□ Placeholder: 17 — Murakami Month

Dearest friends!

This month I devoured into the Murakami world — immersing myself in one of his recent novels “Killing Commendatore” while also reading “Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami” by side. A hearty combination of entrée and an appetiser that seemed to go well together.

While the KC had all the typical Murakami ingredients, i.e., surrealism entangled with the real world, a sensitive protagonist, who is also un-macho, lonely and on a journey of (re)discovery; it lacked the good ol’ Murakami lustre. However, reading “Who We're Reading …” by the side brought home all that was missing in the KC.

“Who We're Reading …” by David Karashima is highly meta in nature as it uncovers fascinating behind-the-scenes working of the translation and publishing industry. I initially picked up the book hoping to know more of Murakami (in a way expecting it to be like his memoir: “What I Talk about When I Talk about Running”), but it has rightly more of the translators who are in a sense responsible for making Murakami accessible to the global readers like us.

It was interesting to learn how translators chose one phrase over another or how they changed the names or places or used particular slangs to make the story sound local.

If these two books weren’t enough, one weekend I spent reading through his interview at The Paris Review from 17 years ago. What interested me from his interview was how comfortable he is with his loneliness. An exhibit from the compiled interview book:

A primary reason for my obsession with Murakami has always been how his writings (or his interviews for that matter) gives me permission to lean into isolation, the outsiderness and exist in a foreign land on my terms. In other words: it is okay to be comfortable with yourself.

Speaking of isolation and being on one’s own terms, I recently moved to my own (new?) place, so that’s exciting (and somewhat terrifying?)!

Until next time,

K