GodEmperorLeto
Jun 2, 2008, 04:40
ねじまき鳥クロニクル
by 村上春樹
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Murakami Haruki
As an avid reader of fiction, especially literature, sci-fi/fantasy, and hardboiled noir, I was immediately drawn to Murakami's terse, direct style as rendered into English by Jay Rubin. From what I have read, Murakami's style has been heavily influenced by American fiction, particularly that of the hardboiled mastermind Raymond Chandler (whom Murakami has translated into Japanese).
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a hefty volume full of symbolism and mystery. It is most certainly more than a simple work of fiction, but a literary achievement, putting Murakami among the most important extant world authors (including Rushdie, McCarthy, and Ecco). The narrative is first-person, from the perspective of Okada Toru (おかだ とる), an unemployed ex-paralegal who begins to search for his missing cat. This leads him into a surreal world of wierdness that, at times, almost inspires an almost Lovecraftian chill in the reader's spine. The uncertainty and supernatural inexplicability will certainly attract American fans of Stephen King. The intermittent narratives of Japanese involvement in Manchuria during the Pacific War will also interest history buffs.
Throughout the narrative, there are a number of features that the reader should critically pay attention to. One of them is the "Wind-Up Bird" itself. It is a creature unseen, but always heard, and is often heard at very key moments, often connected with death. Water is an incredibly powerful element that weaves its way through the narrative, and the reader should note it's involvement through the tale. Indeed, the womblike experiences with wells and other reference to uterine themes shoud send up flags to the attentive reader.
Murakami's writing style is purposeful and driven. Some readers have criticized his methods, and especially his tendency to repeat himself. However, it is my opinion that repetition is a powerful device Murakami utilizes to drive a specific point home, and to clue the reader in that something is going on here. His choice to render the characters' names into hiragana is a powerful and suggestive one that does not render itself into the English, but is, nonetheless, extremely noteworthy. Meaning is obfuscated with the discarding of kanji in personal names; this is key, because meaning is amorphous throughout the book, especially as the boundaries between dream and wakefulness begin to dissolve.
I've surfed through JStor and other online academic journals for references to Murakami's work, but I've found precious little analysis of this particular book. Granted, this is a function of Western tendencies to ignore the living in favor of the dead. Nevertheless, Murakami is of incredible importance to modern literature.
A friend of mine commented that Murakami is not a Japanese author who writes in an American style, but really an American author who writes in (and was born) Japanese. This is, by no means, an insult, but an analysis of his writing technique. He was expressing how Murakami effectively wrote American-style fiction in his native language. Although often laden with Japanese symbology, Murakami nevertheless evokes a Western mindset and writing techniques. He is highly critical of specific aspects of Japanese society, and his assessments are unapologetic. Indeed, unlike my previous experiences with Japanese authors (Kawabata, Mishima, etc.), I felt that Murakami was not simply more contemporary, but much more Western in his outlook, and much more capable of communicating with a Western reader. This may be a function of the translation, or it may be the author himself reaching through the language barrier to seize the reader.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is an extremely important contribution to Japanese literature, and literature as a whole. The book should not be read only once, but multiple times. It is a work that demands thorough analysis and intense examination. There are themes and meaning spread throughout the book. It is, by no means, an easy, simplistic read, but a work of surprising depth and breadth. And, like any good story of this sort, it deliberately leaves more questions than it answers. But, then, that is Murakami's entire philosophy--in real life, all of your questions don't get answered, only some.
by 村上春樹
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Murakami Haruki
As an avid reader of fiction, especially literature, sci-fi/fantasy, and hardboiled noir, I was immediately drawn to Murakami's terse, direct style as rendered into English by Jay Rubin. From what I have read, Murakami's style has been heavily influenced by American fiction, particularly that of the hardboiled mastermind Raymond Chandler (whom Murakami has translated into Japanese).
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a hefty volume full of symbolism and mystery. It is most certainly more than a simple work of fiction, but a literary achievement, putting Murakami among the most important extant world authors (including Rushdie, McCarthy, and Ecco). The narrative is first-person, from the perspective of Okada Toru (おかだ とる), an unemployed ex-paralegal who begins to search for his missing cat. This leads him into a surreal world of wierdness that, at times, almost inspires an almost Lovecraftian chill in the reader's spine. The uncertainty and supernatural inexplicability will certainly attract American fans of Stephen King. The intermittent narratives of Japanese involvement in Manchuria during the Pacific War will also interest history buffs.
Throughout the narrative, there are a number of features that the reader should critically pay attention to. One of them is the "Wind-Up Bird" itself. It is a creature unseen, but always heard, and is often heard at very key moments, often connected with death. Water is an incredibly powerful element that weaves its way through the narrative, and the reader should note it's involvement through the tale. Indeed, the womblike experiences with wells and other reference to uterine themes shoud send up flags to the attentive reader.
Murakami's writing style is purposeful and driven. Some readers have criticized his methods, and especially his tendency to repeat himself. However, it is my opinion that repetition is a powerful device Murakami utilizes to drive a specific point home, and to clue the reader in that something is going on here. His choice to render the characters' names into hiragana is a powerful and suggestive one that does not render itself into the English, but is, nonetheless, extremely noteworthy. Meaning is obfuscated with the discarding of kanji in personal names; this is key, because meaning is amorphous throughout the book, especially as the boundaries between dream and wakefulness begin to dissolve.
I've surfed through JStor and other online academic journals for references to Murakami's work, but I've found precious little analysis of this particular book. Granted, this is a function of Western tendencies to ignore the living in favor of the dead. Nevertheless, Murakami is of incredible importance to modern literature.
A friend of mine commented that Murakami is not a Japanese author who writes in an American style, but really an American author who writes in (and was born) Japanese. This is, by no means, an insult, but an analysis of his writing technique. He was expressing how Murakami effectively wrote American-style fiction in his native language. Although often laden with Japanese symbology, Murakami nevertheless evokes a Western mindset and writing techniques. He is highly critical of specific aspects of Japanese society, and his assessments are unapologetic. Indeed, unlike my previous experiences with Japanese authors (Kawabata, Mishima, etc.), I felt that Murakami was not simply more contemporary, but much more Western in his outlook, and much more capable of communicating with a Western reader. This may be a function of the translation, or it may be the author himself reaching through the language barrier to seize the reader.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is an extremely important contribution to Japanese literature, and literature as a whole. The book should not be read only once, but multiple times. It is a work that demands thorough analysis and intense examination. There are themes and meaning spread throughout the book. It is, by no means, an easy, simplistic read, but a work of surprising depth and breadth. And, like any good story of this sort, it deliberately leaves more questions than it answers. But, then, that is Murakami's entire philosophy--in real life, all of your questions don't get answered, only some.