The final part of the trilogy "1Q84" by the Japanese prose writer Haruki Murakami, in which, as the name implies, the action takes place in one thousand eighty-four in a world over which two moons hang. The characters are the same - the instructor of the fitness club Aomame, who cracks down on husbands who bully their wives; math teacher and not-so-successful writer Tengo; young Fukaeri, who wrote her debut novel that won a prestigious award; representatives of a certain dangerous and powerful sect ... Although the heroes change - for example, Aomame “is no longer a helpless child who is being imposed on someone's faith. There is no need with all your guts to hate men who beat their wives. The unbridled anger that had boiled up in her earlier ... imperceptibly disappeared somewhere ... To which Aomame is very glad. She doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore. As well as hurting yourself. "
Read completelyUnsigned boring
EKSMO publishing house, after a year and a half, still publishes the book in Russian, although this is how Japanese authors are translated for about 12 months. Another thing is that the eternal translator Murakami Dmitry Kovalenin, from whose pen the Russian-speaking world recognized the author of "Sheep Hunt", this time was replaced by several faster interpreters, but the speed of appearance on the market still did not happen.
Fans of Murakami probably know with what hype the first and second parts of the novel came out. These stories about the entire circulation sold out in Japan on the very first day have already become a bike. As well as about the idea of \u200b\u200b"1Q84" seven years ago, as well as entering the category of a bestseller in 12 days. By tradition, famous authors are more and more overgrown with legends, and their works are less and less likely to pay attention. There are only a few exceptions. However, Murakami was no exception this time.
Murakami's soft prose, full of harmony, beauty, contradictory moments and the attractiveness of an unfamiliar world, has owned not so much the minds as the hearts of the Russian-speaking reader for more than a decade. Even without fully understanding what the speech is actually about, the reader plunges into the world of the author, who is not embarrassed by frankness, everyday life, but at the same time remains a romantic, as they say, to the marrow of his bones.
"1Q84", the name of which should be understood as "One thousand eighty-fourth," a revamped Orwellian date, is a famously twisted story around a woman - serial killer Aomame, a religious cult involved in inhuman acts, as well as an unknown young beauty Fukaeri writing a mysterious novel ... There is also a dotted love story here, which began in school years and continues even 20 years later. The story begins quite calmly, but soon the typical Murakami world opens wide before the reader, mottled with parallel lines, layering, and mixing styles. If you remove one layer, "1Q84" is a novel, figuratively speaking, with one foot firmly standing in the real world, and the other in the realm of science fiction and illusion, but which looks more like a fiction.
The first two books "1Q84" produced a rather strong effect, and if you really immerse yourself in reading, it even seemed that the world was changing around. And this new, largest work from the author of "Norwegian Forest", having absorbed all the signs of a Japanese writer, even claimed the title of his reference work.
Murakami was easy to guess here. This is not at all the dominant, but retaining the reader's spoon of alternative reality, this is a completely mundane everyday Japan today and its stories from the past, this is more than an unusual relationship between a man and a woman. Not to say that long - just in great detail. Not to say that it is too vulgar - rather, only modern. We can say that all the best from Murakami "in one bottle".
Against this background, the third book became incredibly expected and therefore slightly mysterious. What could surprise the readers this time? It turned out that the author was not going to amaze, but, “spreading his thoughts along a tree” and as if he was treading on the spot, retold the old story not so much with new details as with undisguised boredom. The plot action of the first part of the final book "1Q84" is entirely a description of the dreary loneliness of the protagonist Aomame with the novel by Proust, who, out of boredom of imprisonment, sometimes shoves the barrel of a pistol into her mouth to somehow cheer up. And Murakami's traditional thorough chewing of food on every page, and neat sex, enhanced by carnal details. Emotions appear only in the second half of the volume, when, with the external "Japanese" calmness, Murakami arranges psychological stress, like his compatriot directors who frighten the world with "Calls". It is here that the parallel realities in which the heroes of the novel were, will finally converge. And the crime drama will become a social and psychological fantasy.
But in general, the final book of the epic "1Q84" is a sluggish debriefing and repetition of the material covered, this time collected by a private detective. This is the murder of the leader of a religious sect that happened in the second volume. And the situation was brewing even in the first one, where we were told how to write a story correctly, and the main characters - a math teacher and a fitness instructor - played a novel.
