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Was just over in the Beowulf thread talking about translations, and it got to wondering:
I got into Japanese author Haruki Murakami a few months ago. I started Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World thanks to an article I read online somewheres, and have since read and enjoyed The Wind Up Bird Chronicles immensely. I would like to pick up Norwegian Wood next, but I don't really have any guidance there.
Has anyone here read any Haruki Murakami?
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
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I read some great reviews of The Windup Bird Chronicles, so I picked it up. I didn't necessarily think it was awful, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're in the mood for a plodding, pointless read, which isn't really half as creative or strange as most people make it out to be. I thought I might check out another book by Murakami, but on reading some sysnopses, they all sound pretty much exactly the same.
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It is slow, and definitely wandering. As I understand it, he just started writing it with no real overarcing plan for the book - he just wanted to go with the moment. For whatever reason, I'm enjoying it a lot more the second time through.
But Hardboiled Wonderland is a better book, certainly. It's also very trim. I'd recommend that one if you ever felt like taking another crack at it.
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Wind Up Bird is hailed and adored by most people. I haven't read it, but have a feeling it's going to be one of those books that I don't enjoy, but that the world at large claims is a masterpiece.
The only Japanese author I have read a lot of is Shusaku Endo, who I heard of from reading the afterword at the end of Children of the Mind. OSC mentioned Endo's "Deep River" (I think, I haven't read the end of CotM in awhile). But I went out and got The Samurai and enjoyed it a lot. I have a few other books by him, but I haven't read them in a few years, don't even remember the names.
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The Samurai, The Sea and Poison and Silence are the ones I have read and I have liked them all.
I still want to get Deep River, but my local book stores rarely even have Endo, let alone that particular book.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Oh wait! I've read Silence. I knew the name was familiar. I should reread it - I was still in my "if they make me read it for school it's got to be dead-boring phase." It was often a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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I haven't read any Haruki Murakami, but here's some neat Japanese stuff I've read and can recommend: Masks by Fumiko Enchi--this book is a lot more rewarding if you're somewhat familiar with The Tale of Genji. Kappa by Ryunosuke Akutagawa--this is just a neat social commentary. Unfortunately, I haven't read it since high school, so I don't remember much about it besides the fact that I liked it. Runaway Horses by Yukio Mishima--it's technically the second in the Sea of Fertility cycle, but can be read on its own. Someday I will read the other books.
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I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles and found it interesting, but I did not like how the writer wrote and talked about women. I've read writing by Kawabata that I was pretty fond of. The Pillow Book is super good, by the way.
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