A reading of Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami This is Mr Murakami's latest work, published in Japan in 2017, and translated by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen (I guess: a tour de force). First of all, I must say that, in my view, this is Mr Murakami's most accomplished work thus far, a fascinating, … Continue reading Between absence and presence
Haruki Murakami
Kafka #AtoZAprilChallenge
From my "K" entry in the 2013 AtoZ Challenge: In the world of this blogger there are two of them: a writer of genius, who died in 1924, wrote The Trial, The Castle, The Metamorphosis and a host of stories and plays, and Nakata “Kafka” Tamura, hero of “Kafka on the Shore”, the novel by Haruki Murakami. Franz Kafka, … Continue reading Kafka #AtoZAprilChallenge
In a deep well, reflections on reading Haruki Murakami’s Wind-up Bird Chronicle
It is a rare writer who can combine the spectra of recent history in its full horror, the dreams of love, and the mysteries of the soul. So is Monsieur Murakami. The Wind-up Bird Chronicle was published in Japan in 1995, and once again, I regretted my inability to read the novel in the writer's language. … Continue reading In a deep well, reflections on reading Haruki Murakami’s Wind-up Bird Chronicle
#WritersWednesday: His Hero is Marcel
It goes for colours, type-faces, places, objects, smiles, books… The human spirit is attracted, inspired, by “things”, in a fashion that appears random to the observer (“tastes and colours…” goes the French saying). But it isn’t. There are reasons for everything, and randomness is often a metaphor for “we can’t explain this”. Julian is attracted … Continue reading #WritersWednesday: His Hero is Marcel
#WritersBlog ~ Feeling guilty, me?
“Les tenants de l’apparence restent fidèles à l’imitation. Ceux qui recherchent une réalité cachée derrière l’apparence définissent une doctrine de l’invention, de la création.” Jean-Yves Tadié, Marcel Proust, L’artiste selon Ruskin (The advocates of appearance stay loyal to imitation. Those who look for some reality behind appearances define a doctrine of invention, of creation.) I … Continue reading #WritersBlog ~ Feeling guilty, me?
#WritersWednesday: the Secret Space, Near You
" But in the end we talked all night. Every story has a time to be told, I convinced her. Otherwise you'll be forever a prisoner to the secret inside you." ~ Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart She longed to see him, to hold him as she used to. But he was no longer there, so she … Continue reading #WritersWednesday: the Secret Space, Near You
#FiveSentenceFiction: Moon
Aomame lifted her sight to the skies above: the crescent Moon started appearing behind the clouds, a silver ghost emerging from another world. Tengo thought his lover had turned into a hopeless romantic, but he also felt the pull. Soon the second Moon would appear, to confirm they had crossed the frontier between reality and … Continue reading #FiveSentenceFiction: Moon
#AtoZChallenge: April 19, 2013: Q = 九
In the Japanese numerals system the number “9” is 九, and its name is kyū, or ku, or kokonotsu, identical to the letter “Q”, so that ichi-ku-hachi-yon, 1Q84, Haruki Murakami’s masterpiece, is also “1984”, a reference to George Orwell’s masterpiece. There are three main alphabets in Japanese: Hiragana, Katakana and Kanji, plus the phonetic version … Continue reading #AtoZChallenge: April 19, 2013: Q = 九
#AtoZChallenge: April 16, 2013 ~ Naoko
“It takes time, though, for Naoko’s face to appear. And as the years have passed, the time has grown longer. The sad truth is that what I could recall in 5 seconds all too soon needed ten, then 30, then a full minute - like shadows lengthening at dusk. Someday, I suppose, the shadows will … Continue reading #AtoZChallenge: April 16, 2013 ~ Naoko
#AtoZChallenge: April 12, 2013 ~ Kafka
In the world of this blogger there are two of them: a writer of genius, who died in 1924, wrote The Trial, The Castle, The Metamorphosis and a host of stories and plays, and Nakata “Kafka” Tamura, hero of “Kafka on the Shore”, the novel by Haruki Murakami. Franz Kafka, the writer, inspired Albert Camus … Continue reading #AtoZChallenge: April 12, 2013 ~ Kafka