All the most important things have already happened in the previous two volumes, and in the third part even the displacement of alternative worlds does not save the picture. Even take the musical part of the novel, which Murakami has always paid special attention to - his heroes listened to jazz with rock, and in "Kafka on the Beach" even on reels, like the Beatles. In 1Q84, Janáček's Symfonietta is played everywhere. Listening - again impassable boring.
“The killer girl Aomame, who at the end of the second volume remained on the bridge with the barrel of a pistol in her mouth, could not commit suicide after completing the main task. Representatives of a religious sect, decapitated by her, seeking to control the psyche of people, are already following the trail, but Aomame is in no hurry to leave his staging post, sitting motionless for days on the balcony of a small apartment with binoculars and a revolver at the ready. Binoculars - so as not to miss the appearance of Tengo, who once was here. Revolver - just in case. Meanwhile, in another apartment, a strange girl, Fukaeri, is hiding just as quietly, who suggested to Tengo the plot of "Air Cocoon". Tengo himself disappears in the cat city, reading aloud to his dying father for days on end. Soon all the lines will cross at one point. And now everything is hidden under two moons. The more powerful the coming storm, the deafening the silence a minute before it starts, ”says the publisher's annotation to the novel.
Haruki Murakami, Japan, 01/12/1949 Haruki Murakami is the most famous living Japanese writer, the author of one and a half dozen books translated into many languages \u200b\u200bof the world. Born in the ancient capital of Japan - Kyoto. Grandfather - a Buddhist priest, kept a small temple. My father taught Japanese language and literature at school, and in his free time he was also engaged in Buddhist enlightenment. Murakami studied classical drama at Waseda University and ran a jazz bar in Tokyo. He married his classmate Yoko, with whom he still lives. He began writing at the age of 29 and since then publishes an average of one novel per year. Murakami was one of the first to open the eyes of hundreds of thousands of readers to modern Japan with its alternative youth subculture, not much different from the analogous environment in Moscow, New York, London or in the Stambul. His hero is a young loafer, anxious to find a girl with ears of an unusual shape. He loves to eat thoroughly: he mixes green onions and veal, fried with salted plums, adds dried tuna, a mixture of seaweed with shrimps in vinegar, season with wasabi horseradish with grated radish, sunflower oil and spices with stewed potatoes, chopped garlic and finely chopped. Without a special purpose, he drives a car around the city and shares burning questions with readers: why is the Japanese Subaru more comfortable than the Italian Maserati, how one-armed disabled people cut bread, and by what miracle did “Fat Boy George become superstars”? With his creativity, Murakami destroys the usual Japanese values, such as the desire to live in harmony with the outside world, not to stand out from the environment and be obsessed with a career. He gladly breaks traditions, for which we despise many Japanese, adherents of ancient foundations and "correct" habits. “I like wasting time. There are so many things in the world that I love - jazz, cats ... Girls, maybe. Books. All this helps me to survive. "He is the last romantic, with the sadness of unjustified hopes looking at the cold barrel of a revolver in the hand of a mercenary and convinced of the power of good. He adores pop culture: The Rolling Stones, The Doors, David Lynch, horror films , Stephen King, Raymond Chandler, detectives - everything that is not recognized by the intellectual community and highbrow aesthetes from the enlightened bohemian circles. motorcycle. Maybe that's why in a woman he is more interested in unusual ears, and not eyes. For he does not want to pretend and remains himself in any situation, with any person. So he fell in love all over the world. He is loved like that in Russia as well.
I once asked my yoga teacher how to develop creativity. His answer boiled down to one word: "Run!"
Of course, when I saw Murakami's book "What do I talk about when I talk about running", I immediately ... did not buy it. Because it was at the Domodedovo airport, and it costs 600 rubles there :) But the next day I bought it in a regular store.
Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite writers, and he became one long before reading him became the fashionable sign of an intelligent person. I read his first book on Psion (IT people will understand). Many say that they say, Murakami writes, don't understand what, all this is nonsense and not literature at all. And I love him. I read - as if I was breathing in unison, as if he was writing about me. Murakami is like jazz, or it is in tune with you, or not.
I have read all of his novels, except for documentaries (I did not master "Subway").
