About the Author - Initial Research
Lastly, Haruki Murakami!
At this point I feel that I am most drawn to Murakami and his work. I have been an avid reader of his. I didn't plan on choosing him because I am familiar with his work, but it is because I somehow resonate with writing and life.
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| Excerpts from: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, 2013 (all time favorite book!) |
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| Part 2: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki, 2013 |
I've only read Kafka on the Shore, Norwegian Wood and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki. Though what I realized is that despite writing these based on Japanese culture and the society, he has never written anything 'stereotypical'. What I enjoyed about his work is the simplicity and mysteriousness of the story and the characters.
About himself:
- he was born in Kyoto, though grew up in Kobe around post-World War II.
- he has a Jazz bar. Music and writing then came hand in hand, hence his frequent references to music in his books. For instance Toru from Norwegian Wood, he also owns a Jazz bar.
His books:
- Hear the Wind Sing (first novel)
- Underground: very first non-fiction novel which talks about the Hanshin quake and Tokyo subway gas attack in 1995.
- Wind up Bird Chronicle
- IQ148
What I particularly like about his writings is the fact that even if it is fiction, it feels 'real'. He seem to never have written a 'perfect' character. Instead he shows their flaws and struggles of any ordinary person in real life such as self-doubt, being socially inept or financially troubled.
He also often discusses about one's journey and mundane things that somehow seemed so interesting in the books such as walking along the beach or working in a library. He sees the world with great detail in which I find fascinating. This is something that I plan to further look into as well as other recurring concepts.
