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Haruki Murakami


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Has anyone read either after the quake or Underground? Are either of them any good?

i found underground to be seriously fascinating. probably just because it's non fiction and it kinda reads like a bunch of short stories that are somehow tied together but so different it never gets boring

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good thread. i instantly fell for murakami's novels after reading norwegian wood, almost done with the wind-up bird chronicles. anyone have a suggestion as to what book to read next?

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Do you like the "realistic" storytelling style of Norwegian Wood, or do you like the powerful existential ideas of Wind-up Bird?

existential: Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World

realistic: South of the Border West of the Sun

both are great. Hardboiled is one hell of a ride, builds up slowly then it grabs u by the balls and doesnt let go until the end. South of the Border is more tame, but deals more with real human emotion (i guess its something lot of people might be able to relate to). Hardboiled is my favorite HM work, but South of the Border is probably the HM novel i've read the most number of times.

this is just my opinion, but i say save Kafka on the Shore until after you've read a few of the more imaginative novels like Dance dance dance, or Wild sheep chase, etc

now i feel like re-reading all the murakami books again for the Nth time

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Do you like the "realistic" storytelling style of Norwegian Wood, or do you like the powerful existential ideas of Wind-up Bird?

existential: Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World

realistic: South of the Border West of the Sun

both are great. Hardboiled is one hell of a ride, builds up slowly then it grabs u by the balls and doesnt let go until the end. South of the Border is more tame, but deals more with real human emotion (i guess its something lot of people might be able to relate to). Hardboiled is my favorite HM work, but South of the Border is probably the HM novel i've read the most number of times.

this is just my opinion, but i say save Kafka on the Shore until after you've read a few of the more imaginative novels like Dance dance dance, or Wild sheep chase, etc

now i feel like re-reading all the murakami books again for the Nth time

Just started South of the Border West of the Sun, and feel like I'll be done with it soon. The only other Murakami book I've read is Norwegian Wood. Any more recommendations for "realistic" storytelling novels by him to move onto next? Sadder the better... ha

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thanks for the suggestions. i picked up sputnik sweetheart and after dark. i'd say both share a common ground regarding the boy and girl aspect murakami's books seem to always have. actually wanted to read underground but bookstores didn't have it. i'll try to read that one after sptunik sweetheart. such great stuff.

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  • 2 weeks later...
waiting for the norwegian wood movie to drop on the 6th of jan 2011 in my town... pretty anxious :) in the mean time, my collection.. mostly dutch btw

lenn-murakami-collection.jpg

Why is it that 1q84 is in norwegian before english? Global language, my ass.

Also, before I moved across the nation for school, I gave away my entire Murakami collection to a friend of mine. I basically called her up, and asked "You like Murakami right? I'll be right over.", then dropped every book ever produced by or on Murakami, including translator notes, and Murakami's book on running.

I think I made her year.

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Why is it that 1q84 is in norwegian before english? Global language, my ass.

.

Most books are translated for European markets first. France is a huge literary center and a lot of "global literature" is first translated into French before ever being considered for English translation. A lot of English releases are translations of French translations.

I don't think that's really the case for Murakami what with Birnbaum and Rubin, but that's how it is in general.

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Q. Why isn't there sufficient interest in someone like Paul Auster to merit his own thread, when he writes about the same subject matter (that is to say, the clash of mundane/metaphysical), in the same manner (that is to say, frustratingly navel-gazing and lacking resolution due to he hadn't planned it out too well right from the get-go), works from the same influences (namely raymond carver, dimestore noir chapter-books), at the same level (that is to say, not particularly high).

A. Murakami is from Japan and Auster is from Jersey.

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