My favorite book is Wonderland Without Brakes or The End of the World. I didn’t read anything for a long time after it, I was still impressed. Roman-meditation ... according to the sensations that arise after.
Even if you do not love Murakami, as I love him, you must admit that he is one of the most successful writers in the world, published in millions of copies.
Finally, he wrote something about himself and about his writing :))
Actually this book is really about running (Murakami runs marathons and super marathons). But it also has something about writing. I will share quotes and tell you why you need to run.
"In the work of a writer - victory, as well as defeat, this is the tenth thing. Circulations, literary awards, laudatory or abusive licenses can be perceived as some kind of indicators, but they are not the essence. It is much more important to me whether what I wrote corresponds to, to my own standards, or not. And here no excuses work. In front of others it is not so difficult to justify itself, but you cannot fool yourself. And in this sense, writing is like a marathon. Roughly speaking, the need to write is not always explicit - lives in yourself, which means that it is not at all necessary to comply with the criteria of the external world.
Running is not only good for health, but for me it has also become a kind of effective metaphor. Running from day to day, distance after distance, raising the bar higher and higher and overcoming it over and over again, I myself climbed up. Well, or, in any case, I tried to rise to a higher spiritual level, working on myself every day and sparing no effort. "
"If I am unfairly criticized (at least from my point of view) or if someone who should have understood me for some reason did not understand me, then I run a little longer than usual. That is, thanks to the extra running, I sort of I get rid of additional discontent. "
By the way, my yoga teacher advises vigorous physical activity as the best stress reliever.
“Every time I don’t feel like running, I say to myself:“ You are a writer, you work from home, on a free schedule. You don't have to go anywhere in a packed train and die of boredom at meetings. Understand how lucky you are! (I see!) And what is an hour's jogging in the fresh air compared to these horrors ?! As soon as I imagine a crowded train, I am cheerfully and cheerfully tying my sneakers and leaving the house. "You really have to try, otherwise how could you not regret it later," I think, knowing full well that the world is full of people who, without hesitation, prefer the train and the meeting to a daily hourly run. "
“In every interview I’m asked what qualities a good writer should have. The answer is obvious - a writer must have talent. No matter how diligent and zeal you write, if you have no talent, you will never become a good writer. It is rather a precondition. than the quality acquired Even the best car in the world will not budge without fuel.
The problem with talent is that in most cases, a person cannot control the quality and quantity of their talent. And when it suddenly turns out that there is clearly not enough talent, then no matter how you think of where to replenish the depleted reserves, no matter how you try to save talent by stretching it for a longer time, it is unlikely that something will come of it. Talent lives by itself, wants - gushes, wants - dries up, and then our affairs are bad. Of course, the life of Schubert and Mozart, as well as some poets and rock singers - who in a short time exhausted their exceptional talent or who died at the peak of fame and transformed by their dramatic and untimely death into a wonderful legend - leave few people indifferent, but for most of us it's still not a role model.
The second most important quality I consider the ability to focus. Or even so - to focus your, to a certain extent, limited, talent on what is vital at the moment. Without this, you will not be able to create anything of any value.
The ability to focus can even partially compensate for the imperfection of talent or lack of it. I usually devote three to four hours of the morning to concentrated work. I sit down at the table and switch off completely. I don't see anything around me, I don't think about anything except work. Even an extremely talented writer who is overwhelmed with exciting new ideas will not be able to transfer them to paper if - for example - he suffers from a toothache (tooth decay!). Pain prevents concentration. This is what I mean when I say that without concentration you will not achieve anything.
Another essential quality is endurance. If you work with concentration for three to four hours a day, but after a week you feel that you are terribly tired, then you will not be able to write a major work. A writer - at least a writer planning to write a story - needs a reserve of energy that would be enough for six months, a year, or even two hard work. It can be compared to breathing. If the moment when we concentrate is likened to a deep breath, then endurance is the ability to breathe slowly and silently, sparingly spending a deep breath. Anyone who wants to become a professional writer needs to learn how to properly combine these two techniques. After getting more air into your lungs, continue breathing.
