What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
Haruki Murakami
In my opinion, Murakami is one of the most incredible writers of our time, and / or he has an uniquely talented translator. The novels he writes are original, thought-provoking and haunting, often leaving you with more questions than answers (I recently read Kafka on the Shore as part of the OSA book club). But the fact that his stories often conclude with many lose ends is forgivable due to the brilliant of his style, his ability to portray life in a way like no other.
I hadn't realised that Murakami was such a keen long distance runner. This book accounts for his thoughts around his writing but mainly his running in a period of just over one year. He describes his progression into running and his development as an amateur athlete. Alongside this, Murakami explores some of the overlaps between being a runner and being a writer - the stamina and dedication needed, the prerequisites required, and the importance of seeing past the suffering and challenges.
It has taken me quite some time to read this book - in between various other novels and collections, I got stumped by the un-Murakami-ness of this Murakami memoir of sorts.
No comments:
Post a Comment