Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words

by Jay Rubin

REVISED AND UPDATED WITH NEW MATERIAL ON 1Q84

As a young man, Haruki Murakami played records and mixed drinks at his Tokyo Jazz club, Peter Cat, then wrote at the kitchen table until the sun came up. He loves music of all kinds - jazz, classical, folk, rock - and has more than six thousand records at home. And when he writes, his words have a music all their own, much of it learned from jazz. Jay Rubin, a self-confessed fan, has written a book for other fans who want to know more about this reclusive writer. He reveals the autobiographical elements in Murakami's fiction, and explains how he developed a distinctive new style in Japanese writing. In tracing Murakami's career, he uses interviews he conducted with the author between 1993 and 2001, and draws on insights and observations gathered from over ten years of collaborating with Murakami on translations of his works.

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan, Biography, Japanese Literature, Music, Literary Criticism, Books About Books

462 pages, Paperback

First published March 27, 2002

About the author

Jay Rubin is an American academic and translator. He is most notable for being one of the main translators into English of the works of the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. He has also written a guide to Japanese, Making Sense of Japanese, and a biographical literary analysis of Murakami.

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like Jay Rubin, I'm a Murakami fan. My Murakami reading started last year when a Goodreads friend introduced him to me when I was in the hospital due to knee operation. She said that she got interested on this author when she saw a guy laughing out loud while in a bookstore holding and reading a Murakami book. Since 4 of these (the first 4 below) are in 1001-2006 list, I started my reading right after I left the hospital:

1) Kafka on the Shore (March 11, 2010) - 5 stars
2) Sputnik Sweetheart (March 24, 2010) - 5 stars
3) The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (March 14, 2010) - 4 stars
4) after the quake (December 4, 2010) - 1 star
5) After Dark (July 10, 2010) - 4 stars
6) Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (October 7, 2010) - 5 stars
and I still have 4 books in my tbr pile: Norwegian Wood, South of the Border West of the Sun, Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.

I think the primary reason why Murakami is interesting is his wild imagination. I have read 400+ fiction novels in my lifetime and there is no other novelist like him. Okay, he has influences and Jay Rubin listed them all: Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan (his two favorites before he started writing) and among Latin Americans he enjoyed Manuel Puig and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Then when John Irving, Raymond Carver and Tim O'Brien began publishing their books, Murakami liked them too. The mention of Manuel Puig is interesting because he is considered as Haruki Murakami of Latin America. (page 36).

Fortunately, I read some works of those authors, Murakami's influences. That's one good thing about the guy. He is honest. He does not claim that he is an original. He could be star-struck too. The first time he went to America, just after his A Wild Sheep Chase got noticed and published internationally, he was the one who sought to see and meet Raymond Carver and John Irving. You see he also translated some American fictions to Japanese like Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Breakfast at Tiffany by Truman Capote and some works by Raymond Carver, Raymond Chandler, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tim O'Brien, among others.

His story should also inspire many aspiring writers. He started writing short stories when he was 30 years old as he first tried his hand in running a jazz bar. He was not yet famous when he decided to fold up and focus on writing. He gambled and followed his true passion. He wrote fervently. Night and day. He is also a type of novelist who starts with a title (as opposed to let's say Ken Folett who starts with a story and an outline before thinking about the title) thinks of ideas on what the story should be, sits down in front of his computer and types away until he is satisfied. No outline whatsover.

Jay Rubin was the translator of 4 Murakami books: Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Norwegian Wood, and after the quake (Murakami insists that the title of this book should all be lowercase). In this book, Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words, he tried to give more information about Murakami's life and art to people who do not know Japanese language. He tried to provide answers to the kinds of questions about Murakami's novels and characters. For example, in this book, he explained about the many fascinating loose ends in Kafka on the Shore like the appearance of Johnny Walker and Colonel Sanders. Many of my Goodreads friends question the relevance or roles of those characters in this Franz Kafka and Jerusalem Prizes awardee book. Jay Rubin said that those characters are indispensable to the story. Read this book and be convinced.

In other words, this book answered many questions I had while reading six of his books. As it also provides short summaries of those, I also got to review and appreciate those more. However, for those four books that I am still to read, knowing about their plots spoiled those somehow that I think I will put them in the back burner for awhile. So here goes my advice: this is probably a good book to read after reading all Murakami books especially if you hate spoilers.

Also, I am confused about the direction of this book. It is partly biography, partly literary criticism. I thought that this could have been more meaningful and enjoyable if Rubin divided this into two giving more structure rather than fusing the two in his narratives. It felt like having no direction. Moreover, the discussion of Murakami's works jumps from one book to another. Or maybe it is just me. Maybe Jay Rubin is doing a Murakami too.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Rubin is an academic, but here he writes for a general audience in an engaging, easygoing style, in much the same way as the subject of this book does (which makes sense since Rubin is one of Murakami's translators).

Rubin takes us from the start of Murakami's writing career through his short-story collection, after the quake. As he ends this book, Rubin gives 'clues' as to what Murakami is working on, and the Murakami fan now knows that it's Kafka on the Shore.

For those who feel Murakami writes about 'nothing,' Rubin has some revelatory passages on 'meaning', though he allows that Murakami is mostly about imagination and the rhythm of language (thus the title, I suppose, and an allusion to the references to music in his work). Murakami says his style first developed because he wanted to write but had nothing to say. I feel that may be true of his first novel, but is also somewhat disingenuous as his work seems to always at 'least' be about the individual trying to find his place in this world of chaos, a theme of many writers.

I especially enjoyed hearing of Murakami's writing process. The man seems constitutionally unable to not write. And I learned much about his 'place' in Japan. As with many of his works, he is a paradox -- both of, but (even more so) extremely different from his country.

It's best to read this if you've already read most of the works elaborated on here. Also, be sure to read Rubin's appendix on translation and re-translation -- it's quite interesting.