Fortunately, the last two qualities (endurance and the ability to focus) differ from talent in that they can be nurtured and developed in yourself through training. If you work at your desk for several hours in a row every day, focusing on one thing, you will eventually acquire both of these qualities. This is very similar to the muscle training I talked about recently. Without stopping to send your body valuable instructions that you, in fact, want from it, you need to convince yourself that daily and focused work on a specific task is necessary first of all for you. In this way, you will gradually expand your capabilities. The bar will start to rise. The same goes for those who run daily to build muscle and improve their shape. Impulse - conservation, impulse - conservation. We need to be patient, but believe me, the first results will not be long in coming.
Detective master Raymond Chandler confessed in a private letter that even if he had absolutely nothing to write, he still spent several hours every day at his desk, trying to focus on something - anyway - to focus. And I understand perfectly why he did it. In this way, he accumulated the physical stamina required by a professional writer. Trained willpower.
From my point of view, writing prose is hard physical labor. Yes, writing is a mental process, but to write a novel or book, you have to work physically. This, of course, does not mean that you need to carry weights, run fast and jump high. Nevertheless, most people see only what is on the surface, and consider writers special creatures who devote almost all their time to quiet intellectual armchair work. If you are able to raise a cup of coffee, many people believe, then you have enough strength to write a story. But try to write something at least once, and you will understand that the work of a writer is not as sinecure as it might seem from the outside. This whole process of creating something out of nothing is sitting at a table; collecting will in a beam like a laser; plot writing; selection of words, one by one; taking care that the thread of the narrative does not break or get tangled requires dozens of times more energy than the uninitiated think. The writer is in constant motion not in the external, but in his inner world. And his hard and exhausting inner work is hidden from prying eyes. It is generally accepted that only the head is involved in the thinking process. This is not so: the writer, pulling on the overalls of the "story", thinks with his whole body, which leads to tension, and even to the exhaustion of all forces - both physical and mental.
Many talented writers accomplish this feat over and over again without even realizing what is actually happening. In youth, having a certain talent, you can easily write large things and playfully cope with the difficulties that arise along the way. After all, when you are young, your body is literally filled with vitality. You can focus on anything at any time, and endurance is no problem. It is quite obvious that there is no need to specially train these qualities in oneself. When you are young and talented, it inspires.
However, sooner or later youth passes, and free, ebullient activity loses its "freshness and natural shine." You suddenly discover that things that were previously given to you without any difficulty are not at all so simple. So, the delivery of a daring pitcher becomes weaker over the years. Of course, as people age, they come up with various ways to compensate for the gradual loss of strength. And our pitcher turns from daring to cunning and now specializes in throws with a change of speed. But there is a limit to everything. And now again powerlessness looms before us as a pale shadow.
But writers who are not very talented - those who find it difficult to comply with generally accepted standards - must build their "muscles" from a young age, correctly calculating their strengths. These writers have to train in order to develop their stamina and the ability to focus. In these qualities they find (to some extent) a substitute for talent. And so, gradually "overcoming" the cruel reality, they can really unexpectedly discover hidden talent in themselves. They sweat, dig a hole under their feet with a shovel, and suddenly they stumble upon an underground source. It is clear that this is a matter of luck, but luck is not accidental: if it were not for persistent training, thanks to which the strength to dig appeared, nothing would have happened. I believe that almost all late-starting writers have gone through something similar.
Naturally, there are people (but, again, naturally, there are very few of them), endowed with such a powerful talent, which is enough for a lifetime - it does not weaken or deplete. Each of their works is a masterpiece, and no matter how much they draw from their source, it does not dry out. We should be grateful that such people were and are. Without them - without Shakespeare, Balzac, Dickens - world literature is unthinkable. But in the end, they are great and they are great - that is, an exception to the rule, legendary figures. The rest of the writers (including, of course, me), those who are not able to soar to the top, have to compensate for the imperfection of their talent by all available means. Otherwise, they simply cannot write anything worthwhile. The ways in which such compensation is carried out becomes part of the personality of the writer. It is they who make him different from others.
I learned a lot about writing books through my daily jogging. It is based on practical experience - natural and physiological. How long can I last? How hard can I push myself? How much time do I need to fully rest, and from what moment is rest already harmful? Where does adequate loyalty to oneself end and inadequate blinkering begin? How much attention should be paid to the surrounding world and how deep is it to immerse yourself in the inner world? To what extent do you believe yourself? How much not to trust yourself? I know that if I hadn't become a runner when I became a writer, my books would have been completely different. What exactly? I can not tell. But the difference would be noticeable, believe me.
