What's appealing to me in Haruki Murakami's writing is well captured not in his novels or short stories but rather in his semi-autobiographic book, "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". I run long distance too and so the physical setting matched my interests, but his personal attitude (which I feel is reflected in all of his fiction too) was what caught my attention.
Murakami lives in the present and is the most anti-hyperbolic writer of all those that I have read. He and his protagonists report life in a matter of fact, minimalist, highly observant yet not self indulgent manner. He is the opposite of the chest pounding heroes of Western culture, and captures the grace and wonder in every day life for people who will never star in a Hollywood box office hit. His is a story of the daily grind, of elevation over the mundane not by rejecting it but by accepting it, assimilating it into you, and ascending to new levels of mastery by persistence and intent-filled repetition.
In Murakami's books I often find aspects of characters that are me rather than those that I may wish I could be. The surreal and supernatural in his writing strike me not as real paranormal activity but rather a projection of what's extraordinary about all of us, the ordinary people. Especially for someone who chose to live in the belly of the hyperbolic beast, Silicon Valley, where founders are demi-gods and the hype economy is rampant, reading Murakami provides me with perspective, an anchor, and a realization that although I am flawed like everyone else, I can find redemption in my day to day routine. That is truly an inspiring message.
- Ohad Samet
No comments:
Post a Comment