Interview: Haruki Murakami

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami is one of my favorite authors. A friend of mine (Nehemiah Blake) sent me this interview the other day and I thought I would mention it here. My favorite book of his is without doubt The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I love the tapestry and feeling of disconnection between the protagonist and the world. I love the isolation in the well and the interesting and curious characters with strange hats and the names of Greek Islands. I love the way the story is not a one dimension, linear tale but rather an intricate tapestry of different lives and personalities that have as a foundation the quest and love a man has for his lost wife. I love the simplicity with which Murkami writes and the complexity of the tale he weaves. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is without doubt my favorite Murakami. My second favorite is Norwegian Wood. The interview was done shortly before the release of Kafka on the Shore. I am linking to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle above to keep the posts consistent, but the interview is about Murakami's writing in general and is long. I am looking forward to the English translation of 1Q84, his latest novel [review here].

As per the interview (see interview here) Murakami gives some interesting insights on The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.

INTERVIEWER

You’ve said elsewhere, referring to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, that you were interested in your father, in what happened to him, and to his entire generation; but there are no father figures in the novel, or indeed almost anywhere in your fiction. Where in the book itself is this interest apparent?

MURAKAMI

Almost all my novels have been written in the first person. The main task of my protagonist is to observe the things happening around him. He sees what he must see, or he is supposed to see, in actual time. If I may say so, he resembles Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby. He is neutral, and in order to maintain his neutrality, he must be free from any kinship, any connection to a vertical family system.

This might be considered my reply to the fact that “family” has played an overly significant role in traditional Japanese literature. I wanted to depict my main character as an independent, absolute individual. His status as an urban dweller has something to do with it too. He is a type of man who chooses freedom and solitude over intimacy and personal bonds.

INTERVIEWER

Few novelists have written and rewritten their obsessions so compulsively, I think, as you have. Hard-Boiled Wonderland, Dance Dance Dance, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Sputnik Sweetheart almost demand to be read as variations on a theme: a man has been abandoned by, or has otherwise lost, the object of his desire, and is drawn by his inability to forget her into a parallel world that seems to offer the possibility of regaining what he has lost, a possibility that life as he (and the reader) knows it can never offer. Would you agree with this characterization?

MURAKAMI

Yes.

INTERVIEWER

How central is this obsession to your fiction?

MURAKAMI

I don’t know why I keep writing those things. I find that in John Irving’s work, every book of his, there’s some person with a body part that’s missing. I don’t know why he keeps writing about those missing parts; probably he doesn’t know himself. For me it’s the same thing. My protagonist is always missing something, and he’s searching for that missing thing. It’s like the Holy Grail, or Philip Marlowe.

Read the full interview at the Paris Review Haruki Murakami, The Art of Fiction No. 182.

Movie: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood is without doubt one of my favorite novels of all time which I read on average once a year. Its a simple enough coming of age story with incredible complexities and amazing insights into relationships, human nature, frail insecurities and a Japan in transition. So much has been written about Murakami's masterpiece and I doubt there is anything I can add to the dialogue and therefore won't even try. However, I heard rumour of the movie coming out last year and it seems to have a December release date in Japan. I have always thought putting Murakami onto film effectively would be a challenge too far. Can you imagine trying to write the screenplay for The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Kafka on the Shore? Murakami is an amazingly gifted and imaginative novelist and one that I have admired ever since I read Dance Dance Dance. Since the movie has been announced I have waited for it with great anticipation (although not with as much anticipation as the The Lord of the Rings trilogy), but still, I am very keen to see if the director gives the novel justice. The challenge of the movie is not only Murakami's story and intent, but the director was Vietnamese who doesn't speak Japanese I believe directing Japanese actors acting in Japanese. The film debuted earlier this year at the Venice Film Festival and has had a good reception by the critics so I am hopeful. Hopefully the Taiwan release will have English subtitles or I will be doomed to waiting for the DVD release a few months down the line. Anyway, a trailer to the movie can be seen below (with English Subtitles). You can see more about the movie at the official Norwegian Wood Movie homepage.

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Life of Pi - Martel

The Life of Pie by Yann Martel - 3/5

"The Life Of Pi"(LOP) is a mystical journey that attempts to discover self, life and meaning. The (in)credibly absurd journey of Pi and Richard Parker through the Pacific Ocean is one of the most unlikely tales of them all. The story is both inventive and creative. Written with taints of the nostalgic, LOP is an invigorating, light hearted read that entertains it¡¦s readers from beginning to end.

Martel slowly draws his readers into the depths of Pi¡¦s life with a description of the habits and nature of the three-toed sloth. From these descriptions, one is transported to the unique and interesting world of Pi¡¦s early years at Pondicherry, India. We are introduced to the people who deeply influenced Pi¡¦s life, the religious mentors that guided him through a maze of spirituality. Pi finally concludes that he is a Hindu, Muslim and Christian all at once. Through this witness Martel expresses the belief that all religions are fundamentally the same, that all religions are searching for a single ultimate reality and that all religions provide a legitimate pathway to God.