In any case, I am very glad that I have continued to run all these years. Why? Because I myself like what I write. I am looking forward to what I will do next time. As a writer with a disability, and also an imperfect person woven of contradictions, I can regard this joyous sense of anticipation as a real achievement. And even a kind of miracle, although perhaps the word “miracle” is not quite appropriate here. And if I owe all this to my daily running, then of course I should be all the more grateful to him.
Runners are often chuckled at, they say, these are ready for a lot, just to live longer, but I think that most people run not for this reason. It is important for them not to prolong their life, but to improve its quality. If we are to spend years, it’s at least interesting and full-fledged, with some purpose, and not wandering in the fog. And it seems to me that running can help a lot in this. You need to reach your individual limit - this is the essence of running. But it is also a metaphor for life (and for me, and writing). And I think a lot of runners will agree with me. "
“Another thought - a thought on the run - about how prose is written.
From time to time I am asked: "Murakami-san, if you continue to lead such a healthy lifestyle, will you not stop writing books?" To tell the truth, I’m almost never asked this question abroad, but in Japan many people believe that writing is a very unhealthy thing, that writers are highly depraved people who must behave completely in order to create. unnatural. Moreover, it is believed that in this way the writer moves away from everything worldly and philistine and approaches a certain intrinsic value, in artistic terms, purity of perception. This idea has been taking shape over the years. These are typical - or, to put it in a positive way, ideal - writers every now and then found in films and television series.
In general, I am ready to agree with the opinion that writing is an unhealthy occupation. When a writer gets down to work and begins to embody his idea in the text, a certain toxic substance is released that other people - and everyone has it - is hidden deep inside. The writer, realizing the seriousness of the situation, is forced to deal with this dangerous substance, otherwise there can be no talk of any genuine creativity. (I will allow myself a somewhat strange analogy with puffer fish, the meat of which is the tastier the closer to the poisonous parts. Perhaps this will bring some clarity.) In short, whatever one may say, but writing books is unhealthy.
I admit that the creative process has unhealthy and antisocial elements from the start. That is why there are many decadent and, as it seems from the outside, completely antisocial personalities among writers. This is understandable, and I'm not going to deny it.
But those of us who dream of a long and successful writing career must develop the immunity to withstand the dangerous (and sometimes deadly) effects of this mental poison. By triggering such an additional immune system, you can cope with much more toxic substances. In other words, it allows you to create more powerful works in terms of aesthetic impact and inner strength. But in order to maintain the functioning of such a system for a long time, a huge amount of energy is needed. Where to get this energy, where to draw it from, if not from your own physical strength?
Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting that this is the only true path that all writers must take. Just as there are many different books, there are many different writers, each with a different outlook on life.
Accordingly, they do different things and strive for different goals. This means that there simply cannot be a universal path for everyone. It's not even discussed. But if you ask me, I will say that someone who is going to write a major work needs to become strong, to build up muscles. I believe that this is a worthy task in itself (from the series when it is better to do than not to do it), and - even if it is a commonplace - why not try (or even overdo it) if it is worth it.
To do work so unhealthy, you need to be an exceptionally healthy person. This is my motto. In other words, an unhealthy spirit needs a healthy body. The paradox of this maxim has never ceased to be felt on my own skin since I became a professional writer. "Healthy" and "unhealthy" are not necessarily at opposite ends of the spectrum. They do not oppose each other, but, on the contrary, complement each other, and sometimes even act together. It is only natural that if someone decides to lead a healthy lifestyle, he will only think about what is good for health. And those who are not going to lead a healthy lifestyle - about what is harmful to health. But with such a one-sided view of the world, you will never achieve anything.
Some writers, having created significant, beautiful works in their youth, suddenly discover with age that creative exhaustion has come. This is aptly denoted by the word "write". The new work of these authors may still be good, but it is obvious to everyone that their creative energy has dried up. I believe this is because they lack the strength to withstand the effects of toxins. The physical capabilities, which at first made it possible to cope with the poison, at some point, having reached their limit, slowly began to decline. It becomes increasingly difficult for the writer to work intuitively and spontaneously, because the balance between the power of the imagination and the physical abilities necessary to maintain this power is disturbed. Then the writer, with the help of the techniques developed over the years, continues to write as if by inertia - and the remaining energy is enough only to give the text the form of a literary work. This is very pressing, and, of course, a creative person cannot come to terms with this situation. Some in such a situation say goodbye to life. Others decide to leave literature and change their occupation.
