There haven’t been too many book reviews lately. I have not been reading as much as I did last year; however this book was well worth the effort.
Murakami’s previous work is unknown to me; however I gather he has mustered a loyal cult following both in Japan and abroad with social commentary on Japan and Japanese culture that is controversial in his homeland.
‘What I talk About When I Talk About Running’ particularly drew my attention as my current obsession in life is running. I can empathise with his feelings about running long distances and how it changes you, and Murakami weaves it into a part memoir, explaining how it has shaped not only his work, but his life.
It's a deceptively simple read, at times focusing on the most mundane of things. Even the most unfit reader could reel off 100 pages without a sweat. The insights captured, however, paint the picture of a man at peace and comfortable with not only WHO he is, but WHAT he is, still leaving room for the insecurities that most of us share. He freely admits that as a runner, he never was, and never will be the best, but as in life, this is beside the point.
His relationship to running is akin to a long married couple. He has seen better days but the deep seeded love and respect remains, and for better or for worse, he will continue till he can no more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_Murakami
Murakami’s previous work is unknown to me; however I gather he has mustered a loyal cult following both in Japan and abroad with social commentary on Japan and Japanese culture that is controversial in his homeland.
‘What I talk About When I Talk About Running’ particularly drew my attention as my current obsession in life is running. I can empathise with his feelings about running long distances and how it changes you, and Murakami weaves it into a part memoir, explaining how it has shaped not only his work, but his life.
It's a deceptively simple read, at times focusing on the most mundane of things. Even the most unfit reader could reel off 100 pages without a sweat. The insights captured, however, paint the picture of a man at peace and comfortable with not only WHO he is, but WHAT he is, still leaving room for the insecurities that most of us share. He freely admits that as a runner, he never was, and never will be the best, but as in life, this is beside the point.
His relationship to running is akin to a long married couple. He has seen better days but the deep seeded love and respect remains, and for better or for worse, he will continue till he can no more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_Murakami
No comments:
Post a Comment