I tried finding out on facebook, but i suppose i must have asked the question wrongly, because the response was disappointing indeed. so i’ve decided to leave this post up here for the next month, even though i dont think i have good enough a readership to receive much response.
i’ve recently finished “Norwegian Wood”, and it’s my third book of his (kinda), but I’m still puzzled as to why so many people like Murakami – and so many consider him their favourite author too – and hold him in such critical acclaim. i also dont know why Norwegian Wood has received such high praise, mainly because i didnt think much of the book at all.
please share with me your thoughts if you’re a Murakami fan, because i’d really like to know!
i’d previously read “A Wild Sheep’s Chase” and tried to read “Kafka on the Shore”. So so so many people rave about Kafka on the Shore, but i couldnt finish it because i was bored. That’s right, i got so bored reading the same thing over and over again; teenage boy reading and thinking and wanking, and ‘crazy’ middle aged guy (or was he elderly?) talking to cats and hitchhiking across japan.
A Wild Sheep’s Chase was pretty okay, but Kafka.. it’s kinda like, yes I know teenagers have issues and many (most?) teenage boys have masturbation as a hobby, but it doesnt mean I want to – or need to – read about it. And Norwegian Wood I felt was just a book about people having sex. I’m okay with sex in books, but even if sex is, for some, a coping mechanism and is a part of life, I didnt feel that there was anything else to the book. Before I left for JET, a friend recommended I read it while in Japan, but well.. Murakami’s books could well be set anywhere, can’t they? It’s not like there’s much in his books that are location-specific.
I’m even more intrigued by why Murakami is really popular among English-readers. I feel that Japanese doesnt translate well into English to begin with, so Murakami is nothing special in terms of the quality of his writing. There are writers who move you because of their ability to put the right words in the right order but Murakami isnt that.
I would like to know what people who like his writing think, because i wonder if me being completely unimpressed – and this isnt an exaggeration – by his books is solely due to them not being my style. Bizarre and out-of-this-world-like books arent really my thing although I love fantasy and real-world parallels (read: the great Terry Prachett).
please tell me what you like about Murakami! Thank you!
6 comments:
hm - i think it is precisely because japanese does not translate well into english, that makes his works enjoyable. sometimes you just don't want to read a book jam-packed with nuances, subtlety and tightly woven characters and plots (as a lot of prize-winning English novels are). after a certain point putting the right words in the right order becomes mere sophistry. you just want to read the story and get the plot. for noruwei no mori, i think the reader has to empathise with the characters and make it his or her own story to enjoy it. so the minimalistic language is facilitative. as for his weird books, i think people sometimes just want nonsense on stilts (just the correct amount of incongruousness to make it enjoyable). no subtexts, nuances, etc. and you don't need to know the historical/cultural/societal settings of his novels at all - well, unless you're deconstructing his works (and anything can be deconstructed).
The beauty of Murakami is that he writes from our world yet when you read it you are taken into a different world through the characters experiences. I think if you are not particularly fond of out of this world fiction then I can understand why you get bored from reading his work. Those who like his book enjoy the weirdness of his storytelling.
I have only read Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World and I really enjoyed it... but it sounds different from what you are saying about Norwegian wood and the other two. If you think you'll be able to read one more I would be interested to hear what you think of this one!
Hi,
I'm working through your blog because I am interested in the JET program, and I came across the post about Murakami.
I applaud your curiosity and courage in questioning his popularity. He bores me to sleep, his books are completely predictable when they're not pointlessly random and twee, and yest so many people call him their favorite author.
I think it's popular because it's popular.
I had that same question. I can only read him while I'm doing something else, like watching a baseball game.
I like the fantasy-different world comment.
In his novels, he doesn't bother to set the scene or describe the setting. And he only has very minimal character development.
I find him weird and not engaging.
Thanks for asking the question.
I asked the same question, for me boring, boring. I have nothing against him, I just can not find the draw.
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