[Daniel Clausen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the perfect book to read once you have read a few Murakami books and want to know how much deeper you want to get into his literary world. Certainly, this book was great at explaining connections between his books that I was unaware of. In addition, learning about his early life and writing style made me want to read his two earliest novels (even if they are not regarded as his best). The book was published nearly 20 years ago, so be warned: you won't find any information on his most recent novels.

A note on style: This book is not a literary analysis. Rather, it is an exploration through his many works by his translator using biographical and historical information. The casual style of the book might catch some readers off guard. But, this casual style also makes it an easy and enjoyable afternoon read.

[Andrew Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rubin is a long time interpreter of Murakami’s work and I sourced this book having heard an interview with him - he sounded erudite and interesting.

The book itself reads like an explanation of each of Murakami’s short stories and novels; it’s more a scholarly work than an attempt at a biography. It’s probably something to have with you for reference as you finish reading yet another incomprehensible tale! Actually, it’s very helpful and really Murakami’s stories aren’t that difficult to comprehend (well... ok, some are!)

For me it’s an invaluable source of information and background for all Murakami fans.

[مروان البلوشي · Rating 5 out of 5]

يقوم أستاذ الأدب الياباني في جامعة هارفارد جاي روبن في هذا الكتاب، بتحليل روايات وقصص هاروكي موراكامي مع ذكر ملامح هامة وغير معروفة من حياة موراكامي الشخصية والعامة، وكذلك اللحظات التي رافقت كتابة بعض أشهر رواياته وقصصه.

ولا شك أن قيام جاي روبن بترجمة بعض أعمال موراكامي بشكل مستمر، منحته القدرة على اعطاء فهم مؤصل لما يكتبه موراكامي. الكتاب ممتع وعملي للغاية، هو في الحقيقة رحلة عميقة (أسلوب روبن متأثر بموراكامي نفسه) داخل عالم موراكامي أكثر من كونه دراسة أكاديمية جافة.

[Maria João Fernandes · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Me, I've seen 45 years and I've only figured out one thing. That's this: if a person would just make the effort, there's something to be learned from everything. From even the most ordinary, commonplace things, there's always something you can learn. (...) Fact is, if it weren't for that, nobody'd survive." - Haruki Murakami

Jay Rubin descreve, cronologicamente, a carreira extraordinária de Haruki Murakami, fazendo a ligação e destacando os pontos comuns entre os romances e contos. Tempo, memória, desconhecido, sonhos, solidão, reflexão, cozinha, livros, filmes, música, gatos: os livros do Haruki Murakami não têm respostas, são viagens maravilhosas, enigmas intensos e toda a beleza está na vivência e no percorrer do caminho. Contudo, o seu trabalho não se destaca só na escrita de romances e contos, mas na escrita de não-ficção e tradução literária, tudo fazendo dele o que ele é.

Li o meu primeiro livro do Haruki Murakami aos 16 anos e, desde então, sempre o acompanhei. Sendo um dos meus autores preferidos, sempre tive (e continuo a ter) curiosidade em relação a ele como pessoa. Com este livro, consegui saber mais um bocadinho e não fiquei surpreendida por o vislumbre do seu carácter e personalidade me deixarem fascinada.

[Quí Hiển · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jay Rubin kể một câu chuyện xuyên suốt về ông Cây và về sự nghiệp văn học của ông Cây. Người đọc ngoài nước Nhật hầu hết chỉ biết tới Murakami-nhà-văn, chứ ít ai biết về Murakami-dịch-giả, một Americanophile chính cống, người đã góp công đưa văn chương xứ Mẽo vào nước Nhật.

Sách ông Jay kể nhiều chuyện về thời kỳ ông Cây hoàn toàn đứng ngoài văn đàn Nhật (thật ra là bị văn đàn tẩy chay), trong khi ở Tây, ông Cây lại cứ đi mây về gió khắp nơi giảng bài, nói chuyện, rồi sau đó về Nhật làm Murakami Radio các kiểu. Ông Jay kể về 3 dịch giả tiếng Anh của ông Cây, về Alfred Birnbaum bí ẩn, người đầu tiên được giao dịch sách của Cây ra tiếng Anh, và về 2 dịch giả academic là ông Jay và ông Phil. Ban đầu Jay, vốn là học giả văn chương Nhật thời Minh Trị, tôn sùng Souseki, cứ nghĩ Cây là kiểu nhà văn mì ăn liền vớ va vớ vẩn, nếu Knopf không nhờ Jay đọc thử cuốn Xứ sở tàn bạo thì Jay đã chẳng bỏ ra hết hơn thập kỉ tiếp theo làm về Cây. Mà Jay bảo phải là cuốn Xứ sở tàn bạo cơ, chứ cuốn kiểu Rừng Na-uy thì thôi.

Mà cũng đã nói tới Rừng Na-uy thì cũng nên nói là dù đây là cuốn đem lại cho Cây nhiều vinh quang và trực tiếp tạo lập mạng lưới fan base lớn nhất, nhưng ông không khoái cuốn này. Ông Cây viết Rừng Na-uy thử nghiệm, song không ngờ chính độ dễ đọc (và dễ dãi) mà Rừng rất câu khách. Rừng đem tới cho Cây rất nhiều độc giả, nhiều người trong số này sau đó bị hụt hẫng vì các tác phẩm tiếp theo, khi Cây trở về chính là Cây.

Cuốn này dài lắm, review hết mọi khía cạnh không nổi. Giờ nói tới đoạn cuối, khi Jay nói về vấn đề dịch tiếng Nhật ra tiếng Anh (đã nói rất nhiều trong cuốn Gone fishin', giờ mở rộng và tập trung vào sách Murakami), mà người dịch tiếng Việt cũng sẽ học hỏi được nhiều, tuy về bản chất, dịch tiếng Nhật ra tiếng Việt sẽ khác hoàn toàn với dịch tiếng Nhật ra tiếng Anh. Và ông Jay cũng nói về thẩm quyền của bản dịch tiếng Anh, vốn vì Murakami xem bản dịch tiếng Anh có thẩm quyền cao ngang ngửa (hoặc có phần hơn) so với bản tiếng Nhật (sính Mỹ mà), trong khi các nhà nghiên cứu văn học (người Đức) thì coi việc nâng tầm bản tiếng Anh lên ngang với bản tiếng Nhật là một kiểu đô hộ văn chương, một kiểu Hollywood hóa. Bản dịch là một "closer read", một "interpretation" của bản gốc, chứ nó không thể và không nên là sáng tạo mới trên nền bản gốc. Thế nên dù tiếng Đức có gần tiếng Anh bao nhiêu, việc dịch từ tiếng Anh sang tiếng Đức vẫn là một "interpretation of an interpretation", giống như việc một nghệ sĩ piano chơi lại một bản concerto bằng cách nghe và học thuộc qua radio, không hề ngó lấy nhạc phổ.

