japan.
If this is not an indiscreet question, are you Japanese, Uemarasan?
I mean you are so thoroughly informed.
No worries. One of my parents is of Japanese descent.
Salixacaena
Active member
Drive My Car (an adaption of the Murakami short story) just won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay at the National Society of Film Critics Awards. The last two years their Best Picture choice went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
It’s always been interesting to me how moving Murakami’s work can be when he’s focusing on more direct “human” stories as opposed to a lot of his magical realism/yokai/consumerist tales. Burning (another short story adaption) was masterful as well. I don’t necessarily mind many of the sillier aspects of his works but many times (Kafka on the Shore, Killing Commendatore, Wind Up Bird Chronicle) they just end up seeming tactless and cheesy, they take away from the work he’s crafted and drag it out of the realm of seriousness and into something more akin to commerical genre fiction.
It’ll be interesting to see if the successes of these two films have any impact on his writing going forwards, if perhaps he’ll get his act together a bit and stop pumping out half-baked crap (his T shirt book, the music book, a lot of his short stories from the last 5ish years).
I give the Uniqlo collaboration a bit of a pass because it seemed like sort of a deal with the devil: the owner of Uniqlo paid to have the Murakami Library built at Waseda University so I’d assume Murakami didn’t really have a way out of that.
It’s always been interesting to me how moving Murakami’s work can be when he’s focusing on more direct “human” stories as opposed to a lot of his magical realism/yokai/consumerist tales. Burning (another short story adaption) was masterful as well. I don’t necessarily mind many of the sillier aspects of his works but many times (Kafka on the Shore, Killing Commendatore, Wind Up Bird Chronicle) they just end up seeming tactless and cheesy, they take away from the work he’s crafted and drag it out of the realm of seriousness and into something more akin to commerical genre fiction.
It’ll be interesting to see if the successes of these two films have any impact on his writing going forwards, if perhaps he’ll get his act together a bit and stop pumping out half-baked crap (his T shirt book, the music book, a lot of his short stories from the last 5ish years).
I give the Uniqlo collaboration a bit of a pass because it seemed like sort of a deal with the devil: the owner of Uniqlo paid to have the Murakami Library built at Waseda University so I’d assume Murakami didn’t really have a way out of that.
redhead
Blahblahblah
Unfortunately, I really doubt Drive My Car will win Best Picture; it’ll be lucky just to be nominated for it (though I am hoping for it to sneak in).
I didn’t know that. The collab is still cringey but that does change things a bit in my eyes.
I agree. Unlike Parasite, it’s less of a crowd-pleaser and more of an art film. Plus it clocks in at three hours. It is leagues better than Parasite and Nomadland though, in my opinion.
Jonatan Silva
New member
Murakami is one of my favs authors of all time. He's kind underrated by own popularity.
I've read recentlly a booj called "Romancista por vocação" in which he talks about the way he works and how he deals with the critical response his books recieved and so on.
After all these ywars I'm fond of him.
I've read recentlly a booj called "Romancista por vocação" in which he talks about the way he works and how he deals with the critical response his books recieved and so on.
After all these ywars I'm fond of him.
Salixacaena
Active member
Eh, having finally seen it I enjoy Parasite quite a bit more. Definitely different types of films though. I also enjoyed Burning (2018) more than Drive My Car as far as Murakami adaptions go. Nomadland is just a giant Terrence Malick rip-off stylistically, nothing new or exciting there.
Liam
Administrator
Joining the likes of Stephen King, Francine Prose and Margot Livesey, the Japanese author Haruki Murakami is finally ready to spill the beans on the secrets of his craft: Novelist as a Vocation.
I must say that I really love the cover.
Imagination-as-a-labyrinth is a trope as old as the hills (or at the very least as old as mammoth poop), but I love seeing it represented (especially visually!),
I must say that I really love the cover.
Imagination-as-a-labyrinth is a trope as old as the hills (or at the very least as old as mammoth poop), but I love seeing it represented (especially visually!),
I think one aspect that complicates the reception of Murakami's works is his tendency to present the enduring spirit of enchantment in Japan alongside the country's flair for--the lack of a better word--modern technology. Enchantment gets a bad rap these days, what with it being inevitably tied to historical concepts and periods like Enlightenment and modernity. But many of his characters--across his works--are people who refuse to or are unable to accept being assimilated into the technological. In other words, his works show that another kind of enchantment exists today: the enchantment with machine intelligence and smart things. The discourse of AI resuscitates what were until recently considered theological questions: afterlife/life after death, nature of consciousness and so on. Now, advocates of AI claim that humans can live forever if technology and bandwidth finally enable the uploading of human minds. There is more than a whiff of enchantment here.
This tension in his works deserves more attention.
This tension in his works deserves more attention.
Ben Jackson
Well-known member
tiganeasca
Moderator
The New York Times has a feature every Sunday called "By the Book." It poses a series of questions (many of which are the same from week to week) to well-known personalities. Originally, the feature only interviewed well-known writers, but in the past few years it has expanded to all kinds of, uh, personalities. This week (11/20/22) it features Murakami.
While I’m writing a novel, I often translate fiction. It’s a nice change of pace, an excellent way to make a mental switch. Translating uses a different part of the brain from composing a novel, so it keeps one side of my brain from wearing out.
Read more “By the Book” interviews.
Books other than my own I give up on? There are a lot (though I don’t want to give any actual titles). When I was younger, I’d forge on to the end, but as I’ve gotten older I give up on them, since I don’t want to waste my time.
Translated by Philip Gabriel
What books are on your night stand?
