Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

by Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (Translator), Jay Rubin (Translator)

Collection of twenty-four stories that generously expresses Murakami’s mastery of the form. From the surreal to the mundane, these stories exhibit his ability to transform the full range of human experience in ways that are instructive, surprising, and relentlessly entertaining. Here are animated crows, a criminal monkey, and an iceman, as well as the dreams that shape us and the things we might wish for. Whether during a chance reunion in Italy, a romantic exile in Greece, a holiday in Hawaii, or in the grip of everyday life, Murakami’s characters confront grievous loss, or sexuality, or the glow of a firefly, or the impossible distances between those who ought to be closest of all.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Japan, Japanese Literature, Magical Realism, Contemporary, Literature

334 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Murakami Haruki (Japanese: 村上 春樹) is a popular contemporary Japanese writer and translator. His work has been described as 'easily accessible, yet profoundly complex'. He can be located on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/harukimuraka...

Since childhood, Murakami has been heavily influenced by Western culture, particularly Western music and literature. He grew up reading a range of works by American writers, such as Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan, and he is often distinguished from other Japanese writers by his Western influences.

Murakami studied drama at Waseda University in Tokyo, where he met his wife, Yoko. His first job was at a record store, which is where one of his main characters, Toru Watanabe in Norwegian Wood, works. Shortly before finishing his studies, Murakami opened the coffeehouse 'Peter Cat' which was a jazz bar in the evening in Kokubunji, Tokyo with his wife.

Many of his novels have themes and titles that invoke classical music, such as the three books making up The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: The Thieving Magpie (after Rossini's opera), Bird as Prophet (after a piano piece by Robert Schumann usually known in English as The Prophet Bird), and The Bird-Catcher (a character in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute). Some of his novels take their titles from songs: Dance, Dance, Dance (after The Dells' song, although it is widely thought it was titled after the Beach Boys tune), Norwegian Wood (after The Beatles' song) and South of the Border, West of the Sun (the first part being the title of a song by Nat King Cole).

Reviews

[Ahmad Sharabiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mekurayanagi to Nemuru Onna = Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, Haruki Murakami

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is a collection of 24 short stories by Japanese author Haruki Murakami.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman: An unnamed adult narrator and his younger teen-aged cousin wait for a bus to take them to the hospital so the cousin can have his ear problem examined, an ailment he has had since he was young due to being hit in the ear by a baseball.

While waiting, the cousin inquires deeply about the narrator's watch. The bus ride takes them through much hilly terrain and gives the narrator time to think about how he developed a close bond with his cousin. After the cousin checks in, the narrator reminisces on what happened the last time he visited a nearby hospital. ...

Contents:
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman,
Birthday Girl,
New York Mining Disaster,
Aeroplane: Or, How He Talked to Himself as If Reciting Poetry,
The Mirror,
A Folklore for My Generation: A Prehistory of Late-Stage Capitalism,
Hunting Knife,
A Perfect Day for Kangaroos,
Dabchick,
Man-Eating Cats,
A 'Poor Aunt' Story,
Nausea 1979,
The Seventh Man,
The Year of Spaghetti,
Tony Takitani,
The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes,
The Ice Man,
Crabs,
Firefly,
Chance Traveller,
Hanalei Bay,
Where I'm Likely to Find It,
The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day,
and A Shinagawa Monkey.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز بیست و چهارم ماه نوامبر سال2014میلادی

عنوان: درخت بید کور و دختر خفته (مجموعه داستان)؛ اثر هاروکی موراکامی؛ مترجم مونا حسینی؛ مشخصات نشر تهران، قطره، سال1391، در89ص، شابک9786001195938؛ کتاب از متن انگلیسی اثر ترجمه شده، چاپهای سوم و چهارم سال1392؛ موضوع داستانهای کوتاه از نویسندگان ژاپن، سده21م

کتاب مجموعه داستان‌های کوتاه ژاپنی سده بیستم میلادی، با موضوعات اجتماعی و انسانی ست؛

داستان‌ها: «راننده تاکسی خون‌ آشام»، «شهر او»، «جشنواره شیر دریایی»، «درخت بیدکور و دختر خفته»، «آینه» و ... .؛

چکیده داستان «درخت بیدکور و دختر خفته»: پسر جوانی، به دلیل موقعیت ایجاد شده، مجبور به ترک کار خود، در یک شرکت تبلیغاتی کوچک، در «توکیو» شده، و به زادگاهش بازمی‌گردد؛ در همان سال، رابطه ی او با نامزدش، به هم خورده، و مادربزرگش نیز فوت می‌کند؛ پسر جوان، به خواست عمّه ی خود، پسرعمّه‌ اش را، که ده سال از او کوچک‌تر است، نزد پزشک گوش می‌برد؛ پسر جوان، در طول مسیر بیمارستان، به یاد داستان دوست دبیرستانی خود (درخت بیدکور باعث ناشنوایی دختر زیبایی شده و مردی برای نجات او به بالای تپّه می‌رود) و مرگ ناگهانی دوستش می‌افتد؛ او، پسرعمّه ی خود را، درگیر بیدکوری می‌بیند، که گرده هایش به گوش پسرک، نفوذ کرده و کم‌ کم او را ناشنوا می‌کند

نقل از متن: (شهرِ او: اولین برفِ سال، در خیابانهای «ساپورو»، واقع در شمال «ژاپن»، شروع به باریدن کرده بود؛ ابتدا با دانه های باران شروع شد؛ سپس تبدیل به برف شد، و چیزی نگذشت، که دوباره باران شد؛ هرچند در خیابانهای «ساپورو» بارش برف، آنقدرها هم غریب نیست، و از آن همچون خویشاوندی منفور، استقبال میشود؛ امروز جمعه، بیست و سومِ ماه اکتبر است؛ وقتی «توکیو» را، با یک هواپیمای747، از فرودگاه «ناریتا» ترک کردم، فقط یک بلوز آستین کوتاه تنم بود، و قبل از اینکه گوش کردن به نوار کاستِ نود دقیقه ایم به اتمام برسد، برف شروع به باریدن کرد؛ دوستم خطاب به من گفت: «اینجا این چیزا عادیه، همیشه اولین برف سال، همین وقتا میاد، و بعد از اون هوا دیگه سرد میشه.»؛

ـ بدجور سرد میشه، نه؟

ـ آره سرماش شوخی نداره.؛

ما در محلی کوچک و ساکت، در «کوبه»، واقع در غرب «ژاپن»، بزرگ شدیم؛ خانه هایمان چیزی حدود پنجاه متر، از هم فاصله داشت، و دوران راهنمایی و دبیرستان را، همکلاسی بودیم؛ در اردوهای مدرسه، همیشه وقتمان را، با هم میگذراندیم؛ بعد از اتمام دبیرستان، در دو دانشگاه مختلف قبول شدیم. من به «توکیو» رفتم، و او به سمت شمال، عازمِ شهر «هوکایدو» شد

من با یکی از همکلاسیهای «توکیو»ئیم ازدواج کردم، و او هم با یکی از همکلاسیهایش که اهل «اوتارو» در «هوکایدو» بود، ازدواج کرد؛ در واقع این همان رسم زندگی است؛ ما همچون دانه هایی در باد، از هم جدا شدیم؛ اگر او هم به دانشگاهی در «توکیو» آمده بود، یا من به دانشگاهی در «هوکایدو» میرفتم، زندگیمان، کاملاً متفاوت از چیزی که هست، میشد؛ شاید من در یک آژانس مسافرتی کار میکردم، و دور دنیا را میگشتم؛ او هم نویسنده ای در «توکیو» میشد؛ اما سرنوشت، اینگونه خواسته بود، که من رمان نویس شوم، و او کارمند آژانس هواپیمایی، و هنوز خورشید، به تابیدن خود ادامه میدهد

دوستم، یک پسر شش ساله، به نام «هوکوتو» دارد، و همیشه سه تا از عکسهای او، در کیف پولش همراه اوست؛ «هوکوتو»، در حال بازی کردن با یک گوسفند در باغ وحش، «هوکوتو» در حالیکه لباس جشنواره ی پاییزه «شیچی گوسان» را پوشیده است، «هوکوتو» در زمین بازی، با راکتی در دست؛ قبل از اینکه، عکسها را به او برگردانم، به هر عکس، سه بار نگاه کردم، یکی پس از دیگری؛ نوشیدنیم را برداشتم، و با کمی از «رویبه» یخزده، غذای لذیذ «هوکایدو ییها»، خوردم

از من پرسید: «راستی از پ چه خبر؟»؛

جواب دادم: «خوبه، یه روز تو خیابان دیدمش؛ طلاق گرفته، و در حال حاضر، با یه خانم جوان زندگی میکنه.»)؛ پایان نقل

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 04/11/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 10/09/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murakami shares 24(!) short stories taking you to 24 mostly well balanced and leisurely paced Murakami-realities, from his native to Japan as well as some set in Europe.