Pi argues that "we should not be jealous with God"implying that we should not claim any religion has unique knowledge and offers the only way to the divine. Pi explains that the "paths to liberation are numerous, but the bank along the way is always the same, the bank of Karma, where the liberation account of each of us is credited or debited depending on our actions."Pluralism has many fatal flaws that are not addressed in this book but at least Martel acknowledges that all religious teachers (even Hindus) claim some level of exclusivity. This is dramatically and humorously illustrated when Pi accidentally bumps into a Pandit, an Imam and a Christian Priest all at once.

A second theme that emerges from LOP is the intrinsic will to survive that all living organisms have. Pi observes that, "all living things contain a measure of madness that moves them in strange, sometimes inexplicable ways. This madness can be saving; it is part and parcel of the ability to adapt. Without it, no species would survive." But, when on the life boat watching a zebra in pain and distress, Pi openly admits that "when your own life is threatened, your sense of empathy is blunted by a terrible, selfish hunger for survival."

As a philosophical inquiry into religion and life, LOP is not complete. After all the reviews I read of how it would make one believe in God, I was surprised to find that it was not as complex or as interrogative as I expected it to be. While Martell does make some comments about religion and the will to survive, the narrative is not deeply profound, fluent and clear yes, but philosophically whimsical. Ultimately I do not think the narrative was meant to be a framework for a philosophical inquiry, but rather the deep issues flowed inherently from the narrative.

Ultimately Martell is a supreme storyteller who is able to spin a yarn like no other. LOP tells a wonderful tale that is worth telling and stretches the mind to edge of belief where a reader may wonder if Pi¡¦s feat is plausible. As a story, LOP is clearly written, humorous in part, vulgar and grotesque at points and ultimately triumphant. Although LOP may or may not be worthy of the Booker prize, it is, at the very least, an entertaining read, and that is more than can be said for many novels out there today. Congratulations Yann Martel.

P.S. If you ever get stuck on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, make sure you have this book with you, it may just save your life. And if you are ever in Mexico and bump into Richard Parker say hi to him for me.

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Soul Mountain - Gao

Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjiang -5/5

"Soul Mountain" is a panoramic mosaic of a quickly vanishing China. A nostalgic search for an inferred Mountain leads the author into a search of reality, of who he is and what has shaped his country. It's a jagged tale of startling incoherence that binds one to it until the last page. Along the road "you", "I" and "she" meet interesting people and examine interesting themes, which consistently diverge from one another. It starts with "you" in a dirty bus stop and ends with "I" comprehending and understanding nothing. A truly fascinating tale of humanity and the forces that shape people and their times, a worthy winner of the Nobel and a wonderful read for the brave at heart.

The novel is a nostalgic monument to ancient themes in a modern time. He paints verbal pictures of ancient traditions and places that rest on the mind and leave a warm, comforting feeling within the depths of the reader. His portrayal of ancient and unforgotten traditions and practices that survived the cultural revolution resonate through the mind and leave a trace of envy and a sense of "I wish I could see it too" attitude. It's a novel in which the author tries not to forget his roots nor from where he came but also tries to grasp reality and the meaning of life, love and theology.

Gao takes on the task of examining reality leaving the reader unsure of what is and isn't real. The author asserts that "it is impossible to disentangle imagination from experience" and elsewhere asks "where is the boundary between memory and wishful thinking? How can the two be separated? Which of the two is more real and how can this be determined?" Even the main characters in the plot are not real but mere reflections of each other "you" is the reflection "I" created, and "she" was created by "you" and "he" is the back of "you".

Other expressions of reality are found throughout the narrative. The author talks about "reality existing through experience" and emphasizes "personal experience" but then infers that "reality cannot be verified and does not need to be." The author makes a startling conclusion that "reality is myself, and that reality is the perception of this instant and it can't be related to another person." In the end any reality that is portrayed is "distorted" since the author "had been unable to portray real life." The reader is never sure where they are or what is true or false yet certain that they are hearing something.

But the novel, as I assume the author did, loses love. "She" says "love is an illusion which people conjure up to delude themselves. You don't believe in the existence of something called love; it is either the man possessing the woman or the woman possessing the man."

A novel of such magnitude cannot leave out an examination of religion and God. "Soul Mountain" attempts to trace religion from the "a vestige of early human civilization; the worship of fire" through to the authors conclusion when "I" sees a "small green frog" and "knows this is God." But "I" honestly admits that he doesn't "know if God, and the Devil in fact exist but both were invoked by you who are the embodiment of both my good fortune and my misfortune." Gao admits later on (in reference to folk songs) that "what should be revered isn't revered and instead all sorts of things are worshipped."

In this examination of faith he confronts the reality that the Chinese "government doesn't allow of superstitious practices." In spite of these inhibitions he takes his reader into the realm of ancient religious traditions that are still invisible to the western eye.

This is a monumental search for the self, humanity, history, culture and identity. It is cast against the morass of the vast expanse of China. Eventually "the act of searching itself turns into a sort of goal, and the object of the search is irrelevant" and the "true traveler is without goal, it is the absence of goals which creates the ultimate traveler." Gao is the ultimate traveler but I am left to think that Gao's own search has led him to the vacuous belief that "life is joyous, death is joyous, it is nothing more than your memories." If this is what life is, then I too would "wail" with Gao and (in the words of the author) it would be the "wail of accumulated sadness being released."

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