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 Murakami Talks About Life August 4, 2008
Howard Goldowsky (Boston, MA)
50 out of 51 found this review helpful
I have not read any of Murakami's novels (this may change soon), but in his short stories he often employs subtle nostalgia for his characters' pasts. Often this nostalgia blurs the line with philosophy, and after reading What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, it became apparent why Murakami enjoys crafting his fiction this way: his style of writing mirrors his perspective on life. After traveling the world, training for and participating in marathons and triathlons, Murakami wants to share his runner's experiences and how they have molded him and his perspective on life. He presents us with a thought-provoking and entertaining narrative (some of it culled from journal entries and old magazines articles he wrote years ago, but most of it original stuff).
The book is 1/3 travelogue, 1/3 self-help, and 1/3 runners guide. We read about the running environments and typical weather patterns where Murakami has trained: New York, Boston, Japan, Greece. We read about the mental discipline and courage it takes to be a long-distance runner. But, most of all, subtly emerging on each page, we read about Murakami the philosopher. His favorite topic is the merciless and stubborn passage of time and its effects on the body and mind. He writes candidly about his thoughts on training as he grows older (Murakami was in his late 50s when he wrote much of the book). He writes about what he thinks about as he runs (ususally nothing); he writes about discipline. To paraphrase one of Murakami's favorite quotes (I forget the source): "...pain is inevitable; suffering is optional."
Murakami tells us that he was neither a natural novelist nor runner. He has had to work hard at both, but both are things which require a steady effort, skills with which Murakami prides himself. As we read along, we learn about Murakami's start as a novelist, his love for baseball, his strong character, and how he applied his strong character to defy his friends and relatives and open a restaurant, become a writer, and eventually, a marathon runner (even once running a 62-mile ultra-marathon). He had opened a restaurant before he became a writer, but one day, after the success of his first novel, he decided to close the restaurant and become a professional writer. It was at this time when he also decided to start running and quit smoking (in that order).
Although the chronology of the book might be a little out of order (the book is not structured chronologically), and this might throw a few more traditional readers, this wasn't a problem. The translation seemed genuine (although I can't read Japanese!), as the translator kept all of the little Murakami-isms one would expect: little phrases such as "...as I mentioned before," or little tangents into the second person. The style remains informal throughout.
Despite its ostensible subject matter (running), this is a book for everyone, because its real subject matter is not about running -- it's about how Murakami gathers meaning from life. Using a master's touch, he shows us how this meaning derives from his simple act of running each day. I, for one, became inspired.
Run Haruki-san Run!! August 4, 2008
Peter A. Arvidson (Cambridge, MA)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
You do not have to be a runner to be inspired by this little book. Murakami's memoir details his hard work, perseverance and dedication with regard to a certain craft, long-distance running, and the positive affect it has had on his life and writing. Murakami's lessons can applied in life no matter what your profession or passions may be. For myself, his dedication, hard work, focus, goal-setting and commitment to a quality life are all inspiring. Plus, this a very enjoyable, fun read.
Wonderful running memoir by one of my favorite authors. August 3, 2008
Richard L. Pangburn (Bardstown, KY USA)
20 out of 27 found this review helpful
I have placed this book atop my listmania group of literary running books. Haruki Murakami's marvelously entertaining WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT RUNNING is about his running, yes, but it also touches on other interesting ideas, including the author's affinities for music, literature, and baseball, Japanese and American:
"As if to lament the defeat of the Boston Red Sox in the playoffs (they lost every game in a Sox vs. Sox series with Chicago), for ten days afterward a cold rain fell on New England. A long autumn rain. Sometimes it rained hard, sometimes softly; sometimes, it would let up for a time like an afterthought, but not once did it clear up."
"From beginning to end the sky was completely covered with the thick gray clouds particular to this region. Like a dawdling person, the rain lingered for a long time, then finally made up its mind to turn into a downpour. Towns from New Hampshire to Massachusetts suffered damage from the rain, and the main highway was cut off in places."
Murakami says he took the title of his book from the title of the Raymond Carver short story collection, WHAT I TALK ABOUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT LOVE, and thanks Carver's widow for giving him permission. Murakami has translated many of Carver's works into Japanese, as well as other American fiction. He says:
"One other project I'm involved in now is translating Scott Fitzgerald's THE GREAT GATSBY, and things are going well. I've finished the first draft and am revising the second. I'm taking my time, going over each line carefully, and as I do so the translation gets smoother and I'm better able to render Fitzgerald's prose into more natural Japanese."