[Khalid · Rating 4 out of 5]

قبل ما أبدأ لازم أعبر عن إمتناني العظيم لـ جاي روبن اللي كان واحد من ثلاثة أشخاص ساهموا بتعريف العالم على هاروكي موراكامي، هو برفقة ألفريد بيرنبوم و فيليب جابرييل وضعوا أحرف هاروكي على رفوف ومكتبات كثيرة جدًا حول العالم بما فيها العربي وبدونهم-خصوصًا ألفريد- ما كان هاروكي وصل لما وصل إليه اليوم.

تحذير ⚠️: هذا الكتاب هو هدية جاي روبن لكل محب لكتابات هاروكي وأنصح كل محب بقراءته لكن بعد ما ينتهي من كل أعمال موراكامي لأن العمل هذا يحرق حرفيًا كل روايات وقصص هاروكي موراكامي.

جاي روبن قبل ما يكون مترجم لهاروكي فهو أكاديمي محترم ودكتور فخري في جامعة هارفرد و رسالته في الدكتوراه كانت عن الأدب الياباني فلذلك نحن نتكلم هنا عن شخص أمضى كل حياته على جوانب المحيط الهائل المسمى بالأدب الياباني وليس هذا فقط بل إنه محب لكتابات هاروكي قبل حتى ما يترجمها فالرجل قرأ كل أعمال هاروكي اليابانية لذلك لا غرابة في أن تكون ترجماته مذهلة لأنها نابعة عن حب وفضول لا مادة، وجميعنا يعلم أن ما يُصنع بحب سيبقى دائمًا أكثر اتقانًا من أي صُنع مادي.

في هذا الكتاب السيد جاي يأخذك في رحلة تعبر فيها كل عوالم موراكامي من أول عمل له ولغاية أخر عمل (بإستثتاء العملين اللذان صدرا بعد نزول الكتاب) السيد جاي هنا يراجع ويحلل ويناقش ويربط كل الأحداث والقصص والشخصيات والمعاني والرموز الموجودة في كتابات هاروكي ولا يكتفي بذلك فقط بل يتعدى ذلك ليتحدث عن محاضرات ألقاها هاروكي في جامعات مختلفة وتفاصيل كثيرة أخرى عن حياته الشخصية وعمله كمترجم، الكتاب ثري معلوماتيًا وتعلمت منه أشياء كنت أجهلها عن هاروكي.
على سبيل المثال كنت أعرف ان هاروكي ترجم أعمال كثيرة لليابانية لكني لم أكن أعلم أنه أستمر بالعمل كمترجم حتى بعد شهرته.
جاي سلط الضوء على علاقته بهاروكي و عن تجربته في ترجمة كتبه وعن معناها بالنسبة له كأكاديمي قبل ما يكون مترجم.. الكتاب ثمين لأن أغلب هذه المعلومات يصعب على اي قارىء لا يجيد اليابانية أن يصل اليها كما إنها تحتوي على اقتباسات من قصص قصيرة لم تترجم للإنجليزية.

أما عن هاروكي نفسه فأعتقد ان كل من يعرفني يعرف مدى إعجابي واهتمامي به، هو أكثر كاتب راجعت أعماله (١٤ مراجعة) والكاتب الوحيد الذي قرأت كل رواياته.. ولا أعتقد أن ما سأقوله عنه هنا سيكون مختلف عن ماقلته عنه في مراجعاتي السابقة ولذلك حتى لا أقع في فخ التكرار سأكتفي بالتالي: ميزة هاروكي وقوته الكتابية تكمن في قدرته الخارقة على أخذ تلك الشظايا العالقة في عقولنا الواعية و اللاواعية وبناء قصة وعالم شاسع مبني عليها بلغة بسيطة غير معقدة تملك ايقاع ورتم موسيقي خاص يسحرك ويجذبك ويشدك له، معه تشعر وكأنك برفقة صديق قديم لا تمل من أحاديثه وقصصه، أحاديث لا تشعر اثنائها بمرور الوقت، نعم ستنسى تفاصيلها لكنك ستتذكر دائمًا المشاعر التي بعثتها فيك وستبقى ممتنًا لها ماحييت. هذا هو موراكامي وهذه هي كتاباته بإختصار.

[Yasmeen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always wonder whether every Murakami fan in the world leads such a conflicting life. Or at least, whether there are any who do. My relationship with Haruki's (we've been through enough to be on a first name basis) stuff is truly unlike anything I've ever experienced. Sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes it's wonderful. Only very recently having come to any sort of working conclusion about the way I feel about him, I was really curious to see what other people have to say about him. And though Jay Rubin is a lot more forgiving than I am, there's something about the way he discusses the novels that's strangely comforting.

Rubin is one of Murakami's three main translators, and I've always felt that he does a really good job (not that I can compare it to the original Japanese, but from what I can judge it's quite good). He's such a huge fan, it's a little bit adorable. And I think he gives some really useful insight that I would have never been able to access otherwise, stuff about things that just can't be translated. For example, the Boku vs Watashi thing is really enlightening (and might be a possible explanation as to why Murakami's female perspectives, the few of them that exist, tend to be awkward). And though I knew Murakami is a little rebel against typical Japanese literature, I never really got just how much his novels are a break from tradition. To a certain degree, it puts him in persepective and makes me a little bit more objectively appreciative of his work. There's also quite a lot of information about Murakami himself. Though this doesn't change the way I perceive his novels (fiction stands alone!), it definitely explains a lot. I am genuinely amused at how little Murakami cares about understanding the things that he writes. And that is a whole other rant. But suffice it to say that Rubin is really thorough, and I appreciate that.

