Great post - different, provocative, unsettling - you definitely work some magic of your own here. It makes me want to read the inverse: about a writer whose power has expanded for you on rereading. Poetry often works that way, but novels can too. My all time favorite re-read is Pale Fire, which I now regularly pick up and just read in sections from random spots. The sparkling humor and the joy of it surprise me over and over, and the density of play, and the complexity, Mozart-like. Just thinking about it makes me happy.
Ah, this would be a good topic! Many writers, though fewer than I would guess, have fallen into this space of growing in estimation as I return to them or even just as their career continues.
I read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running per a running pal's recommendation and devoured it. I wondered which of his books to read after, but now you've got my mind reeling!
My first Murakami was Hard-Boiled. I still love it. I recently re-read it. JUST the Hard-Boiled half. Lol. I change the girl from 16(?) to 26 in my mind and it ain't so bad. I love the Mbiguity of it, but that's mostly bc it's also considered proto-cyberpunk by many of me and my CP chrome-cronies. Otherwise, boring. Just like everything else he's written. Glad I never bought more than 2 books.
A friend's take on Murakami... "...like the moment when you realize Haruki is writing the same J-Dad novel about jazz and wanting to have sex with people other than his longterm wife, in every book."
Sort of get what you’re driving at, you can’t go home, etc.
Just came to say that I’ve not read much Murakami but I did read 1Q84 and enjoyed it and can report approvingly it has a woman protagonist and there’s little about male horniness and female objectification. It’s pretty much a magic realism/time travel sort of thing. You might still enjoy it.
I love his writing but I've had trouble with his books too. I've found myself googling "Murakami books without weird sexist stuff" and coming up kinda blank. I do think as someone else mentioned "What I Talk about when I Talk About Running" was pretty good. I think for me his books are just written extremely well but the stories themselves can definitely not feel satisfying.
Side note, how many beers do you think the protagonist of the Rat trilogy drank in those books? 700?
I'll check out his nonfiction. It's hard for me to not want to give him more chances, but I also wouldn't recommend anyone read a bunch of his books in a row.
Norwegian Wood is kind of a funny one because he wrote it specifically to be a bestseller. Which it quickly became. But he did this to draw attention to the rest of his books. Which also worked!
But, for this reason, it's quite a bit different from the rest.
The amount of soul-crushing experiences I've gone through in my life when discovering people I related to so much (a rare occurrence for me) actually turned out to be horrible is staggering.
It seems like you've gone through something similar as well, I hope you're okay. The feeling so visceral and painful (but you also seem to open to understanding that feeling, which is good). Anyways, thank you for sharing, I feel you ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
I read 5 of his books and the last one, Wind Up Bird Chronicles, was my worst one and the one that made me decided to stop reading Murakami for a while. I loved Kafka on the Shore and Norweigan Wood (both read twice!) which made me decide to read all his books. Then I read Colorless Tsukuri Tazaki which was boring. Then After Dark and Wind Up Bird which for me had no point all. I really loved Murakami but became disillusioned when I read more of his books.
Great post - different, provocative, unsettling - you definitely work some magic of your own here. It makes me want to read the inverse: about a writer whose power has expanded for you on rereading. Poetry often works that way, but novels can too. My all time favorite re-read is Pale Fire, which I now regularly pick up and just read in sections from random spots. The sparkling humor and the joy of it surprise me over and over, and the density of play, and the complexity, Mozart-like. Just thinking about it makes me happy.
Ah, this would be a good topic! Many writers, though fewer than I would guess, have fallen into this space of growing in estimation as I return to them or even just as their career continues.
I read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running per a running pal's recommendation and devoured it. I wondered which of his books to read after, but now you've got my mind reeling!
I think Hardboiled Wonderland is the way to go! It's still my favorite of his.
Thank you!
My first Murakami was Hard-Boiled. I still love it. I recently re-read it. JUST the Hard-Boiled half. Lol. I change the girl from 16(?) to 26 in my mind and it ain't so bad. I love the Mbiguity of it, but that's mostly bc it's also considered proto-cyberpunk by many of me and my CP chrome-cronies. Otherwise, boring. Just like everything else he's written. Glad I never bought more than 2 books.
Hardboiled is, I think, his best novel and the only one that really stands up to scrutiny
Hey, loved this, great stuff. Leave cats alone though!
A friend's take on Murakami... "...like the moment when you realize Haruki is writing the same J-Dad novel about jazz and wanting to have sex with people other than his longterm wife, in every book."
Oh, did I already comment on this? Lol.
Sort of get what you’re driving at, you can’t go home, etc.
Just came to say that I’ve not read much Murakami but I did read 1Q84 and enjoyed it and can report approvingly it has a woman protagonist and there’s little about male horniness and female objectification. It’s pretty much a magic realism/time travel sort of thing. You might still enjoy it.
This is what I keep hoping for!
1Q84 is the only one I’ve read. It didn’t leave a big impression.
Big impression... I see what you did there. ;)
I love his writing but I've had trouble with his books too. I've found myself googling "Murakami books without weird sexist stuff" and coming up kinda blank. I do think as someone else mentioned "What I Talk about when I Talk About Running" was pretty good. I think for me his books are just written extremely well but the stories themselves can definitely not feel satisfying.
Side note, how many beers do you think the protagonist of the Rat trilogy drank in those books? 700?
Ha!
I'll check out his nonfiction. It's hard for me to not want to give him more chances, but I also wouldn't recommend anyone read a bunch of his books in a row.
. . . much appreciated . . . in the middle of Norwegian Wood, waiting to be captivated . . .
Norwegian Wood is kind of a funny one because he wrote it specifically to be a bestseller. Which it quickly became. But he did this to draw attention to the rest of his books. Which also worked!
But, for this reason, it's quite a bit different from the rest.
wondered about that, after what I'd read. thanks!
The amount of soul-crushing experiences I've gone through in my life when discovering people I related to so much (a rare occurrence for me) actually turned out to be horrible is staggering.
It seems like you've gone through something similar as well, I hope you're okay. The feeling so visceral and painful (but you also seem to open to understanding that feeling, which is good). Anyways, thank you for sharing, I feel you ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚
I read 5 of his books and the last one, Wind Up Bird Chronicles, was my worst one and the one that made me decided to stop reading Murakami for a while. I loved Kafka on the Shore and Norweigan Wood (both read twice!) which made me decide to read all his books. Then I read Colorless Tsukuri Tazaki which was boring. Then After Dark and Wind Up Bird which for me had no point all. I really loved Murakami but became disillusioned when I read more of his books.