The collection, as a set, has a magic realist feel, with the tales ranging from the surreal to the hauntingly mundane. Although a superb novel and novella writer, I just don't feel the short story is a long enough medium for Murakami to truly weave his magic. 6 out of 12

2010 read

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading the books of Haruki Murakami (born 1949) is like watching the films of Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998). The two are the most notable world-known artists in Japan.

In particular, reading the 24 stories included in this collection Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is like watching Kurosawa's 1990 film, Dreams three times. The 8 stories in the film are said to be based on the actual dreams of Kurosawa. In Murakami's Introduction to the English Edition of this book, he said that Ice Man, one of the 24, is based on a dream his wife had (p. xi). Also, one of Kurosawa's 8 dreams is entitled "Crows" while one of Murakami's short story The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes is about crows that know how to distinguish genuine and fake sharpie cakes. With Kurosawa gaining tremendous popularity worldwide because of his earlier films Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Red Beard, etc when Murakami was still a struggling novelist, Kurosawa's influence to Murakami is not a far-fetched possibility.

Kafka on the Shore. The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. Sputnik Sweetheart. After Dark. I read four of his novels before delving into his second collection of short stories, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman. Wrong move. I guess I was in a hurry to finish the first two novels since they are included in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I ignored the explanation of my friend prior to my reading Kafka on Shore that Murakami is first and foremost a short story writer. The plot, scenes, characters, conflicts, quirkiness, etc in these stories are also in his novels. The list is almost endless: the mysterious cats, man cooking pasta, the woman by the shore, people and animals disappearing for no reason, a couple going on vacation to Greece, compulsive eating, jazz lovers, incestuous relationship, gay love, visit to a zoo, etc. The typical stories that do not make any sense. Pointless. Implausible plots. Waste of time. Grrr. The execution is excellent though. The fluidity of narration. The precise exact words. Mundane yet familiar everyday-like setting. Imagination at its best. So you hold on. You read on until the last page even if not everything makes any logic.

Like life. When things are not going right. When things are hard to explain. There are things that are happening around us that sometimes we cannot understand, right?

Like dreams. Almost always, they do not make sense. Yet they are sometimes so vivid as if real. While in them, we find ourselves crying, laughing, wanting, disappointed, scared, sad, aroused... The plethora of emotions in our dreams. The same plethora you will feel when you read Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

After all, we all dream, right?

Life. Dreams. Read on. Live on.

Murakami is one of the nominees in this year's Nobel Prize for Literature. Announcement today, October 7.
Ganbatte, Murakami-san!


---------------------
Update (10/8/2010): Haruki Murakami lost to Mario Vargas Llosa (born 1936) a Peruvian. Maybe I should try reading Llosa's Time of the Hero (1966) or The Feast of the Goat (2002) and see if he indeed deserves to win over Murakami.

[Nenette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read good reviews about this book, but I just couldn’t relate to them. The book picked up towards the end, with really nice stories…But one has to live through “waste of time” pieces throughout the book (mostly for the first three quarters) before one is treated to the nice ones (what is glory without suffering?)

Since this is a collection of short stories, I've decided to rate it by story, and then take the average. Average rating overall is 2.54, which technically translates to 3 stars (if I am to be strict about rules on rounding off whole numbers). However, based on my overall impression and personal thoughts about the book, plus the following statistics, I am more inclined to give this book just 2 stars: Number of stories rated as 1 star- 6; 2 stars-7; 3 stars-4; 4 stars -6; 5 stars-1. And 2 stars it is! It was just really ok. I don’t like it overall, so definitely not 3 stars.

1st story: Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - My rating: 1 star

A story about a young man who was living and working in Tokyo, until his grandmother died and he had to go back to his hometown. There he took to accompanying his deaf cousin on his visit to a new hospital. Along the way, he noted the bus they took were full of senior people, had a sort of deja-vu in the hospital cafeteria about a friend and his friend's girlfriend, whom he had also visited in a different hospital many years ago. Though very loose, there was sort of an intertwining of the present with this episode in his past; with a recollection of the girlfriend's story about the blind willow nad sleeping woman. The story ended with him and his cousin boarding the bus back home from the hospital.

Call me dim-witted, but I don't get it. What's the significance of the story? What's the point of the comparison of the past and the present - is it a lamentation on his part that he's not really moved on, always keeping people company in hospitals? What's the significance of the story about the blind willow and sleeping woman - is it still all about not being able to move on, sleeping until one is eaten away? If the intent was to leave the answers to the reader's imagination, there's nothing much of a story to start with actually. It would have been nice if there was some solid foundation for the readers to bank on. Again, I don't get it!

2nd Story: Birthday Girl – My rating: 4 stars

The story of a girl who had to work on her 20th birthday, but had a chance to make one wish, and have it come true. What she wished for, it was never mentioned, but at the present time, she is living a happy and contented life. This story is a great lesson about how one creates his/her own circumstance in life – as quoted from the story, “No matter what they wish for, no matter how far they go, people can never be anything but themselves.”

3rd Story: New York Mining Disaster – My rating; 1 star

Again, what’s the point??? The title surfaced in the story only in the “epilogue”, but then it had nothing to do with the whole story itself. Unless the narrator is one of the miners that were trapped? But there was no indication to this effect. Loosely, the story is about a 28-year old man who’s had five friends who have died one after the other – no one from the mine though, unless the string of deaths is supposed to be likened to the string of death in a mining disaster. He had to borrow a suit to wear to the funerals from another friend who fancies going to the zoo when there’s a typhoon. Towards the end of the story, he met a woman in a new year’s eve party who claimed that five years ago, she killed somebody who looks so much like him. That’s it! Another story a dim-witted like me could not fathom!

4th Story – Airplane – My rating: 2 stars

A just-so conversation between a married woman and her lover centering on the man’s talking to himself (like poetry). He is not aware that he talks to himself any more than the fact that he talks about airplanes. Throughout the story, the man ponders the characteristics of the woman, specifically that she cries a lot and for a long time, and that after she cries, she would initiate their lovemaking. He also ponders whether he’s in love with her, and her with him. I’m giving this 2 stars because it is but rational for two lovers to talk about just anything, but as to where the conversation would lead to – that’s what’s lacking in the story, I believe.

5th Story – Mirror – My rating: 3 stars

Another story in this collection that has sense and purpose. As I quote from the story, is it really true that “the most frightening thing in the world is our own self”? I tend to agree with this. It’s like saying there is no greater motivator than one’s self. Once a person has overcome his/her fears, then he/she can overcome anything.

6th Story – A Folklore for my Generation – My rating: 3 stars

The story is related in the first person and I have assumed Murakami to be the narrator, having referred to himself as an author/novelist. He talks about the 60s, and tells the story of a high school classmate and his girlfriend. The values prevalent during the 60s, especially those referring to sex and virginity were discussed at the start, and this is a good kick-off point for what the main story was all about. Even if Murakami maintains that there are “no lessons to be learned from this” story, I still gleamed some – staying true to ones values and beliefs, and keeping promises.

7th Story – Hunting Knife – My rating: 2 stars

I am giving this 2 stars because the story was able to sustain itself until the topic of the knife came. How ironic, the title being ‘Hunting knife’, yet it was the knife itself that was the downfall of the story. This is about a man spending a holiday in a beach resort with his wife. They regularly see a mother and son pair with whom they have developed a nodding acquaintance, until one night just before dawn when the man went out of their cottage and he chanced upon the ‘son’. Mostly, the ‘son’ talked about his life, his being confined in a wheelchair, his relatives who own the resort. The story was good up to this point, then came the knife. I don’t want to dwell on how the knife (the title even) ruined everything; you have to go read it for yourself – you might be able to glimpse some meaning from it which I did not get myself.

