>first page of the book >he already abuses a famous musical

>>8342808
Read something else, retard

>>8342808

>4h
>Still trying to like a writer

Pick up the Cossacks or Sevastopol Sketches by Tolstoy m80

>>8342808

Hahahah Just Put The Book Down Nigga

>Read one book
>Don't really like the writer
>Proceed to read three more

You weren't reading them because you liked Haruki Murakami; you were reading them because you liked the idea of liking Haruki Murakami.

Unfortunately you do not like Haruki Murakami, so you wasted your time.

File: nw.jpg (54KB, 308x475px) Image search: [Google]

54KB, 308x475px

>>8342824
The thing is that I really like the first book, because it was actually interesting and unusual for me. Then reading the 2nd and the 3rd revealed to me that Murakami uses the same ideas and themes in all of them, which was a let-down. I am reading more because I really hope something can change, and people told me that Norwegian Wood is not like the other Murakami books.

>my 4th Murakami book, and i'm trying to like this writer
Unless you read a staggering amount, you're wasting your time.

As in, you shouldn't be 4 books into Haruki Murakami in the pursuit of your Japanese literature merit badge unless you're already at least familiar with the works of Soseki, Tanizaki, Oe, Abe and Dazai at least.

Not only is Haruki Murakami not the best modern author; not only is he not the best modern Japanese author; he isn't even the best modern Japanese author called Murakami.

(I say this as someone who has read and likes Haruki Murakami a lot).

>>8342837
Who is your favourite modern Japanese author?

>>8342833
It is different in the sense that it has almost no magical realism.

But Murakami is a very repetitive writer, all of his books share major components and themes. I still like reading them, I just regard it as a whole piece of work rather than making a clear distintion from book to book. In my mind the Murakami protagonist is one.

I would argue that Murakami is not a very «Japanese» writer, you can invoque no-true-scotman here, but Murakami is an oddity amongst Japanese writers, very westernized in a sense.

>>8342837
This.
If you want to enjoy HM's work you have to
>read with a large span of time between each book, not back to back
>don't take him too seriously
>expect his tropes and don't get all buttblasted about it
>don't try to resolve any open-ended themes, just feel the feeling and move on

Is it better than Kafka on the Shore?

>>8342866
Very good point Anon, Murakami excels at making you get a grip of a feeling, even if you can't quite put it in concrete words.

>>8342808
>4 books by a guy you dont even like

Dude, how much do you fucking read? 3 books a week? There are authors that I love whom I have read only 2 or 3 of their books.

>>8342808
Just read 1Q84.

>>8342867
hell no. I dropped it to- Kafka is my favorite.

I hear Wind-up Bird is in the same vein as Kafka

>>8342873
I read 2 books a week because it's summer now and I have lots of free times.
>>8342875
Already did, my favorite.
>>8342867
after reading half of the book: in my opinion not.
but then again, I read NW after reading Kafka on the Shore, so the Ideas that were semi-original in KOTS are not really that interesting for me in NW. Maybe my answer would be different if I read NW first.
>>8342880
WUBC is like the autist brother of Kafka on the Shore

>>8342849
This depends on what you mean by "modern".

In the traditional "post-WW1" sense, hands-down it's Kawabata - with "Snow Country" being my favourite.Tanizaki's "Naomi" is also one of the best.

Slightly more contemporary it's Abe - "The Woman in the Dunes" one of my all time favourite novels.

Pushing more contemporary still, I am a big fan of Best Murakami, especially his "Coin Locker Babies" which is incredibly fun.

Two authors I like what I've read but not much exists translated are Mori Ogai (reminds me of Kawabata) and Hideo Okuda (modern pulp shit)

But overall Kawabata is my guy.

>>8342808
Just save yourself the trouble and read Wind-Up Bird, Hard-Boiled Wonderland, after the quake and Underground and then stop.

>>8343476
I'd argue that some of his short stories are valuable. Also South of the border.

>>8342833
Yes he uses the same themes and ideas, but i find that really comfy in some way. It's not my favorite author, but his books are something I can always come back to when i feel alone and insecure. I like his dialogues even tho they also have a formula

>>8343552
Murakami is truly about how you feel while reading.

For the first time in history /lit/ actually talked about Murakami without dismissing him right from the start with memes and nonsense

After reading Kafka On the Shore I came to the conclusion that the theme of the book is that one can never truly know if they fucked their own mom.

>>8343489
After the quake is a short story collection. It contains Super-Frog Saves Tokyo, his most valuable work.

>>8343849
Blind Willow is miles better than After the Quake

>>8343879
I must agree. Although, Landscape with Flatiron is my favorite short story from him.

>>8343772
I know I fucked your ;^)

I avoided murakami at all costs, i'm a real reader now. Be like me.

>>8343772
>I came to the conclusion that the theme of the book is that one can never truly know if they fucked their own mom.

Also that you can never be sure if your father isn't actually Jeffrey Dahmer.

>>8344035
As you haven't read it, how do you assert is not real literature? (As implied in your post, correct me if I missrepresent your position).

>>8344084
It isn't

1Q84 was really fucking boring. I enjoyed more the ugly PI work in the third book than the rest.

>>8342886
Norwegian wood should have been your started book for Murakami. The surrealism presented in most of his other books is not implemented in NW, so you'll have a hard time finding the magical feeling.

Also, just a small question, why do you choose 1Q84 as your favorite Murakami book?

>>8345232
0/10