Aug
22
Murakami Interview, Part 2
Filed Under On Writing, Fiction |
Last month, I walked into a Korean bookstore on 32nd Street to kill some time with my wife and my daughter. In the translated literature section, I found a lot of books written by Haruki Murakami, both fiction and essay, that are not yet translated into English. I found out from a blurb from one of those books, that Murakami has published 80 books in Japan, 50 of them translated into Korean. There was a short story collection called The Ghosts of Lexington. I didn’t have a chance to read the book, but on a skim, I recognized some stories that were collected or published otherwise in different U.S. magazines. But my favorite was a book called Haruki Murakami’s Whiskey Pilgrimage of Europe. Yes. The book is nothing more than Murakami going around Europe, drinking whiskey, talking about jazz, dispensing petite morsels of Murakami aphorisms. Give the man a Nobel, damn it. How can you not love an author whose literary instincts sometimes mimic, of all things, those of the Barefoot Contessa
(Once again, below: my translation of the interview conducted by Jin Young Lee, for GQ Korea)
…
Lee: After writing Norwegian Wood, which sold 6 million copies worldwide, what did you gain and what did you lose
Murakami: Well, I’m certain that Norwegian Wood is a well-written novel, since it’s a beautiful thing that so many people continue to love that story. Everybody likes love stories. I do, too. But Norwegian Wood doesn’t really reflect my literary style. That’s why I started to worry, since who knows when, whether people would think if Norwegian Wood is my best, representative work. Because that’s not true. Norwegian Wood is a traditional realist novel, but I don’t consider myself a realist writer. Norwegian Wood was a type of a challenge for me. I wanted to prove to myself that I can also write a realist novel.
L: Then which novels might we call “Haruki-style” novels?
M: Books like Kafka On the Shore and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, which are progressively post-modern.
L: What do you wish to gain from writing novels that stand in direct opposition to realism
M: I want to guide the readers to the surreal world of imagination. As they read such a world conjured by me, I’d like them to feel that such a world is a part of their reality. I truly believe that within everyone’s heart, such a surreal world exists. I’d like people to look upon that surreal world and enjoy themselves.
L: Let’s say someone would like to get to know you and your work given a strict time constraint. Which books would you recommend
M: Mm. That’s a difficult question. As you know, I’ve been writing for 27 years. It’s a long time to be writing. The characteristics of my work vary according to each period - the first ten years, the next ten… in such blocks of time. If I must choose a few among my work, I’d say Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Norwegian Wood, The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, and Kafka On the Shore. Because they are the works I’ve invested most energy into. I’ve never re-read those books, but I remember them down to every nook and cranny; I worked very hard on them. On average, I usually finish a short story in five to seven days, so I can’t retain my stories in my memory for too long.
L: I don’t know if you remember, but is Hear the Wind Sing really your first novel? How was your apprentice-writing before that book?
M: Yes. It was really my first novel.
L: Who was your first reader?
M: My wife. Even though she says she doesn’t remember (laughs). Then and now, I only seek the opinion of one person - my wife - before sending my manuscript to the publisher. She is an incredibly sharp critic, a person who knows how to really read. She gives me many great advices.
L: What novels of yours are her favorites?
M: After Dark and South of the Border, West of the Sun.
L: Even though South of the Border, West of the Sun treats sexual infidelity as one of the themes
M: That’s what I mean. I don’t understand why but she REALLY liked the novel. She treated me very kindly for a few days after reading the book, too, making delicious things for me every day.
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