8th Story – A Perfect Day for Kangaroos – My rating: 1 star

A story about two friends who went to the zoo. About a month ago, they read from the newspaper that a baby kangaroo was born. The girl wanted to see the baby kangaroo in its monther’s pouch. At first, she was disappointed because she thought that they should have gone earlier to visit because now, a month after, the baby kangaroo looks a little big to go inside the pouch. They resigned to eating at the concession stand, and while there, the baby kangaroo hopped into the pouch, so naturally the girl was very happy. That’s it!

9th Story – Dabchick – My rating: 1 star

One probably has to be Japanese to understand this. It’s the story of a man starting on a new job, a rather mysterious job – he had to go through dark passageways to get to the workplace. He needs a password to enter the workplace, a password he has no idea about. With the help from the ‘doorman’, he was able to guess the password – dabchick. Turns out the boss was a ‘dabchick’. How can a bird be the boss? Is he cursed? I guess that’s left for the readers to imagine.

10th Story – Man-Eating Cats – My rating: 2 stars

Again, I am lost in translation. If there’s one thing consistent about these stories, it’s that they all have a nice build up, but the end always leaves me wondering if there was anything I missed, or does it really just go downhill always. This story is all about two lovers who fled to Greece after both their spouses found out about their affair. In my opinion, the man is not able to shake off the guilt of his unfaithfulness, and that’s the reason why he gets clammy, imagining a host of bad things happening to him. That is actually the only justification I can give for the 2 stars. 

11th Story – A Poor Aunt’s Story – My rating: 2 stars

The poor aunt as I understood it is a burden slumped on the author’s back. The weird thing is people see a physical being slumped on his back – or probably it’s all symbolic? While the poor aunt is slumped on his back, people shy away from him – which is just natural – people who are problematic all the time are not good company. Maybe I got the meaning of this story right…Probably Murakami is just weird in a way that he won’t give you the benefit of full understanding by injecting weird characters in his stories.

12th Story – Nausea 1979 – My rating: 3 stars

A story about a man who had vomiting spells for 40 days. The vomiting was accompanied by phone calls wherein the caller just mentioned his name and hung up. As sudden as it started, the vomiting and the phone calls also suddenly stopped. As to why this happened, the narrator (Murakami) can only speculate, no real conclusions arrived at. Just for the structure and because it kept me guessing, I’m giving it 3 stars.

13th Story – The Seventh Man – My rating: 4 stars

So far, this is only the second complete story I’ve read in this collection. My favorite quote: “…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, but I don’t believe that….Oh, the fear is there, all right. It comes to us in many different forms, at different times, and overwhelms us. But the most frightening thing we can do at such times is to turn our backs on it, to close our eyes. For the we take the most precious thing inside us and surrender it to something else.”

14th Story – The Year of Spaghetti – My rating: 1 star

In 1971, the narrator cooked spaghetti every day of the year, and ate the dish alone. Towards the end of the year, he got a phone call from a friend’s ex-girlfriend asking him about his friend’s whereabouts. He dismissed this phone call, giving the excuse that he’s cooking spaghetti. I think the story wants to highlight the narrator’s lonesome life that year, and the focus on the spaghetti was to stress the fact that it was his only constant companion. It was good that this story was very short… just the same the topic of the spaghetti was dragged on through the end, that it was really painful to read.

15th Story – Tony Takitani – My rating: 2 stars

Again, the signature style: a good build-up, but a so-so ending. The whole story transcends two generations – father and son, both loners, both good at their craft, living their lives almost independent of each other, thriving in their lonesomeness. The son finds love eventually only to be taken away from him in a tragic accident. After he has disposed of all of his wife’s possessions, and later on of his father’s record collections, he becomes truly alone. To some, that story would have been enough, but not for me…I always have the question, “so what now”? I wonder if Murakami would like the readers to finish the story for him?

16th Story – The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes – My rating: 1 star

Lost in translation again! I was actually at a loss whether to give this 1 or 2 stars. I was looking for one significant thing I can find in the story, but I could not find any, so I don’t think I can justify it if I give the 2 stars, so there.

17th Story – The Ice Man – My rating: 3 stars

A love story between a normal woman and an ice man. They were practically living all by themselves as the woman’s friends and relatives have disowned her when she “married” the ice man; and the ice man have no known relatives or friends. Out of boredom, the woman asked the man that they travel to the South Pole. What happened in the South Pole is for you to find out.

18th Story – Crabs – My rating: 2 stars

If I am only to rate this according to structure, it would get a couple more stars, but a story isn’t just all structure. The story is about a couple vacationing in Singapore. They discovered a nice little restaurant serving good crab dishes. They ate crabs for all the remaining nights that they were in the city. On their 4th and final night while they were sleeping, the man woke up and threw up all the crab he ate over the last few days, until nothing is left. This episode changed everything for him in ways I believe only Murakami can imagine. He has great imagination, yes, and it often borders on absurdity, and I guess I can only take so much.

19th Story – Firefly – My rating: 4 stars

One of the best…. I was reading it over lunch break and I was nodding off in some parts, but I didn’t get lost (amazingly!) It talks about young love, love lost, letting go. I like the metaphor on the firefly. I don’t want to spoil it by rambling on the story as I noticed I’ve done in most of the previous paragraphs, so just read it for yourself.

20th Story – Chance Traveler – My rating: 5 stars

Best story for me. Why are all the nice stories in this collection lumped towards the end? I love that this really happened based on Murakami’s personal experience and that of his friend. The story talks about coincidences, chances, probabilities. Some are funny, others are sad. Whatever they may be, it is really amazing how they weave into our lives.

21st Story – Hanalei Bay – My rating: 4 stars

A story about moving on and letting go. The worst thing that could happen to a parent is to bury his/her own child (as what Mrs. Kennedy said). This is the story of such a mother, who started an annual tradition of visiting the place where her son died. There she met a couple of Japanese hitchhikers who sort of look up to her because of all the help she has extended. As I see it , their relationship, albeit short, is something of a redemption of the “failed’ relationship she had with her son. In the end, while letting the memory of her son linger, I believe she is able to move on.

22nd Story – Where I’m Likely To Find It – My Rating: 2 stars

I don’t see the significance of the investigator/seeker in this story. He didn’t really do anything but loiter the stairs! His specialty on finding things was not so much explained; it would have been better if some examples of previous successful cases were given, since he was not able to solve his current case.

23rd Story – The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day – My Rating: 4 stars

One of the best in this collection. Some things just cannot be explained, and they are best left as they are, accepted for what they’re worth. Throughout our lives, we will meet people who will affect us in different ways, just as we too will have an effect on other people. This story talks about the actions that people choose to take (or not to take) because of things that happen in their lives. Deep meanings and ramblings…sort of surprising in a story that’s actually so light and a breeze to read.

24th Story – A Shinagawa Monkey – My Rating: 4 stars

A serious story with a funny and weird twist. One of the more important characters in the story is a monkey, who in every way is like a human being (he can talk and reason), except that he steals people’s names. The person whose name he stole would have episodes of forgetting their own names, until the name is given back or returned (by the monkey). Really weird, and I think it is for this reason that the author chose this character to be a monkey rather than human. Again, I won’t spoil it by giving more details here. If you would, take my word for it that this story is a good one, so go ahead and read it.

[Mohammed-Makram · Rating 3 out of 5]

كثيرا ما يجد موراكامي متعة في جعلنا ندور حول نفسنا و نبحث عن رؤوسنا التي يتلاعب بها دون أن ندرك الهدف إلا في أحيان قليلة و يبقى عزاءنا الوحيد في متعة القراءة و محاولة فك الطلاسم.
عالم الأمنيات يسيطر على هذه المجموعة منذ الجزء الأول و هنا في افتتاحية الجزء الثاني يجد محدثنا نفسه يتمنى أمنيتات و تتحقق و يحدث أخته التي انقطع عنها لعدة سنوات ليجدها في انتظار مكالمته ثم ... ثم ماذا؟ حقيقة أنا لا أعرف فعلى حين غرة و فجأة كالعادة .. انتهت القصة كما بدأت.
من مجموعة حدائق موراكامي - الجزء الثاني

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Murakami (Haruki) is kind of like dreaming. This was a book of 24 of his short stories. What I noticed is that unlike some short story collections I've read, Murakami has the talent of writing a few first lines that just grab you and make you rush on with the story. But then what seems straightforward, say a simple love affair, ends up being just a firefly stuck in a jar or an endless trip to the south pole; the end sometimes has no relation to the beginning or no apparent relation. Some of the stories lack resolution or obvious resolution. They leave you thinking... the last few lines of text radiating ever wider and overlapping like ripples in a pond. It's like when you dream and all of these seemingly unrelated people and things and places interact and you wake-up thinking 'wow' that was a cool dream. Although the dream made no sense when you woke up, you can't help but think about it, and sometimes tell your best friend. That was this book. My alarm clock is going off now...