"It's a little strange, perhaps, to make this claim at such a late date, but GATSBY really is an outstanding novel. I never get tired of it, no matter how many times I read it. It's the kind of literature that nourishes you as you read, and every time I do I'm struck by something new, and experience a fresh reaction to it. I find it amazing how such a young writer, only twenty-one at the time, could grasp--so insightfully, so equitably, and so warmly--the realities of life. How was this possible? The more I think about it, and the more I read the novel, the more mysterious it all is."
Music, baseball, literature, and running. My kind of writer. Runners looking for a similar read might want to try Don Kardong's THIRTY PHONE BOOTHS TO BOSTON. Readers new to Murakami who enjoyed this one might be inspired to try one of the author's many novels, and I highly recommend THE WIND-UP BIRD CHRONICLE.
What I Thought About When I Thought about "What I Talk About When I Talk About RUNNING" August 1, 2008
Carol Goodrow (New England)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
I first heard of Haruki Murakami by looking up the Amazon running book stats. Since I check these often it wasn't the ranking that got my attention but the title. I was intrigued. The title: It's too long by modern standards, and it speaks to deep thought as well as another culture. I ordered the book and anticipated its arrival.
To my surprise, it wasn't the running that stood out. In fact, I found the running sections ordinary. Now, understand that I am a runner, and have read about running day-in and day-out for the last 13 or so years. I know triathletes, ultra runners, and people who thrive on doing the extreme. So running with goals, sticking with it, running on a daily basis, marathons, triathlons, never walking- always running, are ideas that I hear and see everywhere. To a non-runner, Haruki will seem like a star, but to me, it's fairly ordinary, even with Haruki still having these goals in his 50s.
What did intrigue me (besides the title) was his style of writing. It's a simple book, very clear, and easy to comprehend, so what clues are there in the book to his style, the style that has made him a famed writer? This is what I wanted to discover. Surely not the repetition of "I'm the kind of person who...," to explain This is who I am. This is my way. This is me.
After a few chapters, I started the book over and read each sentence carefully to see what I could discover. And here are a few samples, quotes so to speak, that make Haruki's writing special.
"As if the concept of clouds doesn't even exist." - Haruki's way of describing a sunny day.
"...as if it remembered, 'Oh, I've got some errands to do,' it whisked itself away without so much as a glance back." - Description of a rain shower.
"...slicing through the air like they had robbers on their heels." - Sprinters
"...pound the rock with a chisel and dig deep into the hole..." Finding his creativity.
RECOMMENDED FOR
- Anyone who likes to read about running.
- A new marathoner looking for inspiration for reaching goals and sticking with running.
- Writers who want to look closely at style and sentence structure.
_ People who enjoy biographies.
A BIT MORE - Other things that made the purchase of this book of value to me:
I enjoyed the little things Haruki would talk about when he wasn't running in a "cozy homemade void" - the Italian lady who wore a different outfit every day, his loss of patience with everything in sight at the end of his first marathon (a reverse running of a famous course in Marathon, Greece.)
So running log aside, this was a book that caught my interest, and intrigued me enough to want to read more by this author. I'm starting at the beginning and am going to read the first book that Haruki wrote as a novelist, Wild Sheep Chase. I'll go into this blind. I have no idea what this book is about - and hope it's not about running, but pray that the style will intrigue me enough so that I will want to absorb and analyze every line.
A personal, intimate meditation on running, writing and life June 7, 2010
Yuni (Chicago, IL)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As a runner and a big fan of Murakami's bizzare yet captivating fiction, I couldn't wait to read this book. Who would've guessed that one of my favorite authors is also an avid runner? As its title suggests, this book is a memoir of sorts. It is organized in the form of essays written over the course of almost two years about Murakami's meditations on various aspects of running. Presented in chronological order, readers follow Murakami's training for his annual winter marathon.
I enjoyed reading Murakami's personal musings on his running and training schedule. As someone who always runs by myself, I always wondered what goes through other runners' minds. It is quite fun and feels quite voyeuristic to get an insight into my favorite author's thoughts while he's running and to find some similarities between his and my routine. The essays are rather slow-paced and relaxed, which I enjoyed thoroughly.
It is refreshing to read Murakami writing in the first person. Readers may get a sense of this intensely private and guarded writer's personality through this memoir. Although the main topic is his running, readers also enjoy a view into Murakami's view of life and how it changed or evolved through the years with his running. I loved this book as it inspired me in not only running, but also in trying to be happy with life. I will definitely re-read this gem again in the future!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 80
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