If possible, I will try not to write out. Literature seems to me to be a more spontaneous and centripetal occupation (as psychoanalysts say - centriletal). There must be a positive and natural vitality in the literature. Writing a novel is like climbing a rocky mountain, overcoming cliff after cliff, and you can only get to the top after long and hard work. You either overcome yourself or you don't. One out of two. As I work on the novel, I always remember this metaphor.
It is clear that the day will come when you will lose. Over time, the body is inevitably destroyed. Sooner or later, it will fail and disappear. When the body is defeated, the spirit (most likely) has nowhere to go.
I understand all this perfectly. And nevertheless, I firmly intend to hold on to the last, so that the moment when my vitality is no longer enough to resist the inner poison comes as late as possible. This is my writing credo. By the way, at this stage of my life, I just do not have time to write out. I'm runing. Even when they say, "He's not a creative person."
"If I happen to decide what to write on my tombstone, I will ask you to knock out the following:
Haruki Murakami
writer (and runner)
1949-20**
Anyway, he never took a step
At the moment, I would like just such an epitaph. "
Now a little comment.
If for you the words "human energy system" and "chakras" are akin to obscurantism, then you may not read further :)
Why, from a yoga perspective, is running so good for creativity?
For higher creativity (music, poetry, painting), the fifth energy center (or chakra) of a person - vishudha, is in the throat. How to fill it with energy?
The fifth center is connected with the second - svadhisthana. When we work through the second center, the fifth is automatically filled. The easiest way to energize your second center is by running.
You can "pump" and the fifth center at once. But first, it’s quite difficult. As my yoga teacher says, to make sour cream, you first need milk - that very energy of the lower centers.
Secondly, if you work a lot with the upper centers, the energy system becomes like a tree without roots with spreading branches. Such a tree can easily fall. Simply put, a person can go crazy (which sometimes happens to artists and writers) or seriously fail health.
Isn't this theory surprisingly similar to Murakami's reasoning about creative exhaustion and "mental poison"?
In addition to running, any intense power and aerobic exercise is very useful (just such, not stretching and not any joint gymnastics). First of all, these are running, swimming, cycling, long walks, special energy practices - qigong, some types of breathing.
I didn't want to admit it for a very long time. For me, even physical education lessons have always been "horror-horror". Recently, however, I get a real buzz from sports :) I have this bike in the summer, mountain skiing in the winter, and all year round. And I began to notice that it is physical activity that remarkably restores both mental balance and the supply of creative strength. And if you do nothing, then a very important state of concentration and mood is quickly lost.
However, like Murakami in his book, I do not urge you to run :)
I’m just explaining what I’m talking about when I talk about exercise.
The living classic of Japanese literature Haruki Murakami justifies the principle of Gustave Flaubert: "Be simple in life, and then you will be frantic in creativity." Murakami leads a good, measured life of a person who enjoys being: he gets up early, goes to bed early, writes a lot, goes in for sports, participates in marathons, and sometimes travels. And writes a bestseller a year.
The writer has few childhood memories. He does not like the concept of "family": "It is more interesting to wade through life alone." His grandfather was a Buddhist priest. My father teaches Japanese literature at school and also serves in the temple. Cultural traditions are indisputable for the father - and cause Haruka to revolt. He stops talking to his father, throws up Japanese books and starts reading foreign literature. First, Russian in translation, then American in original, buying second-hand pocketbooks left by sailors from second-hand booksellers. Haruki is studying English on her own. Read completely
Murakami is studying classical (Greek) drama at the arts department of Waseda University. But he prefers to spend time reading scripts of foreign films. Tries to create his own script - does not work. Nevertheless, in the future, critics will call Murakami's special style "the cine method": the heroes of his books observe everything as if through a movie camera. Perhaps this is how the traditional contemplation of Japanese literature manifests itself in a new, high-tech incarnation.