[Luís · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection includes twenty-three short stories written over almost thirty years (between 1980 and 2005). The stories are, therefore, ridiculous in length, themes and forms of writing. But each novel immerses you - or not - in a universe halfway between dream and reality.
Sometimes I was captivated, sometimes not. Maybe some ingredients were missing; I wasn't ready to swallow it all at the time. And then, when the enchanting Murakami properly bewitched me, sometimes the end left me dreaming, but sometimes also, I felt stranded and dumped and very annoyed. I then imagined his smirk that seemed to tell me: "Get over it!"

[Oriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is a story of why I am the best friend ever.

Way back in aught 5 or so (oh my god, how was that a decade ago), I worked at Random House. I was and am still a smoker; I could and do tell so many stories about how smoking has directed and redirected the course of my life (here's one about books!).

Anyway. There was a guy at RH I knew a bit because we smoked at the same time, and eventually I learned that he was like the head of marketing for a bunch of the big imprints. At one point he made me a casual offer that if there was any book I wanted an advance copy of that was from one of the imprints under his auspices, I had to but ask and he would find it for me. (My god, I miss those days.)

So first I swooned. Then, tentatively, a few weeks later, I asked him for the new Barrico. And he got it for me! Emboldened, I then requested Embroideries, and, later, Karen Russell. He continued to deliver, nonplussed.

THEN, many moons hence, I heard that Murakami was coming out with a new book soon (this was in early 2006, of course). Trembling with anticipation, I asked the fellow if there was any remote possibility that he might have a proof of it unearthable somewhere.

And spolier: he did.

But not just any proof. No, the next day I was handed an UNBOUND, FIRST-PASS DOCUMENT. In one of those clear binder-things that you used for book reports in grade school. 8-1/2 by 11. Crappy paper. Pre-production. My hands shook when I touched it.

Now for the hitch: Only a few days later, I was to be on my way to a friend's wedding in Portland. This is not just any friend, but a really important friend, one who has contributed hugely to my literary development, by introducing me to such luminaries as Julio Cortázar, Unica Zurn, and yes, now that you mention it, our dear Haruki Murakami.

As is surely obvious by now, this friend received Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, in a spiral-bound MS Word document, months before publication, as a wedding present.

(Small consolation: I read the whole thing on the plane ride to Oregon. It is spectacular.)

[s.penkevich]

So it turns out an animated adaptation of Murakami’s short stories just came out in theaters, watch the trailer for Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman here. I’m so excited because like, look at this:

So the film is a straight-through story that adapts six different Murakami stories from across three of his collections (including the titular Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman) and is set following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Of the stories being told is this little gem from After the Quake:

So yes, I do want to see the frog man fight to save the world.

[Labijose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Como dice la reseña, es un compendio de 24 relatos a caballo entre lo fantástico y lo onírico, donde, sin lugar a dudas, percibimos la maestría del escritor a la hora de plasmar en letra lo que se le pasa por la cabeza. En ese aspecto, en el narrativo, ningún pero. Murakami es un genio describiendo situaciones aparentemente normales, a gente normal, a los que, en un momento dado, les sucede algo llamativo.
Con referencias constantes a la cultura occidental, el autor nos deja una pequeña joya muy bien dosificada. Eso sí, hay relatos magistrales, y otros que encontré casi anodinos. Pero son los menos. Si no le echas un poco de imaginación, es fácil perderse en el intrincado universo del autor, por lo que recomendaría su lectura para momentos de máxima concentración, y aun así te quedas con la duda. A nivel personal, me fascinaron “El mono de Shinagawa”, “Viajero por azar”, “El espejo”, “La tía pobre”, “Tony Takitani” y “Hanalei Bay”. En cualquier caso, considero que es un tipo de lectura y un escritor al que hay que dosificar, espaciándolo con otras lecturas menos densas, so pena de acabar saturado.

4 🌞🌞🌞🌞

[L.S. Popovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is one to make of Murakami's short stories? His translator has stated that his reputation was made by his stories in Japan - apart from his super-successful novels. A brief survey of his total story output reveals that he is not interested in traditional story forms. Though many of his stories remain untranslated, we have so far received 4 volumes of them in English. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman is probably my favorite of the lot.

It is a generous collection of 24 bizarre and unconventional tales ranging from subtle surrealism to dreamlike feasts of disorienting magical realism. It is difficult to be objective when it comes to these stories. Formally speaking, many of them violate basic rules of storytelling. Emotionally, they tend to be powerful, evocative and original. What is the purpose of a story if not to prompt strong reactions in the reader. Whether those reactions are good or bad depends on your tolerance for the unexplained, the ambiguous, and the subtle subversions the author employs.

"Man-eating cats" is features in his novel Sputnik Sweetheart. Murakami has a penchant for recasting his stories into novels. Similarly, he usually publishes novel excerpts in the New Yorker as standalone stories. He is able to do this because his legions of fans will devour any nonsense or grocery lists he decides to release to the public. The story in question, though, is magnificent in my opinion. Murakami delights in writing about foreign places - Greece, America, Mongolia and remote corners of Japan. He is no Thoreau, but he brings a unique voice to each locale, observing the environment with wit and addictive, approachable rhythm.

Also featured is the segment from Norwegian Wood, titled "Firefly." Another breathtaking achievement and memorable moment from one of his greatest novels. Why does he reuse his material this way, you ask? Because he can.

Almost every tale is a winner in my memory, and I have revisited most of the stories in this collection several times. "The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day" is haunting. The complete lack of a satisfying ending often lends his stories a provocative vivacity, as if his characters' lives continue along the trajectory he plotted far beyond where the artificially imposed stopping point leaves them.

"Hanalei Bay" strikes me as a realistic tale, possibly based off similar real events, but with a Murakami twist of course. "The Ice Man" was included in Vandermeer's Weird Compendium, but I would not call it weird fiction. It is about the lapse of identity, a common motif in the author's oeuvre, but extrapolated to the realm of speculative fiction. "The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes" is a simple encounter, recounted with stark straightforwardness, seemingly a fable of the Japanese literary establishment - but can one ever be sure what Murakami is doing in these cases? Since he claims to write without outlines, one can only assume he makes it up as he goes along. It is a testament to his imagination that he can be so often captivating in the same way that dreams are engrossing, even if they make no sense. "Crabs" is a memorable story, if inconsequential. "Chance Traveler" is classic Murakami. At times his style is right in line with Carver's. As Carver's translator, Murakami wears this influence on his sleeve. "A Poor Aunt Story" was less successful at engaging my interest, but it showcases daring experimentation. "Airplane: Or, How He Talked to Himself as If Reciting Poetry," is a peculiar conversation, Murakami-style, which nonetheless intrigued and beguiled me. "New York Mining Disaster" was completely incomprehensible.

"The Mirror" and "Hunting Knife" were 2 of my favorite pieces from the collection. They operated off simple premises and are somewhat open-ended. Yet, their power and creativity are undeniable in my mind. It wasn't until I reread "Hunting Knife" that this collection became one of my all time favorites. It is a one-of-a-kind, mind-bending story. "Tony Takitani" is yet another strong piece, which was made into a film. Pure, elegant, and meaningful.

With "A Perfect Day for Kangaroos," Murakami turns on the charm. An uninitiated reader might wonder if Murakami deserves all the praise and condemnation. If you read this story and feel absolutely nothing you can bet Murakami's work, as a whole, is not for you. You have to be alright with the liberties he takes. For me, I never had to try to like this author. It came perfectly naturally, and for better or worse, he remains one of my favorites.

There are a dozen other gems in this stellar collection. They are guaranteed to satisfy Murakami devotees and baffle his detractors. This is the good stuff. This is why I read fiction. These are challenging, but easy reading. They stick with you and represent the best examples of what has become Murakami's distinct brand of madness.

[Supratim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard a great deal about Murakami and I borrowed this book from my friend. Reading this book was such a great experience. The stories are so different from the work that I usually read and have a surreal dreamlike quality about them. I cannot help but feel that I may have not been able to comprehend some of the metaphors used. Nevertheless, I enjoyed most of the stories included in this book.