Michael Connelly’s “The Brass Verdict.” It’s a hard-bound copy I bought for a dollar in a used bookstore in Honolulu. It’s hard to put down once I start reading. Price isn’t everything, of course, but is there any other form of entertainment that provides so much enjoyment for a dollar?What’s the last great book you read?
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Last Tycoon.” My translation of it into Japanese was published earlier this year. Translation is the ultimate close reading. As I read this novel, line by line, I was impressed all over again by how amazing the writing is. The dignity never wavers, and it says everything that needs to be said. Fitzgerald grew and evolved as a writer all the way up to his death. I know it’s pointless to say this, but I only wish he could have finished the novel.Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time?
Dostoyevsky’s “A Raw Youth.” I carry a paperback in my bag and have been making my way through it. There are several other Dostoyevsky works I’ve yet to read. The same goes for Balzac.Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how).
I suppose it was back when I lived in Greece and was reading John Fowles’s “The Magus” on a sunny terrace, all the while petting a neighborhood cat. Since the island I lived on happened to be the setting of the novel. The cat was optional, however.Which writers — novelists, playwrights, critics, journalists, poets — working today do you admire most?
Kazuo Ishiguro. He’s a novelist I’m very fond of, his new books are always worth waiting for, and he’s very personable.You’ve said that as a young writer you found your voice by translating Chandler and maybe Hemingway and other writers from the Western canon. What did you get out of their work, and do you still read them today?
I’ve translated all of Chandler’s novels but haven’t tried my hand at any of Hemingway’s. I’ve also translated all of Raymond Carver’s work — the short stories, poems and essays. I’ve learned a lot through this process, of course, but the greatest thing I’ve understood is that outstanding writing has to have a definite sense of drive. A power to propel the reader onward.While I’m writing a novel, I often translate fiction. It’s a nice change of pace, an excellent way to make a mental switch. Translating uses a different part of the brain from composing a novel, so it keeps one side of my brain from wearing out.
What books would you recommend to somebody who wants to understand present-day Japan?
The same trend is found almost everywhere, I think, but in Japan, too, women writers — especially those of the younger generation — are quite active in publishing novels and are gaining a large, receptive readership. Personally, I like Mieko Kawakami’s novel “Natsu Monogatari” (“Summer Tales”). She has such sensitivity as a writer and is a deeply committed storyteller. This novel was translated and published in English in 2020 under the title “Breasts and Eggs.”What do you read when you’re working on a book? And what kind of reading do you avoid while writing?
It’s an interesting question, but I’ve never really thought about it. Writing a lengthy novel is a job that takes time and patience over the long haul, and it’d be kind of disruptive if I had to give up reading the books I want to read while I’m writing. I can’t really think of any genre or variety of book I feel I should avoid reading. I read all sorts of genres while I’m writing a novel, the same as always, and though they might occasionally provide some small hint for my own writing, I’m not directly influenced by them. (At least I don’t think so.)Do you prefer books that reach you emotionally, or intellectually?
What I look for is the flow of the story. (The same is true when I’m writing.) So sometimes I find it hard to read novels — intellectual novels, you might call most of them — where that narrative flow is missing. But if the novel flows along too smoothly, too easily, that makes me uneasy as well. In that sense perhaps Gabriel García Márquez and Raymond Chandler — or a mix of the two — would be my idea of the ideal novelist.Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?
Since I enjoy music I like reading biographies of musicians, or their autobiographies. One I read recently that I particularly enjoyed was Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”How do you organize your books?
My record collection is carefully, painstakingly, organized, but with books things are more haphazard. They often elude me, and I can’t locate what I’m looking for. I’m not so interested in collecting books, so once I’ve read one, I generally don’t keep it around.What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?
Tom Lord’s 34-volume “The Jazz Discography.” It takes up a lot of space and I imagine most people would find it unnecessary to own, but for jazz collectors it’s a real treasure, the painstaking result of years of work. Nowadays you can search things online, but in the past the only choice was to get hold of this entire set. I don’t just look things up in it, but often enjoy randomly flipping through the pages.What kind of reader were you as a child? Which childhood books and authors stick with you most?
I was a voracious reader of any book I could lay my hands on. I loved reading more than anything (to the point where schoolwork didn’t interest me anymore). Thankfully, our home was full of books, and I worked my way through them all. The one I remember best is Ueda Akinari’s “Ugetsu Monogatari” (“Tales of Moonlight and Rain”), a version adapted for children. It’s a collection of ghost stories published in 1776, and I remember how much it terrified me. I think that dark world impacted me quite a bit.Read more “By the Book” interviews.
How have your reading tastes changed over time?
With newly published books I tend now to prefer reading nonfiction more than fiction.You’re organizing a literary dinner party. Which three writers, dead or alive, do you invite?
My apologies, but I’m not big on dinner parties.Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn’t? Do you remember the last book you put down without finishing?
The books I try not to pick up, and don’t want to read, are ones I wrote myself and published in the past. When I reread them, there’s always something that leaves me feeling disappointed, and dissatisfied. Though it does make me want to do better with my next work. One problem with not rereading my own work, though, is I steadily forget what I’ve written. Interviewers ask me specific questions about specific parts in my books that leave me puzzled. “Did I really write that?” I wonder.Books other than my own I give up on? There are a lot (though I don’t want to give any actual titles). When I was younger, I’d forge on to the end, but as I’ve gotten older I give up on them, since I don’t want to waste my time.
What do you plan to read next?
Once I finish the book I’m reading now, I’m going to take my time and think about the next one. I’d like to hold on to that anticipation, the pleasure of choosing what comes next.Translated by Philip Gabriel