So as far as giving the reader information, Rubin does an excellent job. He also, however, does a little bit of literary commentary of nearly every single thing to come out of Murakami's pen. And that was fun, at times. One of the realities of liking Murakami is that you kind of just have to sigh, half amused, half exasperated at all the things that he mentions in basically every one of his novels. Or find some other way of dealing with all his obsessions. I wish Rubin had spent a little more time discussing some of them, because it's a pretty big deal. For example, he makes an offhand reference to what he refers to as "Murakami's many Lolita characters," but doesn't seem to give them any importance (I was particularly annoyed at how dismissive he was of Yumi) To be fair though, there's just a lot of things that I care about that Rubin doesn't address, and that's not his fault or anybody else's. It's just a different reading of the text. But I still can't stop myself from wishing he had.

Of course, written by someone who works very closely with Murakami, its definitely not the most objective of texts. But hey. It's about Murakami. When is anything Murakami-related ever remotely objective?

[Ira Bilyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

в целом получилось очень даже здорово.
иногда немного скучаешь, если речь начинает идти о подробном анализе текста, (а я эти разборы страх как не люблю), но всё резко меняется, когда автор (Джей Рубин) переключается на быт Мураками, что происходил во время написания этих самых текстов. и ещё страшно нравится общий смешливый настрой, пополам разбитый и наченённый причудливыми тоскливыми вкраплениями, такими характерными для творчества самого Харуки.

книга пестрит моими карандашными пометочками. попробую выбрать не так много:

° "физическая сила и выносливость просто необходимы, - подтвердил Мураками, - если приходится год тратить на создание романа, и ещё год - на то, чтобы десять или пятнадцать раз его переписать".
он решил жить так, как будто день длится 23 часа, поэтому, как бы он ни был занят, ничто не может ему помешать уделить час физическим упражнениям: "выносливость и концентрация - стороны одной медали.. я сижу за столом и пишу каждый день вне зависимости от того, что я пишу, получается у меня или нет. я встаю в 4 часа утра и обычно работаю где-то до полудня. и так каждый день, и в конце концов, как и в беге, я добираюсь до того момента, когда понимаю, чего искал, чего добивался всё это время. для такого нужна немалая физическая сила.(..)
физическая дисциплина неотделима от невероятной профессиональной дисциплины".
° юному Харуки нередко доводилось слышать, как родители обсуждают за обеденным столом поэзию VIII века или средневековые военные повести.
° побывав на живом концерте Арта Блейки и 'Джаз Мессенджерз' в 1964 году, пятнадцатилетний Харуки стал частенько экономить на ланче, чтобы накопить денег на джазовые пластинки.
° провалившись с первого раза (..) и готовясь к поступлению, бо́льшую часть 1967 года Мураками провел, занимаясь (или, как он уверяет, подремывал) в библиотеке Аси́и. тот спокойный год, отданный чтению и раздумьям, убедил в том, что литература ему куда ближе, чем право (..).
° истинным врагом этой шайки была не Государственная Власть, а Отсутствие Воображения.
° незадолго до свадьбы молодые люди посетили дом Харуки в Аси́и. по воспоминаниям Ёко, она проснулась в состоянии "канасибари" (дословно 'закованный в металл'), когда человек внезапно утрачивает способность двигаться - феномен, практически неизвестный за рубежом, но довольно распространённый в Японии с её жестокой социальной системой. обездвиженная, Ёко лежала до тех пор, пока временный паралич не отпустил её, и только тогда она смогла выйти за Харуки.
° в течении семи лет был владельцем джаз-бара и по-прежнему пополняет свою коллекцию, уже насчитывающую 6 000 записей.
(книга 2003 года)
° мне было 29, когда я написал свой первый роман. (..) я тогда слушал джаз с утра до ночи, смешивал коктейли и делал сендвичи. (..) это было словно откровение, как гром среди ясного неба. ни повода, ни возможности это объяснить - просто идея, посетившая меня, просто мысль. я могу сделать это. пришло время сделать это.
(..) после долгого рабочего дня я приходил домой не раньше часа ночи. потом я писал до восхода солнца, а в полдень мне приходилось снова идти на работу.
° если вас интересует искусство или литература, то вам лучше обратиться к грекам. ведь для существования истинного искусства необходимо рабство. вот как оно было с древними греками: пока рабы трудились в полях, готовили еду и гребли на галерах, свободные граждане наслаждались средиземноморским солнцем, целиком посвятив себя сочинению стихов или решению задач. вот такое оно, искусство.
° нужно верить, что ты обладаешь способностью рассказывать историю, (..), без этой уверенности ты не сдвинешься с места.
° .. вспомнил о внезапной смерти Ф. Скотта Фицджеральда: сердечный приступ не позволил тому завершить "Последнего магната". по предполодению Мураками, какой бы мгновенной не была смерть, в те последние секунды Фицджеральд мучила мысль о романе, уже сложившемся в его сознании, но обречённом навеки остаться незавершенным.