People are complex, emotions and human behavior might not follow logic always.

Beneath the façade of success, smartness, attractiveness a person might carry an emotional burden. Others look up to such a person, might be awestruck or jealous - but the person carries his burden alone. A smart, academically intelligent, good-at-sports woman can blame her gender for her problems. What can be more terrifying to a man, than his inner self! How can a person trapped in a wheelchair and have his life dictated by others cope! One can spend a greater part of his life carrying a heavy burden of guilt, fear and grief and finally attain salvation through an unlikely act. How fickle can fate be! How a chain of events can break the barriers between a brother and sister and bring them close once again.

I intend to read the stories once again, maybe a couple of years later. I might be able to look at them in a new light and glean some new insights.

[Omerly Mendoza · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Si te encuentras con que debes elegir entre una cosa que tiene forma y otra que no la tiene, elige siempre la que no la tiene."
–Viajero por azar

4 ★★★★

He querido comenzar con esa cita porque me parece que refleja muy bien a Murakami, a sus libros, o al menos a los que yo he tenido la oportunidad de leer. Este autor tiene un estilo que ha logrado cautivarme, primero con sus novelas y, en esta ocasión, con una maravillosa antología de cuentos.

Sauce ciego, mujer dormida está compuesto por 24 relatos en los que Murakami nos presenta historias cargadas de sentimientos profundos y personajes únicos, manteniendo ese peculiar toque fantástico y surrealista que le caracteriza. Me encanta cómo consigue que una historia que comienza con tanta normalidad, cotidianidad, se torne surreal.

"El viento, por ejemplo, tiene su voluntad. Nosotros vivimos sin darnos cuenta de ello. Pero, a veces, nos vemos obligados a advertirlo."
–La piedra con forma de riñón que se desplaza día tras día

En esta entrega encontramos algunos relatos que después se transformaron en novelas, como La luciérnaga que se transformó en Tokio blues. Norwegian Wood (la primera novela que yo leí de Murakami). Fue increíble apreciar cómo comenzó y cuánto creció esa historia.

«Una persona, llegue hasta donde llegue, jamás puede dejar de ser ella misma»
–La chica del cumpleaños

Los personajes que nos presenta Murakami son conmovedores, capaces de transmitir sentimientos muy fuertes. Como es común en sus obras, encontramos personajes que se enfrentan al dolor y a la soledad, que ansían o necesitan el amor. Hay relatos que hablan sobre la pérdida y todo lo que conlleva, otros que nos muestran cómo los protagonistas aprenden más sobre sí mismos.

La manera de escribir, la narrativa, sigue siendo un punto fuerte. Algunos relatos los releí porque de verdad me gustaron mucho. Entre mis favoritos se encuentran "El espejo", "La tía pobre", "El séptimo hombre", "Tony Takitani", "Viajero por azar", "El mono de Shinagawa." Y hay otro par con títulos muy largos. 😄

«El hombre únicamente se teme a sí mismo».
–El espejo

«Mientras el mundo continúe siendo el mundo, yo lograré salir de ésta. Sin duda»
–El folclore de nuestra generación: prehistoria del estadio avanzado del capitalismo

Murakami sigue demostrando el amor que siente por la cultura popular, por su país. En esta antología también encontramos las típicas referencias literarias y musicales que tanto me gustan; si no hay jazz de por medio, no es un libro de Murakami.

Ha sido una lectura espléndida. Cada vez me gusta más este autor. Todavía me queda un largo recorrido por su obra y espero seguir tan maravillada como ya lo estoy.

"El corazón de las personas es como un pozo muy profundo. Nadie sabe lo que hay en el fondo. Sólo podemos imaginárnoslo mirando la forma de las cosas que, de vez en cuando, suben a la superficie."
–Avión… o cómo hablaba él a solas
como si recitara un poema

[Elida Karaivanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Murakami’s characters and their loneliness, the silent suffering they go through and the fact that you are never really sure whether they are daydreaming, dreaming, having superpowers or are just being highly sensitive. Yet again, loneliness is one the main topics in Murakami’s work and this book is no exception – “Can you imagine how astonished the Italians would be if they knew that what they were exporting in 1971 was actually loneliness ?”, or the final paragraph of “The Year Of The Spaghetti”, is one of the nicest rhetorical questions I have ever encountered. “The Ice Man” is a sad and cold story showing the desolation of a young woman and to be honest, it doesn’t’ take reaching the South Pole to feel the way the heroine of the story does. You could be visiting a zoo or having nausea for 40 days as well…

The book itself goes through many topics – sickness, death, society, capitalism, routine, guilt, dreams, relationships, family, broken marriages, self-esteem, etc. Nevertheless, it doesn’t feel like rushing through them but rather like describing them; not giving a solution but offering a different point of view in case you needed it; in case you didn’t you could just enjoy a nice story.

Murakami’s short stories are far easier to read, to follow and to comprehend, especially compared to some of his books which may take you months to digest and in the end, you never really know if you got the main idea or if there was actually one. As Murakami himself points into the introduction, some of the short stories in the book have later been used as a base for few of his books – “Norwegian wood”, “Kafka on the shore”, “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle”, “Sputnik Sweetheart”. Reading or having already read those books could give you a nice sense of how an idea develops and grows into something bigger and much more complicated. I did enjoy following the stories even if there were a few weak spots but hey, even Fitzgerald and Chekhov had them. Still, probably it would take you to be more or less a Murakami fan to fully enjoy the book which is not such a bad thing after all.

[مجیدی‌ام · Rating 4 out of 5]

یه مجموعه داستان عالی از موراکامی با ترجمه عالی تر خانوم حسینی
از خوندن داستان های کوتاه موراکامی بویژه با ترجمه خانوم حسینی پشیمون نخواهید شد.

لیست داستان های این کتاب:

راننده ی تاکسی خون آشام
شهر او
جشنواره ی شیر دریایی
درخت بید کور و دختر خفته
دختری از ایپانما، 1982/1963
دومین حمله به نانوایی
آینه

[kwesi 章英狮 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like to read short stories since the day I entered college, because It takes me less time to finish them and plus I already feel the pleasure of reading. A research shows that Filipinos were short story lovers because of our current condition, fast paced world. I don’t know if I should nod while agreeing with the fact that we like short stories, but in the darkest side, I was one of the Filipinos who liked to read them.

What I really loved bout Murakami was his passion in writing novels and short stories and that was one of the things that in fact struck me after reading his English introduction of the book.

To put in the simplest possible terms, I find writing novels a challenge, writing short stories a joy. If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden. The two processes complement each other, creating a complete landscape that I treasure. The green foliage of the trees casts a pleasant shade over the earth, and the wind rustles the leaves, which are sometimes dyed a brilliant gold. Meanwhile, in the garden, buds appear on flowers, and colorful petals attract bees and butterflies, reminding us of the subtle transition from one season to the next.

After that inspiring first paragraph of his book, I decided to read the book before the others. I always liked metamorphic descriptions of things, even in simplest English to most complicated one and don’t mention that I don’t like poetry. Yes, but Murakami is an exception he writes like a poetry that even in your dream you can hear his voice narrating all 24 stories again and again.

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, is a collection of 24 short stories written by Haruki Murakami between 1981 and 2005. His written works were translated in English by Philip Gabriel and Jay Rubin and published in 2005 in English. A conspiracy released that Jane Austen books were well edited by her editor and that makes her novel best selling, she was accused of having too much wrong grammar and misspelled words, but the point here is not about Austen as a bad writer. Compared to Murakami which is his works were translated into English there is also possibility that his works were good because of the translators, although the ideas of the authors were much more important in a story. And the big Why is that Murakami can speak and write English why not write his own story in English?

Another problem is that he usually copied his other short stories and pasted it to his other works, especially novels, while changing the characters and some details. I don’t find it as bad as plagiarism (I don't know the proper term) but I find it disappointing that he only copied some of his works and revising it, like the story entitled Man-Eating Cat, he added the story in his novel Sputnik Sweetheart. If you can still remember it was the story of Sumire and the cats that ate the old woman and so on. My other speculation is that he added the short story to make the readers ask themselves about what really happened to the main characters, because not all the story was copied. It is a clue that will lead us to his other works that can answer our entire question and he had a very intriguing style of writing.

