Tag: haruki murakami

Haruki Murakami’s ‘Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood is a 1987 novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. The novel is a nostalgic story of loss. It is told from the first-person perspective of Toru Watanabe, who looks back on his days as a college student living in Tokyo.

“Haruki Murakami’s ‘Norwegian Wood’ is a novel that transcends mere storytelling, delving deep into the recesses of the human soul.

Set against the backdrop of 1960s Japan, the narrative unfurls as Toru Watanabe, the protagonist, grapples with the labyrinthine complexities of love, loss, and the elusive quest for meaning. Murakami’s prose is a tapestry of poignant imagery and profound introspection, weaving a tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page. The characters, especially Toru’s relationships with Naoko and Midori, are intricately nuanced, each harboring their own scars and vulnerabilities. The novel’s thematic depth lies in its unflinching portrayal of mental health struggles, existential crises, and the enduring pursuit of human connection amid an emotionally desolate landscape. While the narrative occasionally drifts into meandering contemplation, this very introspection is the essence that lends ‘Norwegian Wood’ its haunting allure. It is a meditative exploration of the human psyche, inviting readers to confront their own emotions and wrestle with the ambiguity of life. ‘Norwegian Wood’ stands as a testament to Murakami’s mastery in crafting a melancholic yet profoundly thought-provoking tale, appealing to those who seek an immersive and introspective reading experience.”

The Impact Of Haruki Murakami On The World Of Literature

Fish dropping from the sky and human-animal hybrids are only a few of the “common” happenings in Haruki Murakami’s stories. The famous Japanese author has millions of admirers across the globe, with his best-selling novels translated into over 50 languages.

Haruki Murakami’s widespread fame signals the twenty-first century’s progress to a much more interconnected society, one where origin has no bearing on impact and everyone is a descendant of the diverse communities that happened to come before. Murakami’s huge reach stems in large part from the scope of his own preferences and capabilities. He not only has made many western readers acquainted with some of the East’s modern written achievements, but he’s also translated several  works of English authors like Raymond Carver, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and J.D. Salinger to Japanese, giving Japanese readers exposure to some of  these works for the very first time.

Murakami is heavily inspired by Western writers, finding inspiration in authors ranging from Franz Kafka to Kurt Vonnegut. He now admires the novelists Kazuo Ishiguro and Cormac McCarthy. He became particularly captivated to American culture as a young child, devouring any relics he would discover, whether jazz albums, dollar store paperback books, or Hollywood films.

Murakami’s life has been influenced by jazz music. Several of his novels, like Norwegian Wood (from the same Beatles song) as well as Tsukuru Tazaki, depend heavily on the music of Franz Liszt. 

When it pertains to Haruki Murakami, there seems to be an odd synchronicity between his supporters and his detractors. Everybody thinks that he’s often humorous, especially in his dialogue. His protagonists, who are frequently drawn into detective storylines without the need for a “FOR HIRE” notice in their windows, and who doesn’t love a detective? 

Cats, mundane kitchen activities, dingy barrooms, pop and/or classical theme tunes are always be present in the books, set against a surreal, Manichaean danger zone into which the modest yet progressively resilient protagonist must descend in quest as to what he’s missing, most likely to find something else instead. The hero may also stay a bit of time at the bottom of a well or in another dark and solitary place.

His thoughts and emotions will be torn between yearning for an otherworldly, spiritual lady (typically the one who has vanished) and desire towards a feisty, sensual, down-to-earth woman (who may at first just seem more like his sidekick on the journey but may just turn out to be just what he needed all along).  

Murakami has been writing many versions on similar themes for almost 40 years, and he admits about his tendency of reusing certain types of ideas in several interviews. Some people consider his repeats to be a detriment to him. But what divides his detractors is whether they will accommodate his logical leaps and propensity to build dreamworlds which defy consistency and appear to live irrespective of any writer-imposed constraints.

Although the Kyoto-born novelist might not be the first Japanese author to achieve international recognition, Murakami has dramatically changed the perception of Japanese literature throughout the globe, resulting in a high demand for Japanese books to be translated. 

Drive My Car: A Short Story

In this short story collection, all of the seven men are immensely curious and on the basis of their curiosity, each story moves forward. In the first short story, ‘Drive My Car’ the protagonist is a veteran actor who lost his wife to advanced uterian cancer. Kafuku, the curious widower has been living his days seeking for answers for his dead wife’s infidelity. He has been in love with her for twenty long years to the extent where he knowingly ignored the four affairs his wife had been in, after they both lost their three days old child at the hospital. He finds solace in the company of the female driver whom he hires, even though he had always been doubtful of women drivers. He loses his beautiful wife but he can’t lose the thought of she making love with her colleague. He ends up meeting her last partner, after her death. Kafuku befriends him in order to find a fatal flaw which he would use against him as a way to punish him for sleeping with his wife. Only he couldn’t. He couldn’t punish the other man. He lets the other man go. But, curiosity doesn’t leave Kafuku.

Haruki Murakami is one of the most popular bestseller authors across the globe. All of his works are his masterpieces, his words keep the readers hooked to the story until the very last. He got immense popularity with his novel, The Norwegian Wood, a gem of a book. He is not only a bestseller in his native place but also a bestseller all around the world. He has done an excellent work with his novel, Men Without Women. He has completely hypnotized the readers with his magic words and beautiful minute details. The book has seven tales of seven different characters, bound together only on one point – the lack of one woman in their lives. All the protagonists are male, and their lives are halved and they are left lonely without women.

The entire plot of the short story revolves around curiosity. Murakami, through his narration, brought out the nature of every character present in the story. You definitely should read the story, to understand the depths of human mind. Their are many intricacies in human mind, and Murakami miraculously excels every single time with his extraordinary words, and a sense of getting deep inside the reader’s thoughts. He brings out the rhythms to the heart’s music, and plays it, according to his convenience. We read, what he writes for us, in a way that our desires get fulfilled. It is extremely hard to put down any work of Haruki Murakami, before finishing. But, the most beautiful part of reading Murakami’s works are, you can read them as many times you want, but every time you open the page to the same old story, trust me, the words would speak differently to you.

In my opinion, the universe would become a sad but happy place, if you read the short story, ‘Drive My Car.’ It is one of a kind, which provides you with a sense of calm, yet holds your attention until the very last, and even then, you would wish the story to continue, you would wish to know more about the characters, and you stay oddly unsatisfied yet satisfied with the story.