и немного щемящих кусочков из тех аналитических текстов, о которых я так ворчу или историй Мураками:

• "мне приснился гном, приглашающий меня на танец.
я знал, что это сон, но в то врем�� я и во сне чувствовал себя не менее усталым, чем в жизни. поэтому я - очень вежливо - отказался. гном не обиделся и принялся танцевать один".
как истинно муракамиевский гном, он танцевал под "Роллинг Стоунз", Фрэнка Синатру, Глена Миллера, Мориса Равеля и Чарли Паркера (как мы видим, вкусы гнома так же эклектичны, как и вкусы самого писателя, и пластинки он тоже хранит в каких попало конвертах). его прекрасный танец полон скрытых политических намеков. ведь гном "с севера", а там танцевать запрещено.
• в чем смысл вещей, а также людей, сперва входящих в нашу жизнь, а потом неизбежно её покидающих? все они лишь образы, живущие в нашем сознании, а значит смысла в них не больше - и не меньше - чем мы сами в них вкладываем.
• бесконечные размышления - вот что его гложет.
• "темные сны у тех, чьи души темны. а те, чьи души ещё темнее, вообще не видят снов", - любила повторять моя бабушка.
в ночь, когда бабушка умерла, первое, что я сделал, - протянул руку, чтобы закрыть ей глаза. и пока я опускал ей веки, все её сны за семьдесят девять лет тихо рассеялись, как короткий летний дождь, не оставляющий следа на мостовой.
• зияющая бездна отрезала то, что мы хотели бы знать, от того, что знаем на самом деле.
• я не знаю, как это сформулировать, но я просто не въезжаю в то, что здесь и сейчас - это действительно здесь и сейчас. или что я - действительно я. никогда это до конца до меня не доходит. всегда вот так. и если что-то у меня в голове и уложится, то только много времени спустя. так продолжается последние десять лет.
• я представлял, каким тяжёлым испытанием для такого могучего человека было столь долгое угасание. наверное, это походило на медленное падение могучего дерева.
• то, что случается на границе памяти, и есть самое главное.
• и потом, возможно, именно эта птица каждое утро садится на кроны деревьев около нашего дома, чтобы завести нас, наш тихий мирок, словом, всё.

очень трудно остановиться и перестать вписывать и дальше мои любимые фрагменты, ведь они такие чудесные.

пожалуй, последний.

"я никогда не думаю о смерти в обычных обстоятельствах. (..) но когда я работаю над большой вещью, образ смерти неизбежно поселяется в моей голове.. и мне не избавиться от этого ощущения, пока последняя строчка не ляжет на бумагу.
и так каждый раз. всегда одно и то же. когда я пишу, я всё время думаю: "я не хочу умирать, я не хочу умирать, я не хочу умирать. по крайней мере, пока я не закончу этот роман, я совершенно не хочу умирать. одной только мысли о том, что я могу умереть, оставив книгу нещавершенной, достаточно, чтобы вызвать у меня слёзы. пусть это не будет великое произведение, живущее в веках, но, по крайней мере, это я сам. выражаясь ещё откровеннее, если я не завершу свою книгу, моя жизнь никогда уже не будет по-настоящему моей. (..)
когда перестаёшь думать об этом спокойно, то удивляешься, как нам удалось так долго продержаться.
и я продолжаю (..) в отчаянии шептать всё, что придёт в голову: 'не дай мне на перекрестке попасть под "фиат", водитель которого засмотрелся в противоположном направлении. не дай мне погибнуть от пули, ненароком вылетевшей из полицейского пистолета из-за того, что болтливый владелец рассеяно вертел его в руках. не дай цветочным горшкам, расставленным на шатком подоконнике пятого этажа, упасть мне на голову. не дай психу или наркоману в ломке вонзить мне в спину нож. (..)
я только хочу, чтобы мне разрешили прожить столько времени, сколько потребуется для завершения романа. вот и всё."

[Lobna Boukadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jay Rubin should write/ publish more books about Murakami !

[Fahime · Rating 3 out of 5]

هیچ قلبی صرفا به واسطه ی هماهنگی،با قلب دیگری وصل نیست.زخم است که قلب ها را عمیقا به هم پیوند می دهد.پیوند درد با درد،شکنندگی با شکنندگی.تا صدای ضجه بلند نشود،سکوت معنی ندارد.

بعضی چیزها توی زندگی آنقدر پیچیده اند که به هیچ زبانی نمی شود توضیح شان داد.

[Widyanto Gunadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before we start, you may want to do yourself a favor and read all of Haruki Murakami's works up to the trilogy of 1Q84. I think Music of Words is a brainchild of Mr. Rubin's laudable analytical prowess and zest for Japanese literature. For a work written by a devoted fan of Murakami, he still maintained a degree of objectivity in voicing out his literary interpretations of these fantastical and often bizarre short stories and novels dished out by the author. As a frequent collaborator and translator of Murakami, he writes a generally in-depth and takes on a technical outlook on these fictions. For example, he often explains the difficulties or challenges he faced when translating the original Japanese manuscripts of the novels to English. One instance was the limitation of pronouns to choose from, for first-person point of view in the English language, with only 'I' available, far less versatile than the Japanese variations of Boku or Watashi or Ore, all three of which mean me or I. Upon reading this, I suddenly felt like a student again, listening to a personalized one-on-one crash course on basic grammar lessons from a favorite lecturer. It sure takes me back to those fond memories of mine. Therefore, I am to find out more about anything else Mr. Rubin, our literature professor, had to share with me. In my opinion, he's a great scholar and author himself, if only to be overshadowed by Murakami's popularity. Even so, it was all thanks to him we can get to enjoy these books in their glorious English editions. In addition, Music of Words also gives readers some insights into what's going on in Murakami's mind when writing his masterpieces. For instance, Murakami told Mr. Rubin how he never intended to put a lot more meaning or symbolic undertones to his sentences than what is necessary. Murakami also stresses out, time and again, the importance of simplicity that creates rhythm in his sentences. Hence, that's why he said music is a very crucial part of his creative process. A book like this wouldn't be complete without biographical bits added here and there. It delivers just that, too. Utilizing his sources and personal interviews with Murakami over the years, Mr. Rubin put out several details on the author's professional life that might still be unknown to readers outside of Japan. One such detail is the clashing critical verdicts shared between Murakami and Kenzaburo Oe regarding the definition and what constitutes a work considered pure literature. Dare I say that everything about this book screams a passion project, done pretty well by a person who understands and loves literature with all his heart. Please, I know that, to some people in the minority, it might read like a collection of dry, overtly complex empiric essays. But, I suppose it's to be expected, knowing that Jay Rubin is an academician first and foremost. I also find it fascinating when someone is passionate enough about a single subject, to the point where they can type in 400+ pages and remains engagingly easy to follow throughout, for me at least. What a commendable level of dedication he had shown here. Finally, if you're looking for some simple-minded, shallow, non-nuanced discussions and annotations, you should look away because this book isn't for you. However, if you've already been enthusiastic about Murakami's works and wanted to make sense of all you just read, this could be your gateway to achieving such an inquisitive goal.

[Estelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly, if you wanted to know more about Haruki Murakami - this book could be your next big thing. It has important parts of his biography along with presentations of his most important works and of course quotes from interviews, speeches and everything you could think about when you really want to know someone.
A big PRO - it’s written to suit all kinds of readers, you don’t need to be a big know how in order to understand the author. It’ll also make you read further books and give you a more general idea of Murakami’s short stories.
A (maybe) big CON - this book would be suitable if you have read 4-5 of his famous pieces, believe me it’ll really make a difference. We’re talking heavy ones - about 500 pages a book, no Sputnik Sweetheart lovers invited, jk. If you try to skip pages you’ll find out that the author keeps coming back on every single piece with references so you can’t quite escape a novel / short story.
Overall I loved it. It went beyond my expectations!

[Nika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the ultimate bible for the biggest Haruki Murakami fans! Written by one of Murakami’s translators, Jay Rubin, it gave a structured overview onto the years from where Haruki Murakami started and where he got to with time. It went as far as even recapping the content of every book written by Murakami up until the publication date of this book in 2012. If you’ve been longing for a new book touching upon Murakami’s world, this might be the right pick for your next read.

Murakami knows how stories are told – and heard. He is sensitive to the rhythms of exchange between teller and listener, and is conscious enough of the mechanics of this process to recreate it – which he often does – in a fictional setting.
p. 5

The first warning straight away though, I felt like you would have needed to have read all of Murakami’s books to truly enjoy this one. Even though this was the case for me, I have read so many of them so long ago, that I couldn’t remember all the details anymore. At times, too much of the plot of the novels was revealed for you to properly enjoy it, if you were intending on reading some of them in the near future. This is where the only ★ reduction came from for me. I expected the book to give even more insights into the translator’s work or ideally, into Haruki Murakami’s work, and be less about the evident things, as in, what Murakami’s books are about. Nevertheless, the majority of it had fascinating little insights like the one below sprinkled throughout. This is why I ended up changing my initial rating of 3/5★ and finally settling for 4/5★ instead.

To be sure, Murakami’s long fictional works succeed in drawing the reader in for the duration of unique and often mind-altering journeys. They have the paradoxical magic of novels in that they force the reader to rush through many pages towards an end that is dreaded because the reader will be evicted from their mesmerizing worlds by the turn of the last page.
p. 263

I loved reading about how the author got to writing, under which circumstances he started working on his first book, how he managed to already publish so many novels during his lifetime and the perseverance it takes to produce such a significant amount of writing! It was really satisfying to find out about Murakami’s literary influences and it really was an “aha” moment, seeing how these rubbed off on his style. What I also found this book really helpful for, was to understand in which order to read Murakami’s books. This is a question that I often get myself and it becomes completely clear that they should be read in their original chronological order of publication in order to get a feeling for how the author’s style developed throughout the years. This was also a point where your curiosity got really satiated, when you read through explanations on why some of Murakami’s books are written in a specific style.

The most time I could ever squeeze out of a day was an hour or, at the most, two. This is the reason my first novel has very short sentences and chapters. […] [T]he main reason for the style of my first novel is that I simply did not have the time to write sustained prose.
p. 30

Elsewhere Murakami has written on style: “At first, I tried writing realistically, but it was unreadable. So then I tried redoing the opening in English. I translated that into Japanese and worked on it a little more. Writing in English, my vocabulary was limited, and I couldn’t write long sentences. So that way a kind of rhythm took hold, with relatively few words and short sentences.”
p. 36

This is a book that I see myself going back towards, re-reading certain parts as I will be re-reading Murakami’s novels at some point. I think that it does have tremendous value of giving an overview over the author’s essence, Murakami being someone who doesn’t usually share that much about himself as a person and an author. Even if the last Murakami novels were not my favourite ones, the author has a very special place in my heart and I’ll keep on reading whatever he publishes next. To finish off the review, this phrase explained this phenomenon best within the book:

I believe in the power of the story. I believe in the power of the story to arouse something in our spirits, in our minds – something that has been handed down to us from ancient times. John Irving once said that a good story is like a narcotic fix. If you can inject a good one into the readers’ veins, they’ll get the habit and come back to you for the next one, no matter what the critics have to say.
p. 82

More reviews on my blog - KHVBooks.com

[Paul H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are plenty of great reviews for this book so I don't have anything to add there -- I just wanted to point out one part of Rubin's narrative that was, to me, the most hilarious thing I've read all year.

As is well-known, Murakami is one of the most prolific translators of English-language literature into Japanese. What is not well-known, or at least was not known to me, is that in Murakami's translations of Raymond Carver, he turns Carver's infamous (harrowing, blunt, depressing) narrative voice into a goofy Murakami narrator, essentially changing the style/tone completely . . . imagining Carver's stories in Murakami's voice is completely ****ing hilarious and I really wish I could read Japanese just to experience the insane dissonance of this.

Rubin reports that these translations of Carver are very popular in Japan, which makes sense, as he rewrites Carver's stories in his standard Murakami-ish simplistic, laid-back, low-key style. Probably Murakami somehow managed, in a few places, to have Carver's bitter characters listen to classical/jazz records while slowly preparing pasta . . .

[Minh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ban đầu đọc vì tò mò xem Jazz có cái gì hay mà Toni Morrison, Michael Odaantje hay Zadie Smith ai ai cũng có 1 tập tiểu luận (hoặc tiểu thuyết) dính tới nhạc Jazz. Nhưng mà không ngờ cuốn này nó như 1 cuốn phê bình văn chương của Murakami vậy.