During his studies, Haruki marries fellow student Yoko. In 1974 they opened a jazz bar in Tokyo, where art critics have to work hard and not in their specialty. The bar's menu includes cabbage rolls with meat, for which Murakami finely chops a whole basket of onions every morning. The writer laughs that he can still chop a lot of onions very quickly without shedding a single tear. Few of the visitors like the jazz bar, the owner gets it from the grumblers. But this teaches him to "keep his tail in the pipe" and work on, not reacting even to the harshest criticism.
In 1978, while enjoying a baseball game and sipping a beer at Jingu Stadium, Murakami suddenly feels it is time for him to write a book. And it begins ... in English. A year later, the author published "Listen to the song of the wind" (still in Japanese). It is sold in a large circulation for the debut and brings the author the first national prize.
Friends refuse to believe that Murakami wrote anything. The main tradition in Japanese literature is shi-sesetsu, a diary, a novel about oneself. And Murakami is just Murakami! The author himself later assured that readers would really fall asleep over a novel about his life: "Despite all my writing baggage, I almost never experienced truly exciting adventures in real life." Nevertheless, even fictional characters have the traits and passions of the author. Murakami usually writes in the first person. Writing in the third person is difficult, because then he feels like "something like a god": "But I don't want to be a god."
When Murakami began publishing regularly, he sold the jazz bar. And in 1986 he realized his old dream of "getting out of the country." He is disappointed in Japan: "I just hate some systems here." Together with his wife he travels to Italy, Greece, lives in the capital of Great Britain, then to the USA, where he teaches at various universities. And he writes diligently.
At 33, he quits smoking and is fond of running. Later, to the comment of a journalist that 33 is the age of Christ at the crucifixion, the writer replies: "Really? I did not know. But we are talking about reincarnation, right?" By the way, Murakami is a realist and does not believe in heavenly powers, reincarnation, tarot or horoscopes. "But when I write, I write mysticism. It's very strange."
In 1996, the writer returned to his homeland, shaken by two national tragedies that happened a year earlier: a gas attack in the Tokyo subway organized by the Aum Shinrikye sect, and an earthquake in Kobe, where Haruki Murakami grew up.
For Japanese traditionalists, Murakami is "the stinking oil". For a nation that did not eat milk, this means everything foreign. Murakami, they say, laughs at those who build a career and suppress everything personal in the name of the interests of the community. It's true. Murakami's heroes are unemployed and carefree outsiders. The writer is sure that labor from dawn to dawn destroys a person. His characters are active in a different sense. They eat, drink, listen to music, clean their houses, lose cats, read, sit on the lawn in a park or in a well. They are prone to connections with mysterious women and resistance to Evil, even if it stays in their own head.
Murakami admits: "I am an individualist, and it is not easy for such people in Japan. I have karaokephobia, literary association phobia, encountering graduates with nikophobia, someone with pepelophobia and chronic evening mangophobia." But whatever Murakami "smells", he considers himself a truly Japanese writer. However, one that modernizes national literature.
The genre of his works Murakami jokingly calls "sushi noir" (by analogy with "art noir"), since there is nothing worse for the Japanese than brown rice. There is a lot of darkness, food and music in his books.
"The darkness within a person" is a favorite topic. The plot is driven by the energy of the human subconscious. But the author does not analyze it, but displays it. This is the manifestation of Murakami's "Japaneseness". In the East, there is no Evil - there is the Misunderstood. Often it is within ourselves, and it is impossible to know it completely. If we talk about the external world surrounding the heroes, then each novel has its own Monster, the purpose and purpose of which is also beyond human consciousness. Hence, the essence of Murakami's books is not completely captured.
Because of his timidity and fear of disappointment, Murakami does not re-read himself. But sometimes he can take his own book in English and suddenly get carried away with reading, because the translation refreshed the text, and the author has already forgotten the plot. And then the translator's question "So how do you rate my work?" takes the writer by surprise.
Murakami translated Fitzgerald, Carver, Irving, Salinger, Le Guinn into Japanese. Has published several guides to Western music, cocktails and cooking. Loves cats and jazz. Its record collection numbers 40,000 copies. Favorite writer - Dostoevsky. Favorite book - "The Brothers Karamazov". Murakami also likes to waste time just like that. "Life itself, to one degree or another, is a waste of time," he says.