Since the book is a compilation of 24 short stories, I decided to write short summary of my favorite short stories. Usually I read a book a day but this book is exception to my new rule, this one really pushed me to my limits in reading short stories.

1. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - An anonymous guy went to the hospital with his cousin who had this ear defect after a baseball ball hit him. Then a flashback came when the guy waited for him. It was summer and the guy and his friend went to visit his friend's girlfriend and bought some chocolates. When they met his friend's girlfriend she talks about this weird tree that surrounded by flies and ones the flies entered your ear they will eat your body and died sleeping and it ended with a big question mark. I liked the story but I can't get the whole point or the connection of his past and the present, and his connection to his cousin.

2. Birthday Girl - No matter what you wish for, people will never be anything but themselves. It was the waitress' 20th birthday and her leave was canceled after her co-worker got sick. The manager always have this meal delivered to the owner every night and nobody knows who's the owner, fortunately she had this chance to meet the owner after the manager got a stomach ache. When she came to the old man's room she's been asked about her birthday gift and nobody knows what was it.

3. The Mirror - A man greatest enemy is himself. A man working in a university and he worked every night and roam around the school every 9 PM and 3 AM. One night when he's trying to roam around the building he saw a mirror, and he saw his reflection. I forgot the exact scene but there is something wrong to his reflection because of his compulsive attack he broke the mirror. When he came back again he saw nothing but a flashlight and a kendo sword he left the night he saw his reflection.

4. A Folklore for My Generation: A Pre-History of Late-Stage Capitalism - There are stories that are funny but we can't laugh but we learned from them. When Mr. Anonymous was in his high school years, he was the perfect guy of his class, he's good at sport, smart and good-looking. He had this girlfriend in the other class same with him, they usually classified by other students as perfect couple. But every time they make out they have rules to be followed, they need to wear there shirt while having sex, and hands only. In the end the girl broke up with the guy, she believes that a girl should marry a year older while a guy should marry less younger. But the girl promised to have sex with the guy when she got married because deep inside she still loves her. Beliefs and norms.

5. Man-Eating Cats - this is part Sputnik Sweetheart part Man-Eating Cats. There is a hole in the Sputnik Sweetheart, what really happened to Sumire after she was lost like a smoke? Like the main character in the story, Sumire heard a very good music and she went to the top of the mountain were Miu and Sumire jogged every morning. She contemplated until she asked herself who she really is...the story ends like that if we base it in the short story. So question answered.

6. The Seventh Man - This short story contradict the The Mirror, man's greatest enemy is not himself but when you turn your back on it. A massive typhoon came to another Mr. Anonymous' town when he was young, he had this friend named K. Anonymous and K went to the seashore and play like they always do everyday and Anonymous, K and his dog was eaten by the massive wave. Another massive wave attack him but everything stopped he saw K smiling inside the wave and when he wake up, K's body was lost. After that accident he always have this nightmare and went to Tokyo to study and work. When his father died his brother sell there house and he gave him a small box full of drawings of K. When he came back he realized that he need to face any trouble that surpass his life.

7. The Ice Man - This is the story of a normal Japanese girl and an Ice Man, God, I can't imagine they're having sex and she felt like an icicle is pushing inside her vagina. Her family is against her will to marry the ice man, so her family disowned her and marry the Ice Man. After several months and years of there relationship she decided to go to the South Pole and live until she realized that her husband become foreign to her eyes. So she felt disappointed and went back to Japan with her baby on her womb.

8. Firefly - This is a story of search love and letting go, like a firefly inside a jar.

9. Chance Traveler - A gay man always visit a cafe every Tuesday and she met this woman who also reads the same book, accidentally. Until this woman fall in love to the man and he confronted the woman. He lost track of the days and he decided to call his sister. He lost connection with his sister when he tried to speak of his gender to his family and he was withdrawn lost from the connection between them. His sister got an operation for Breast Cancer and it was successful and he was accepted by his sister and his sister's husband.

10. Hanalei Bay - A mother lost her child from a shark while surfing in Hawaii after that tragic event she decided to go back to Hawaii annually to celebrate her son's death. Until she met this two Japanese guy who can't speak English and she helped them. The two Japanese surfer saw a single legged surfer in the beach and told the creepy story to the mother.

11. The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Everyday - A short story writer who fall in love to a circus woman, or something like that. She works as a performer to tall buildings, balancing like Libra. Although she made it as a secret to the narrator soon the writer fall in love to her. There is no impossible if you are determined to achieve your goal.

12. A Shinagawa Monkey - A woman lost her name after a monkey stole her name tag. After that event she asked a guidance councelor or a psychologist bout her problem in life. Like she felt nothing about her husband or she have doubt with the love she received from her parents. Until this odd monkey told her the truth and gave her back her name tag. After the odd event, she realized that she should accept things even they are bad or good.

I imagined myself reading this book in winter, sitting in a bench while waiting for special someone. Almost of his short stories always talks about loneliness and rejection at the end happy ending. Like a bed time story telling.

Rating - Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami, 3 Sweets by calculating using percentage (12-the number of stories I liked /24-total amount of stories *5-total amount of sweets = 2.5 or 3). (Despite of my extensive reading and long vacant, I can’t finish the book for a day because I want to discover the inside meaning of his short stories. But some were like irreleveant, nonsense and short short stories, I recommend for those people who like to read short stories before sleeping. Borrowed from Ranee of Goodreads - Filipinos .)

Challenges:
Book #8 for 2011
Book #2 for Haruki Murakami Reading Challenge 2011

[Franco Santos · Rating 2 out of 5]

No pude formar un vínculo con estos relatos. Solo cuatro los considero buenos, entretenidos, que se pueden disfrutar. Pero los demás me resultaron insípidos, aburridos y pesados, con personajes cuyas vidas no me conmovieron ni me interesaron.

Lo que menos me gustó fue que tuve que transitar en cada cuento por una historia anodina o tediosa y que, al llegar al final, el autor, en vez de darle un sentido a todo lo que había leído (soportado), me haya demostrado que el relato era, en efecto, un incordio inconsecuente.

Algo positivo que debo resaltar es la libertad y la osadía con la que Murakami trató el realismo mágico. La manipulación de ese género le sienta muy bien.

[Noce · Rating 4 out of 5]

E c'è ancora gente che quando vuole evadere guarda la Tv

Per questa volta eviterò di annoiarvi con le mie solite manifestazioni stucchevoli di cieco amore nei confronti di Haruki.

Vi lascerò soltanto una profondissima perla di saggezza che ho maturato nella mia innata modestia a fine lettura. ù_ù

Murakami sta al lettore come una donna di vent'anni sta a un suo coetaneo maschio (e sottolineo coetaneo).

Ossia: la donna a parità di condizioni afferra e vede cose che l'uomo può appena intravedere solo con l'aiuto di un corso intensivo trimestrale più CD-ROM esplicativo.

In altre parole.. è inutile:
la donna sta avanti.
Murakami pure.

Il lettore non può far altro che seguire docilmente la penna di Haruki, ed aprire occhi ed orecchie ad universi altrimenti imperscrutabili.

P.S. Chi non ha letto Norwegian wood, salti a piè pari il diciannovesimo racconto “La lucciola”. E' praticamente il riassunto.

[Maciek · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love short stories and I enjoyed Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart, so I decided to try this collection.

Reading these stories was like listening to a stoned student at some cheap beer joint which is usually full of such individuals. As you might or might not know, they're usually full of bullshit. Same can be said for most of these stories. They're just agonizingly dull. With each next one, I grew more and more bored. They're all just a flash of idea, a half-bred plot or character; there's little to bite your teeth into. The plot usually moves in the most absurd direction and suddenly ends, without making a point or leaving any lasting impression.

I did enjoy one story, "The Mirror", which was about a school janitor who found a mirror in the basement. When he looked into it, he saw that his reflection was alive and independet. This is a great idea, but like all others in this volume it just ends, and leaves the reader with nothing. The mix of the real world and the supernatural is done without much sense; it's all art for art's sake. You can read these, but there's a big chance you might get little - if anything - from your reading.

I didn't hate this book, it just did absolutely nothing for me.