Cũng hay khi Jay Rubin khai thác song song giữa đời sống cá nhân và quá trình sáng tạo của Murakami. Qua đó biết thêm những dòng chủ lưu trong cách viết, quá trình đưa ông đến với nghề văn, nghề dịch và viết truyện ngắn.

Tuy nhiên điểm không thích là nó quá dài. Với một người không thích Murakami, việc tìm những sự kết nối cũng như định hình thế giới Murakami là rất cần thiết cho người hâm mộ của ông, nhưng với mình là không. Mình chỉ không thích những chỗ dù cho rằng Murakami chủ ý tạo ra sự vô lý, rằng ông thừa nhận đó là ứng tác, là khoảnh khắc dẫn đường như những feelings của jazz... thì Jay Rubin vẫn tiếp tục phỏng đoán và phân tích (!?) không biết để làm gì. Chính những điều này làm cho mình thấy cuốn sách này ít tính trung thực, nó như của 1 fanbouy viết về idol, có phần bợ đỡ, cho nên nếu để đọc kỹ hoặc đọc lần 2 lần 3, thì mình sẽ không đọc lại.

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of Haruki Murakami's novels should all read this book!^_^

[Rosy Ngo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read all of HM books translated to Vietnamese and some English version on the New Yorker, I really appreciate this book. I think Jay Rubin did an excellent job in giving us a closer look at HM work and his personal life.

[Guido Eekhaut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the first book-length analysis of the fictions of Murakami, and an indispensable guide. Should be updated.

[Nicky Neko · Rating 4 out of 5]

v interesting in parts! I enjoyed reading this, but then again, I'm a Murakami nerd

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a partial review of a partially read book. In my reading of Rubin's take on Murakami I have skipped sections pertaining to Murakami works that I have yet to read. But I've read about 2/3s of Murakami's stuff now, so I was able to get my feet good and wet in Rubin's book. As such, I highly recommend 'HM and the Music of Words' to anyone who wants to get a deeper understanding of Murakami's novels, along with anyone (like me) who tends to stalk every word by and about a favorite author.

Rubin does a pretty good job at conveying the plots of Murakami's novels and numerous short stories, discusses what he sees as the important themes of each novel, and fleshes out the elements shared between novels and short stories. He mentions how we English language readers have been gypped in the "abridgement" of some of his English language translations. He discusses Murakami's interests along with his experience as a translator. He also supplies some biographical information about Murakami's personal life, travels and relationship with his public and media (he seems to avoid both） along with some tidbits that maybe would only appeal to rabid fans... for instance questions addressed to Murakami's wife (Questioning his WIFE?... now that's stalking a writer!). In all this Rubin brings the enthusiasm of a fan as well as a translator of Murakami's work.

Since I'm not very well read in the literary criticism genre I don't know how this stacks up against other works of the type. The only shortcoming (for me) was that there wasn't as thorough a treatment of the symbolism and themes in Murakami as I was looking for. Although I guess "it's cheating" to look over the shoulders of others and peek at their understanding of an author and a work, honestly it helps my understanding and enjoyment. (That's actually one of the reasons I read a ton of Goodreads reviews here). For all his western influences, Murakami has some themes, symbols and perspectives that I feel like I am slow to catch on to.

Here's some of the stuff I was looking for answers to: What's up with wells? How about all those suicides... in every book there seems to be a self-inflicted death. Where are the character names in some of the earlier novels, and why are they missing (M's just messing with us, right)? Is there anything meaningful in the observation that M seems to rewrite a story over and over again? (Vonnegut - one of Murakami's influences - reuses characters like they were screwdrivers and wrenches. But Murakami seems to take that even further, reworking the same *story* from different angles and ages, even while changing a few names/characters and stretching the narrative a little further along).

Also, from a "development of the writer" perspective, are there stages in Murakami's writing? For example, there seems to be a phase of "psychological realism" in his "juvinilia (which he wrote around age 30... 'Hear the Wind Sing' and 'Pinball'); a "journeyman phase" where he's learning to write more conventionally and experimenting with magic realism ('Wild Sheep Chase' and 'Hardboiled Wonderland'); then He passes into an "Oprah" phase where he rolls around in relationships and star-crossed love ('Norwegian Wood', 'Dance, Dance, Dance'). And with my latest reading I seem to see him entering a "going for the Nobel" phase (Wind-Up Bird Chronicle). Finally, since I peeked ahead, there's also another phase - or is it just a temporary breather from chasing Nobel Immortality - to which 'After Dark' and some later short stories might belong. I confess I like to classify my reading...

Rubin touches on some of this stuff, but not as thoroughly and as long as I'd want. But maybe it's too soon to try and view Murakami in the big picture, or maybe I just haven't read the right critical works yet. Or... Maybe Rubin just wants to keep his book accessible and under a thousand pages. ;)

Of course for that kind of treatment I guess there's always critical journals and readings from 'the publish or perish' genre. Personally I can't wait for the Norton Critical Editions of Murakami's works, especially the ones I've read, just so I can gorge on all the essays and see the obvious things I've missed ('obvious' to academics). I'm sure Rubin will be represented there. They do still make those things, don't they?

[Vince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rubin gives quite a bit of biographical information about Murakami within the context of his writing, which allows the reader to see the connection between Murakami's growth and changes of writing style in relation to his maturation as a person. A lot of this is spot on, as evidenced by interviews, quotes from M's lectures and written exchanges between M and his fans on his website (quite extensive t one point apparently). Occasionally I think Rubin drifts into the speculative, especially with the more recent books, but in general he doesn't get too far off track in my view. Because Rubin's reviews/comments for the most part were written contemporaneously with the issuance of M's books (it continues to revised and updated regularly), a side benefit, which I had not anticipated, was to be privileged to experience the change in Rubin's style and viewpoint as well. I get the sense that over time Rubin has become somewhat more critical of his subject, but that just might be a small biased perception of my own; Rubin certainly isn't trashing Murakami in the later chapters. The edition I read is only current up through the publication of "Kafka On The Shore", so doesn't include anything concerning the most recent "1Q84". It will be interesting to see what Rubin has had to say in the meantime and I'll have to give a perusal to a more recent edition sometime in the near future. I liked the interspersion of reviews with biography in "real time", as it added quite a bit to my appreciation for Murakami's development of self and his art. For Murakami fans at least, this book shoud add quite a bit of depth.

