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For those in the West who haven't read Japanese literature, I highly recommend it. When I first read Murakami, I had mixed feelings. I struggled to relate with

For those in the West who haven't read Japanese literature, I highly recommend it. When I first read Murakami, I had mixed feelings. I struggled to relate with his characters; their outlook on the world seemed so alien compared to mine. I also was frustrated that "nothing happened". His writing seemed much more driven by the underlying emotion of the narrative ("foreboding" is the best description that comes to mind) than plot. However, when I traveled to Tokyo for the first time I realized that the feelings that I had reading his novels captured the essence of the city - the sense of duty, the isolation, the assertion of individuality in a place that epitomizes collectivism. His writing provided a window into a worldview that could not have been more different from my own. I'm glad to have run across this article; I'll add these other authors to my reading list.

apocalypstyx 8y ago
I second any recommendation in favor of Natsuo Kirino’s Grotesque. (Which I will take the current opportunity to do, as I don't often get to.)
- blacksmith_tb 8y ago
  I haven't read that one (yet), but I liked her novel _Out_[1] 1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25365.Out https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25365.Out
- wibble10 8y ago
  Added to my to-read list; thanks! Do you have any other recommendations?
- benrbray 8y ago
  Looks interesting. Is it worth reading in English with the heavy censorship? From what I can tell English readers aren't left with a real conclusion to the story.
atombender 8y ago
To be fair, "nothing happening" can equally well describe much of the Western post-modern literary tradition. I think one thing that sets Murakami apart is the earnest simplicity of his writing. His writing seemingly doesn't attempt to manipulate the reader, and it doesn't seem to aim beyond high school English in complexity. It's workmanlike, unaffected, and personal. To me, it brings to mind John Williams (Stoner) and Karl Ove Knausgaard (who is admittedly a much more capable prose stylist). In his earlier works, the simplicity feels a bit... simple. But in hi later, more mature works, he doesn't shy away from going into detail about the sheer mundaneness of living. I haven't read 1Q84, but the first book to really deserve the stereotype of Murakami as being about single guys with cats lounging about in empty apartments while waiting for the pasta to boil is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, the core theme of which is figuring out reality, and by the extension, life. It's a work where the economy of style meets an economy of plot (even though it's actually a complex plot!) perfectly, and it's a masterpiece. I've never been to Japan, but I find his other concerns you mention — isolation and so on — to be just as relevant in other social-democratic cultures (perhaps the US less so).
- mathattack 8y ago
  I found his simplicity and “nothing happens” as emblematic or Zen art. A few lines abstractly capture a bird or stream, and the background is as much a part of the story as the lines.
- siidooloo 8y ago
  Most of the postmodern fiction I’ve read (Pynchon, Foster-Wallace, etc) seems to have the opposite problem: too much stuff happening.
  - efigle2501 8y ago
    Agreed. I think a better comparison is with modern author's like Hemingway.. Forget which story, but there is a Murakami short that is directly influenced by a Hemingway short.
- jen729w 8y ago
  Beautifully put. I'd never thought about the link between 'Stoner', which I just read last year and adored, and Murakami. It's apt.
titanix2 8y ago
I read the 3 tomes of 1Q84 (translation) in one day or two and while the first one was good, I found the two others were boring: every mystery or expectation he rose wasn't met in the end. That was a frustrating read. For text in Japanese I only read a few pages in class and during exam and that wasn't relevant to my interest either: the style is flat and he use to many loan words from English. Up to that point I wonder where his success come from because I really don't get the appeal of his work (from what I read).
- mikekchar 8y ago
  Apparently he originally used to write in English first and then translate into Japanese. His English isn't good, so it forced him to write in a highly simplified fashion. It seems he now writes directly in Japanese, after he settled on his style. I haven't read more than a page or two of his books (browsing the bookstore) and I found it extremely easy to read (in Japanese). I suspect that's the appeal. Like you, I'm not a huge fan, but the number of novels I've read in Japanese is fairly small in number so I'm not the best judge of Japanese literature :-)
lbotos 8y ago
~ Shameless plug~ I love Murakami, and I did a podcast with a friend on "following an author's canon" through the eyes of Murakami's work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEkaCe--UR0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEkaCe--UR0 I talked a lot about that idea of "exploring" vs. "plot" and what makes him so refreshing. If you haven't read a Murakami I suggest starting with Sputnik Sweetheart first.
- tomduncalf 8y ago
  Ha, funny you should say that. I've enjoyed every Murakami I've read with the exception of Sputnik Sweetheart. Couldn't finish it, there was just something about the style and the plot that I didn't enjoy. I started with A Wild Sheep Chase and thought that was a good start point. Also his book of short stories, The Elephant Vanishes, would be quite a nice intro if you prefer shorter stuff, I think.
edem 8y ago
Even my therapist suggested reading Murakami!