[Tahmineh Baradaran · Rating 4 out of 5]

مجموع بیست وچهارداستان کوتاه است که غالبا" ترجمه فارسی آنها دردسترس است . بعضی به نظرم خیلی خوب وبعضی معمولی بود.
مثلا" داستان اول بید کور، زن خفته ، چاقوی شکاری وچندتای دیگر از خوبها بودند .تخیل ، موسیقی و گربه ها عناصر معمول داستانهای موراکامی هم به میزان لازم دراین مجموعه وجوددارد.بعضی توصیفات درخشان هم . با اینکه سطح زبان انگلیسی من معمولی است ، هیچ مشکلی درمطالعه و درک سریع آن نداشتم .درحالیکه خواندن ترجمه های فارسی کارهای نویسنده گاها " عذاب آورمی شود. وچه بسیارند ترجمه های گوناگون درایران . هرکدام هم لحن و انشای خاصی به کارمی برند درحالیکه من ترجمه انگلیسی را بسیارسرراست دیدم . البته اطلاع ندارم که آیا اوسبک ادبی خاصی در زبان ژاپنی دارد یانه ؟

[Vishal V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murakami's fiction is all about natural presence of the surreal in ordinary lives. The outright absurd is readily accepted by many of the characters, creating some curious protagonists, bizarre stories, and a thoroughly entertaining read.

This is my first attempt at his short stories and frankly I am confused over some of the metaphors and symbologies in "Blind Willow, Sleeping Women" and a few others, but that I believe, is in itself the beauty of his writing. In most of his tales we are always left with fairly labored understanding and in others bafflement and despair. Because of his refusal to resolve his stories, the experiences become ours. The loneliness and the loss of the characters becomes our own and sticks with us.

By far I found "Birthday Girl" with an array of possibilities, a perfect blend of real and fantastical; "A Perfect Day for Kangaroos" with a couple and their seemingly mundane dialogue over a baby kangaroo, aimless; "Dabchick" with inedible palm-sized dabchicks, raw Murakami craziness.

I am currently on "Man-Eating Cats", an account of an adulterous couple hiding out on a Greek Island. I am taking a break after this. I will get back on this one later.

[☠tsukino☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ho questo libro dal 2015, forse era arrivato il momento di leggerlo.

I salici ciechi e la donna addormentata ****
Un intero racconto dove si parla di orecchie!
Mi ha fatto un po' pena il cuginetto che cercava rassicurazioni da quello più grande ricevendo pochissima empatia.
Ho letto nella sinossi che questo è un racconto autobiografico. Quindi il cugino grande poco empatico è Murakami?

Birthday Girl *****
Mi è piaciuta l'atmosfera di tensione che si è creata sin dalle prime pagine. Quell'aspettativa di evento sovrannaturale (l'incontro con il proprietario ha un gusto un po' mefistofelico).

- Be', i paraurti servono proprio a questo, a prendersi le ammaccature.
-Dovrebbero creare uno stiker con questo motto...

... proseguì in tono pacato, strofinandosi il lobo dell'orecchio, un lobo molto ben fatto, -ciò che voglio dire è questo: che una persona, qualunque cosa desideri, per quanto faccia, non potrò mai diventare altro che se stessa. Tutto qui.
- Anche uno stiker così non suonerebbe male ...

Citazione orecchie ✅

La tragedia della miniera di carbone di New York *** (stiracchiate)
Ok. Racconto stranissimo; in pratica sono dei racconti slegati tra loro, dentro ad un racconto, con il finale (che arriva come una secchiata ghiacciata) che giustifica il titolo.

- A proposito, poco tempo fa allo zoo ho visto un gatto ...
- Un gatto?
- Sì. due settimane fa sono andato nello Hokkaidō per lavoro. Nella zona c'è uno zoo e ci ho fatto un salto. C'era una piccola gabbia con attaccato un cartello, "gatto", e dentro c'era un gatto che dormiva.
- Che tipo di gatto?
- Un gatto normalissimo. Come se ne trovano ovunque. Marrone tigrato, con la coda corta e spaventosamente grasso. Se ne stava sdraiato sul fianco, e dormiva tranquillo.
- Be', forse nello Hokkaidō i gatti sono rari, - dissi.
- Vuoi scherzare? - fece lui sconcertato. - figurati, nello Hokkaidō! Non sono né rari né niente.


Alle tre del mattino viene in mente ogni sorta di strane idee. Ogni sorta. Succede a tutti. Quindi ognuno di noi deve trovare un modo per reagire

Piccola citazione delle orecchie di elefante.

L'aeroplano - o come lui parlasse da solo con l'aria di recitare una poesia ****
Due amanti, una che piange senza motivo, l'altro che parla da solo in modo poetico di aeroplani ... la cinica che è in me: aeroplani ... volare via ... piangere ... sensi di colpa?

- Sai, il cuore umano, - disse poi, - a me dà l’impressione di un pozzo profondissimo. Nessuno sa cosa ci sia laggiù. Si può solo cercare di immaginarlo dalle cose che ogni tanto vengono a galla.

Lo specchio *****
Come avevo già detto per una scena di Dance Dance Dance, Murakami, ha il dono di creare atmosfere di tensione e paura con poche parole anche se in realtà non sta succedendo succede nulla di particolarmente pauroso.

Grosso modo ci sono dunque questi due gruppi.
In sintesi, mi sembra che le persone rientrino sempre e solo o nell'uno o nell'altro. Cioè chi è in grado di vedere fantasmi ogni tanto ne vede, ma non ha mai premonizioni, mentre chi ha premonizioni non vede mai fantasmi.

Mentre riflettevo su questa classificazione e scetticamente mi chiedevo se Murakami ne fosse davvero convinto, mi sono convinta io che invece potrebbe avere ragione.
Una pensa alle premonizione e pensa ad aventi eclatanti, in stile profezie delle Sibille.
Poi ho pensato, per esempio, a tutte quelle volte che suona il telefono e ti dici: e tizio che rompe! Ed è effettivamente lui.
Oppure pensi che potrebbe succedere quella cosa, e poi effettivamente succede. Ricordo una gita scolastica con le medie. Destinazione San Marino e sui tornanti per arrivarci mi era arrivato un pensiero di un guasto all'autobus che poco dopo si era verificato...
ecco forse è per quello che non ho mai visto un fantasma, appartengo all'altra categoria 🤭

Il folclore dei nostri tempi - Preistoria del capitalismo avanzato ***
Titolo pomposo per un racconto casareccio.
All'inizio mi sembrava la storia di Yukino Miyazawa e Soichiro Arima; il finale non è altrettanto lieto.
Sugli anni '60 credo abbia parzialmente ragione (ci sono cose buone e altre molto meno), probabilmente il periodo dell'adolescenza, in retrospettiva, è caro a tutti. Anch'io penso con nostalgia agli anni'80.
Si svolge in un ristorante di Lucca.

Coltello da caccia ****
Le sensazioni iniziali mi hanno ricordato il racconto La zattera di Stephen King. Poi, ovviamente, cambia radicalmente.

La giornata giusta per vedere i canguri ***
Racconto di una giornata qualunque.

Il tuffetto *****
Livello stranezza: 10

I gatti antropofagi ***
I due protagonisti non mi sono piaciuti. Troppo insensibili ed egoisti.

Storia di una zia povera ****
Racconto sovrannaturale triste, angosciante e anche un po' crudele.
Il tempo annienta in maniera equanime ogni persona. Come fa il cocchiere che frusta il suo cavalo fino a farlo crepare sulla strada. Però il tempo distrugge in modo terribilmente pacato. Sono poche le persone che se ne accorgono.
Mi ha ricordato qualcosa che ho già letto sia per le atmosfere, sia per un particolare ... 🤔 ... forse L'assassinio del Commendatore. Libro secondo: Metafore che si trasformano, ma non ne sono sicura.

Nausea 1979 ***
- Resta il fatto che una persona serie non va a letto solo e soltanto con le donne degli amici.
- Insomma, mi stai dicendo che forse era il rimorso che mi tenevo dentro, senza che ne fossi conscio, a prendere la forma di nausea e a darmi delle allucinazioni uditive?
- Non sono io che lo dico. L'hai detto tu.
.. Quello o le nausea da gravidanza ... ma che tendere ad escludere per gli uomini 🤭

Il settimo uomo *****
Per gli adulti,un tifone che si abbatteva sulla costa era soltanto una causa di scompiglio e di pericolo, ma noi bambini, lontani dalla realtà degli eventi, era un'attrattiva straordinaria e terribilmente eccitante.
Un po' come per la neve

Alzai lo sguardo al cielo. C'erano delle piccole nuvole grigie, sembravano matassine di cotone . davano l’impressione di stare sempre ferme nello stesso posto, perché non c'era quasi vento. Forse non mi esprimo bene, ma era un po' come se ne stessero lì soltanto per me.

