Murakami

Tree

Anyone else love Haruki Murakami?

He's a bit all over teh place but i still love his stuff.

My favourite short story is one of his: on meeting the 100% perfect girl one beautiful april morning

kittex

'The Wind Up Bird Chronicle' is a great read. Typical Murakami - dealing with dark, shocking ideas with simple, beautiful language.

The detailed description of a man being skinned alive will stay in my mind forever.

Bodhidharma

He is a great writer from what i've read (just finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles yesterday). I'm lookin forward to reading more. Norweigan Wood is next on my list.

He's got a really hypnotic, easy going type of writing style. Once you get into the rythem, its hard to stop. It's also refreshing reading a writer from the East because of their different attitude to life.

Tree

the elephant vanishes is a collection of short stories (including the wind-up bird and tuesdays women - the short story the wind-up bird chronicles were based on) well worth the read

Also hardboiled wonderland and the end of the world is excellent too. asian unicorns are dotey

Dades

kittex wrote:

'The Wind Up Bird Chronicle' is a great read. Typical Murakami - dealing with dark, shocking ideas with simple, beautiful language.

After reading a few reviews I bought this at lunchtime - so there'll be trouble if it's not up to scratch!

snapjiggyfluff

I really enjoyed the short story you posted, quite thought provoking stuff. Are the rest of his works all short storys or has he ever written a novel?

shatners basoon

Haven't read any of his short stories yet. I've only read Dance Dance Dance and a wild sheep chace (both were very enjoyable despite the slightly disappointing ending) reading the wind up bird chronicle now, about half way through now and really enjoying it, even more so than the other two.
His writing style is great alright, really original (despite some apparant influences he still manages to write like nobody else) Love the way he mixes really mundane situations with some really far out scenarios and ideas. Things just drop out of the sky in his stories sometimes and make for great reading.

Think i might get some short stories next. I can see myself owning most of his work

Dades

About a quarter through Wind up Bird Chronicle, now.
Slow to get started but has got me interested in where it's going.

As long as it gets somewhere!

shatners basoon

Well it eh kinda does... albeit slowly... and with the odd large tangent here or there

Tree

he has many novels, snapjigglyfluff


oh the wind up bird chronicles are the business!

IrishEmperor

Tree wrote:

My favourite short story is one of his: on meeting the 100% perfect girl one beautiful april morning

In 'The Acid House' by Irvine Welsh theres a short story about a man and a woman going to their respective hotel rooms that bares a striking similarity.

segadreamcast

IrishEmperor wrote:

In 'The Acid House' by Irvine Welsh theres a short story about a man and a woman going to their respective hotel rooms that bares a striking similarity.

I love his work *wanders over to shelf* it has been almost two years... but I really enjoyed 'After The Quake'. 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland' is quite enjoyable too... though a little too slow for my liking; thus, I prefer his short stories.

Anyway, his books are definitely worth a read - and entirely different from most things I've read. Having said that though, I am reading a wee bit of literature by Asian/Middle-East writers recently... their stuff, I find, is just far more interesting than the majority of Western writers (I don't mean to sound snobbish - but they just have a way with words, with stories and with culture that appeals to me...).

Dades

shatners basoon wrote:

Well it eh kinda does... albeit slowly... and with the odd large tangent here or there

Tangents - you said it!

Tree

i think tangent is an inadequate word for it

shatners basoon

Well mostly they're tangents which come together in the end to form part of a greater story. Tho sometimes i feel he simply goes on a tangent every now and again thats inconclusive and isnt really part of the story but is incredibly interesting none the less.
Was pretty happy with the ending of Wind up Bird Chronicle though, much more so than dance dance dance and wild sheep chase.
Just purchased 2 more of his novels (Norwegian Wood, and Hard boiled wonderland) looking forward to em, i miss having a good novel to be engrossed in during work!

Dustbowl

I am huge fan of his work. A wild Sheep Chase & Dance Dance Dance are brillant though I feel Norwegian Wood is his best book (the characters in it remind me of myself and my friends in MINOR ways). I also loved the TV people short story from The Elephant Vanishes

krankykitty

I've read Wind Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, South of the Border, West of the Sun and After the Quake so far. My favourite would have to be Wind Up Bird, its so surreal, and in a weird way I could identify with the book, it was almost like it was telling me something, but I'm still not sure what!
South of the Border and Norwegian Wood were very different books but you still got a great sense of Japanese culture etc reading them.
I wasn't mad about After the Quake, but I think that's because I'm not really be a fan of short stories. I liked Murakami's writing enough though, that I'd give one of the other short story books a go..
Anyone read his latest, Kafka on the Shore?

Tree

not yet. i got a wild sheep chase yesterday but im saving it til after my exams.

ive lost my "the elephant vanishes" if anyone sees it lying aroudn....


(never lend your friends books they'll love)

krankykitty

Good luck with the exams. That's how I normally feel about Murakami books - I try to save them for say, a holiday or time off work, when I will really appreciate them, instead of just racing through them all like I normally would.
Hence having only read 4 of his books so far!

Dades

Finally finished The Wind up Bird Chronicle last week.
(Thanks for the recommendations)

I enjoyed it though I thought it lost it's way in the middle. Some of the tangents are the best parts. Will probably read more, but need something less surreal for the moment.

Fr Clint Power

Thought Wind up Bird Chronicle was superb, was a little disappointed with Kafka on the shore, couldn't match the scope or style of wind up bird. I thought South of the Border, West of the sun was a great little book too. I have read all of his stuff now, and my favourite would prob be Hard Boiled Wonderland and the end of the world. Its a little bit different (i.e. even more surreal) than the rest of his stuff, but great stuff, couldn't put it down once i started!

shatners basoon

The Atheist wrote:

Finally finished The Wind up Bird Chronicle last week.
(Thanks for the recommendations)

I enjoyed it though I thought it lost it's way in the middle. Some of the tangents are the best parts. Will probably read more, but need something less surreal for the moment.

Norweigen Wood retains his style but loses the surreality, you might enjoy that a bit more if you're not too fond of all the madness. (though i really enjoy that aspect of his writing)

Fr Clint Power wrote:

couldn't put it down once i started

Yeah most of his novels have had that affect on me, keep reading em in a day or so, thats why I enjoyed the Wind Up Bird Chronicle, took me a whole 4days!!!!
Next up, a short break from his material then Hard Boiled Wonderland.

Hmmm, i've never gone thro an author's works since reading Austere's Book of Illusions and steam rolling my way forward. Gonna feel all empty when i'm finished

krankykitty

shatners basoon wrote:

Gonna feel all empty when i'm finished

Thats exactly how I feel about Murakami, I almost hate getting one of his books as I know I'll be sorry when it finishes.

I was so sorry coming to the end of Wind up Bird that I almost wished I had never read it at all, then I'd still have it to look forward to

lordgoat

I read Kafke... and i loved it, can't wait to read more of his books.

ObeyGiant

I read Hard Boiled Wonderland a little while ago and, while I found the premise interesting, I found the actual style of writing to be a little too tedious for my tastes. I only stuck with it to see where the story was going, but really struggled towards the end. Certainly didn't inspire me to go out and check out any more of his stuff.

Tree

started (and finished) a wild sheep chase yesterday. excellent that man has some weird ideas in his head