[Trin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, if not electrifying, biography of Murakami by one of his English translators. Rubin’s discussion of the translation process itself was perhaps the most engaging and illuminating part—the English version of Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is abridged, WHAT. I also loved hearing that Murakami pays a lot of attention to the sound and the rhythm of the words when he writes—hey, that’s my technique, too! Dude, Haruki and I are like that.

Seriously, though, while it’s great to get some more extensive biographical information to put behind Murakami’s amazing body of work, it’s interesting to note that while Rubin does a good job of explaining who Murakami is in the most basic terms, there’s really no way to break down how he does what he does. A gift like that is, I think, elusive and ineffable. Zaphod Murakami’s just this guy, you know? And that’s actually pretty awesome.

[Hertzan Chimera · Rating 4 out of 5]

this provides exactly what I wanted, detailed information about Haruki Murakami and some insight into, what I consider to be, his very personal books - up to and including Kafka on the Shore.

Second reading was just as fun, however I was a bit stunned how a translator who'd worked so closely with Murakami for TEN YEARS could be so harsh in his criticism of Kafka on the Shore. One wonders how Rubin reviewed the far-less-fun -or-accomplished-imho more recent novel Colourless Tsukuru & Pilgrimage.

[Chris Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant book. Read it in a week, lapping up every word. I've read all of Murakami's stuff so was looking for something else. I'd say that if you're in a similar situation then I'd highly recommend this. But you probably need to read all of his stuff first because this is not a biography of the man, it's a biography of his work. Quite unique.

[Greg Soden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great analysis for Murakami super fans!

[Rayy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re interested in murakami’s works then this is a great start, it can be a bit challenging to get the whole idea of how murakami plays with words and which books to start. Essentially it is a biography of him, and I’m sure most of us are into his works rather than him as an author, in fact, he’s a quite weird person and I’m definitely not a fan but I love love his writing style, and this book set me out to know which books of his I should start reading, it gave me an idea on what he symbolises in his book, such as the black cat, the elephant, the girl from ipanema.

It is always important to keep in mind that when reading books we shouldn’t expect the author to be coherent and with good morals but reading is all about learning to accept (possibly without judgment which is quite hard) many different visions and ways of thinking which include
perversions and bad things. Some authors though just make it hard I guess but murakami as an author is a bit less infuriating? Well I mean you could decide for yourself

Him describing women in his books is a big no
I feel like him and Freud would make great friends
but on the other side the way he writes feels like describing a dream post waking up and u could read 100 pages with no plot and then suddenly you’re travelling dimensions, killing cats and there’s fish falling from the sky
I love the wisdom and philosophy his writings give you, it’s like you may not really remember what exactly happened in the story at all but you still remember all those feelings and woah moments when his lines touch your heart while you read, always grab a pen while you read, you’ll love so many quotes.
his writing is bound to be slow, disturbing and weird but sometimes they are great and speak to your soul, His writing style is so immersive, you end up not caring about the plot, where it's going no matter how surreal it becomes.

if you want an atmospheric and a supernatural story type of vibes then go grab his books please

[Peter Warshaw]

I have not read the book. So feel free to NOT read this "review", since it clearly is not one. It is more of a short commentary on Murakami.

I have read only one novel my Murakami, "South of the Border, West of the Sun". And before I comment on it, a caveat: unlike many readers I have met, I do not necessarily fault the writer when I do not like a work. I am fully cognizant of the fact that the fault may life with me, that maybe I am not a competent reader. But, with that as a caveat I have to state that I did not like the novel. At all. Then one day I saw the Korean film "Burning". It is a film version (for the most part) of a Murakami short story "Barn Burning". I did not like the film. But, for all I knew, maybe it wasn't loyal to what had been a great short story. I read the short story. I didn't like it. But, I thought that I should read at least one more story from the same collection (which came recommended) and so I also read "The Wind-up Bird and Tuesday's Women". Guess what? Didn't like it.

And so I can't imagine wanting to tackle 462 pages about him. Though I am not great at it by any means, I am a musician. And I do play jazz. And there is music from virtually every other genre I have heard that I find wonderful. So maybe it is merely the phrase from Rubin's title that bugs me -- "...the music of words". Maybe Murakami's writing is just not the kind of "music" I want to listen to.

[Kirschblüten und Podcast · Rating 4 out of 5]

|| Empfehlung Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words von Jay Rubin ||

Jay Rubin, ein Übersetzer Murakamis ins Englische, analysiert für uns Leser:innen (oder eher Murakami Liebhaber:innen) unterschiedlichste Werke von Haruki Murakami. Also wirklich ein Buch für Fans von einem Fan.
Als Übersetzer hat er ein tieferes Verständnis für Murakami, vom Schreibprozess über literarische Einflüsse im Text. Die wir niemals mitbekommen werden, außer wir lernen japanisch. Es geht aber auch viel um Musik, von Klassik, über Jazz bis hin zur Rockmusik und wie Murakami diese in seinen Geschichten verwendet und wie wichtig sie für seine Geschichten sind. Oft übermitteln die ausgewählten Musikstücke eine emotionale Reaktion oder dienen als Metapher. Rubin schreibt auch über Murakamis Liebe zur Musik und wie die unterschiedlichsten Musiker/Lieder sein Schreiben beeinflussen.

Aufjedenfall ein Muss für Fans von Haruki Murakami, die nicht genug bekommen können oder einfach noch mehr wissen wollen. Die sind bei Jay Rubin gut aufgehoben, denn seine Leidenschaft für Murakami steckt auf jeder Seite, in jedem Kapitel, einfach im ganzen Buch.
Man sollte nur schon ein paar Werke Murakamis kennen, oder am besten alles gelesen haben. So kann man am meisten aus dem Buch für sich herausziehen.