Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
|
Loading... What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir (Vintage International) (original 2007; edition 2009)by Haruki Murakami (Author)
Work InformationWhat I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir by Haruki Murakami (2007)
  
No current Talk conversations about this book.  buddhawithan.n | Feb 29, 2024 |   vorefamily | Feb 22, 2024 |  ) mavave | Feb 14, 2024 | "as a kind of memoir centered on the act of running." — Murakami The "memoir" as a kind of hanging dependent-clause, hard to pull off, though not infrequently attempted by those with so-called "literary ambitions." A solution, as presented here, to the problem of writing-memory: Not the "memoir" (insufficient of itself) but the "_____ memoir" (e.g. "running memoir"). Murakami doing here what so-called 'better' authors continue to sweat at, though H.M. is particularly well adapted to the form, having only written novels which are already memoir-adjacent ("Murakami's magical realism as reflecting a real magical-ity"), what one might call 'a pleasant abiding here and now.' ( ) Joe.Olipo | Jan 1, 2024 |  ) thisisstephenbetts | Nov 25, 2023 |
 You need be neither runner nor writer to find resonance in this slender but lucid meditation.  So what does he think about while running? The disappointing answer is not much apart from the rhythms of feet on tarmac and blood pumping round the body.  It is not just these perversely impressive physical feats that sharpen what might otherwise be a dull treatise on a healthful habit; Mr. Murakami's work has always combined the ordinary and the extraordinary, and this memoir is no exception.  To characterize it as briefly as possible: easy on ear and mind alike, it’s the type of prose I would call sort of pretty poor. Running is “sort of a vague theme” (i.e., not just vague but vaguely vague), and the book is “a kind of memoir.” Murakami sort of likes this kind of thing, not just as an indistinct modifier but as a form of category-definition. He’s the “type of person,” “kind of person” — I lost track of the number of times this came up — who likes “sort of laid-back” music and is “sort of a brazen person” who sometimes has “a sort of arrogant attitude.” When I closed the book, I found myself fantasising not about athletic feats, but that more readily available satisfaction that Murakami evokes so tellingly: the stinging joy of a very, very cold beer. AwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and--even more important--on his writing.--From publisher description. No library descriptions found. |
Current DiscussionsNonePopular covers
 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)895.635Literature Literature of other languages Asian (east and south east) languages Japanese Japanese fiction 1945–2000LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.67)
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia in English (2)
1
He seems to be indifferent to the life that he led before he started writing and long-distance running. He also highlights how one aspect of his life (long-distance running on a regular basis and keeping himself physically fit) helps him accentuate the other (his writing and his mental state). Moreover, he briefly ponders the topics of talent, writing, and youth. There are also other thoughts and ideas of his which breeze along with the main narrative of the novel, but he is never pushy or forceful with them; Murakami is merely thinking out loud in a cautious manner as he's aware we're listening.
This memoir in its entirety, feels like a long jog with an indefinite destination; the ending doesn’t matter, but the process, the experience you gain about the track you’re running on, and the awareness of your being and body, does.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book. I’ve always hated running, but this book motivated me to give running another chance. Maybe perspective is all it takes. (