apocalypstyx 8y ago

I second any recommendation in favor of Natsuo Kirino’s Grotesque. (Which I will take the current opportunity to do, as I don't often get to.)

blacksmith_tb 8y ago
I haven't read that one (yet), but I liked her novel _Out_[1] 1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25365.Out https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25365.Out
wibble10 8y ago
Added to my to-read list; thanks! Do you have any other recommendations?
benrbray 8y ago
Looks interesting. Is it worth reading in English with the heavy censorship? From what I can tell English readers aren't left with a real conclusion to the story.

atombender 8y ago

To be fair, "nothing happening" can equally well describe much of the Western post-modern literary tradition. I think one thing that sets Murakami apart is the earnest simplicity of his writing. His writing seemingly doesn't attempt to manipulate the reader, and it doesn't seem to aim beyond high school English in complexity. It's workmanlike, unaffected, and personal. To me, it brings to mind John Williams (Stoner) and Karl Ove Knausgaard (who is admittedly a much more capable prose stylist). In his earlier works, the simplicity feels a bit... simple. But in hi later, more mature works, he doesn't shy away from going into detail about the sheer mundaneness of living. I haven't read 1Q84, but the first book to really deserve the stereotype of Murakami as being about single guys with cats lounging about in empty apartments while waiting for the pasta to boil is The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, the core theme of which is figuring out reality, and by the extension, life. It's a work where the economy of style meets an economy of plot (even though it's actually a complex plot!) perfectly, and it's a masterpiece. I've never been to Japan, but I find his other concerns you mention — isolation and so on — to be just as relevant in other social-democratic cultures (perhaps the US less so).

mathattack 8y ago
I found his simplicity and “nothing happens” as emblematic or Zen art. A few lines abstractly capture a bird or stream, and the background is as much a part of the story as the lines.
siidooloo 8y ago
Most of the postmodern fiction I’ve read (Pynchon, Foster-Wallace, etc) seems to have the opposite problem: too much stuff happening.
- efigle2501 8y ago
  Agreed. I think a better comparison is with modern author's like Hemingway.. Forget which story, but there is a Murakami short that is directly influenced by a Hemingway short.
jen729w 8y ago
Beautifully put. I'd never thought about the link between 'Stoner', which I just read last year and adored, and Murakami. It's apt.

titanix2 8y ago

I read the 3 tomes of 1Q84 (translation) in one day or two and while the first one was good, I found the two others were boring: every mystery or expectation he rose wasn't met in the end. That was a frustrating read. For text in Japanese I only read a few pages in class and during exam and that wasn't relevant to my interest either: the style is flat and he use to many loan words from English. Up to that point I wonder where his success come from because I really don't get the appeal of his work (from what I read).

mikekchar 8y ago
Apparently he originally used to write in English first and then translate into Japanese. His English isn't good, so it forced him to write in a highly simplified fashion. It seems he now writes directly in Japanese, after he settled on his style. I haven't read more than a page or two of his books (browsing the bookstore) and I found it extremely easy to read (in Japanese). I suspect that's the appeal. Like you, I'm not a huge fan, but the number of novels I've read in Japanese is fairly small in number so I'm not the best judge of Japanese literature :-)

lbotos 8y ago

~ Shameless plug~ I love Murakami, and I did a podcast with a friend on "following an author's canon" through the eyes of Murakami's work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEkaCe--UR0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEkaCe--UR0 I talked a lot about that idea of "exploring" vs. "plot" and what makes him so refreshing. If you haven't read a Murakami I suggest starting with Sputnik Sweetheart first.

tomduncalf 8y ago
Ha, funny you should say that. I've enjoyed every Murakami I've read with the exception of Sputnik Sweetheart. Couldn't finish it, there was just something about the style and the plot that I didn't enjoy. I started with A Wild Sheep Chase and thought that was a good start point. Also his book of short stories, The Elephant Vanishes, would be quite a nice intro if you prefer shorter stuff, I think.

edem 8y ago

Even my therapist suggested reading Murakami!