- Sapete cosa penso? - proseguì dopo un po'. - Che noi essere umani non dobbiamo temere al paura in sé. La paura esiste, è vero. Si mostra prendendo forme diverse, e a volte, opprime la nostra vita... La cosa più temibile, però, è voltare le spalle alla paura, chiudere gli occhi per non vederla. Perché così facendo consegniamo la cosa più preziosa che abbiamo in noi a qualcos'altro. Nel mio caso ... questo qualcosa era un'onda.

Quello che ti fa più paura è la paura stessa, è molto saggio. (Lupin a Harry Potter ... e sembra sia anche una citazione di Roosevelt)


Nell'anno degli spaghetti *****
Spaghetti alla parmigiana Non sapevo di conoscerli finchè non ho letto la ricetta (pasta alla melanzana)
Spaghetti alla napoletana Anche qui dalla ricetta è la semplice pasta al pomodoro... ho il dubbio che in realtà intendesse Spaghetti Napolitan, tipica ricetta giapponese che prevede tra gli altri ketchup, funghi, tabasco e salsa Worcestershire
Spaghetti alla prematura mai sentiti, sembrerebbero conditi con un pesto di pomodori verdi.
Spaghetti al cartoccio con frutti di mare
Spaghetti all'aglio e olio non servono spiegazioni
Spaghetti alla carbonara non servono spiegazioni
Spaghetti della Pina Mai sentiti (conosco la canzone Le tagliatelle di nonna Pina) ho trovato una ricetta che prevede cozze, vongole e prezzemolo ... non so.
In compenso mentre cercavo ho trovato questo link a twitter:
https://twitter.com/SpaghetMurakami
e questo audio libro su youtube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1hcz...

Tony Takitani ****
Uno dei pochi racconti (se non l'unico) dove il protagonista ha un nome.
La storia l'ho trovata abbastanza deprimente e mi ha rattristato non poco.
è stato tratto un film
https://www.mymovies.it/film/2004/ton...

Splendore e decadenza delle ciambelle a cono *****
Surreale e visionario. Semplicemente splendido.

L'uomo di ghiaccio ****
Mi verrebbe da dire: attenta a ciò che desideri quando la tua vita non presenta particolari problemi.

Granchi *****
Il cibo è molto più importante di quanto la gente pensi. Nella vita, ci sono momenti in cui si ha davvero bisogno di mangiare qualcosa di buono.
Non è il racconto più adatto da leggere mentre fai colazione 😑
Per fortuna non mangio granchi & c.

La lucciola ***
Sembra proprio una bozza di Norwegian Wood

Percorsi del caso ****
Be', sì sono incidenti che succedono
Se fossi stata presente ai party dove Murakami racconta delle coincidenze che gli sono capitate, avrei pensato la stessa cosa (e mi riaggancio al suo racconto Lo specchio) perché sì, sono cose che tutti, a livelli più o meno importanti, sperimentiamo, sono dei fenomeni molto comuni. si verificano in ogni momento intorno a noi, nella nostra vita quotidiana. Ma delle metà non ce ne accorgiamo neanche, le lasciamo passare così. però a pensarci bene sono cose misteriose.
Del resto anche Jung (Teoria della Sincronicità) e Einstein che ipotizzò che non fosse affatto assurdo che dietro il concatenarsi di situazioni e dietro il "sesto senso", ci fosse qualcosa di più.

Hanalei bay
- Scommetto che lei è una di quelle del boom, -aggiunse lo spilungone.
- Che boom?
- Della generazione del boom delle nascite.
- Non sono di nessuna generazione. Sono io e basta. Cerca di non mettermi nel mucchio con altre persone.
Boomer 1 - Snotty 0 🤭
Questo racconto è del 2005 e Murakami ci era andato vicino. Non so quando sia stato pronunciato per la prima volta il termine boomer, ma non credo sia così vecchio. C'è chi lo fa risalire Chlöe Swarbrick, deputata neozelandese, che rispose ok boomer nel 2019 in parlamento.

Se doveva essere del tutto sincera, però, Takashi in quanto persona non le piaceva. è ovvio che gli voleva bene. Era la persona che amava di più al mondo.
Amare una persona andando oltre ai suoi difetti.

In un posto dove potrei trovarlo****
L'unico dubbio che mi è rimasto è cosa cercasse quella specie di investigatore.

La Pietra a forma di rene che si spostava ogni giorno *****
Il lavoro dovrebbe essere un atto d'amore. Non un matrimonio di convenienza.

...

Ciò che contava era capacità di accettare una persona così com'era, finalmente lo capiva.

La scimmia di Shinagawa *****
Concludiamo con un bel racconto surreale.
La scimmia mi è simpatica, Sakurada per niente.

Finito ^^
Murakami nei suoi romanzi, ma ancora di più nei racconti, sembra scrivere di cose che non portano da nessuna parte. Ed è così, secondo me, se lo si approccia con raziocinio invece che farsi trasportare dall’irrealtà e dal surreale che è presente anche nei suoi racconti più terreni.
Io trovo sempre una situazione una frase su cui riflettere, in cui mi ritrovo; delle volte ti obbliga a guardare in faccia la tua stessa realtà, di affrontarla a muso duro, senza concederti il beneficio di poter svicolare o scappare. Se si ha bisogno di fare introspezioni, niente è meglio di Murakami.

[I. Mónica del P Pinzon Verano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soy buena conversadora. Claro, que no falta el que se haya aburrido escuchándome, pero seguro solo fue en algunas conversaciones o algunos fragmentos, y se trata –¡también seguro! – de una persona, o tal vez dos. El cine es como la vida sin sus partes aburridas, algo así dice Godard; lo cual aplica a la literatura y la comunicación. Sin embargo, algunas personas encontramos emoción en lo que para otras resulta inapetente: ¿cotidianidad? ¿necesidad de contextualizar nuestro mundo para definirnos frente a los demás o quizá seducirlos? ¿urgencia por ser comprendidos o por compartir esa emoción? Pueden ser todas, algunas, ninguna y fijo ignoro otras más. El caso, es que con frecuencia al contar algo parto desde algún origen que establezco, a veces muy remoto, aderezo con detalles y tardo en llegar a la acción. Pero seguro, es algo que vale la pena contar.

Murakami es uno de mis escritores favoritos, pero Sauce ciego, mujer dormida es el primer libro de cuentos que leo de él. Leer a Murakami puede ser como hablar conmigo (jajaja guardando las proporciones). Los cuentos de Murakami empiezan en lugares que no dan pista sobre los caminos que tomará la historia ni mucho menos de su destino. Generalmente, las primeras líneas de los cuentos hablan, desde diferentes voces en cada cuento, del pasado, de otra persona, o te sumergen en un momento cotidiano, para llegar, o por lo menos evocar, situaciones más universales. No sé cómo definirá la estructura de estos textos un teórico, pues la estructura de los cuentos de Murakami es diferente, única, que en medio de su desestructura es a la vez estructurada. Es algo muy extraño al momento de intentar definir estos cuentos, pero a mí me producen una sensación de cercanía porque me sumergen en ese mundo Murakaniano. Siento como si Murakami dijera que nadie se saca una historia de la manga, todo sucede en un lugar por donde han transitado personas que han tenido una vida.

Los veinticuatro cuentos reunidos corresponden a diferentes momentos de escritura, que incluyen tanto cuentos recientes como antiguos. También son distintos en tema, construcción, extensión y escenarios, pero mantienen los elementos característicos de la locución y mundo del autor, como son las referencias musicales, los entornos y las cotidianidades definidas, personajes solos, raros, que no saben qué dirección darle a sus vidas y, que viven en un mundo paradójico, en el cual los elementos oníricos y fantásticos son insertados en la realidad, manteniendo un ambiente de total normalidad.

La prosa de Murakami es sonora, simple y estética. Muchas veces llama a la experiencia sensorial del lector, así como a su disposición de escucha. Varios de sus relatos además son construidos por pequeños accidentes de lo cotidiano; volviendo lo ordinario algo extraordinario. Su forma de tratar la realidad y lo fantástico me recuerda un poco a Julio Cortázar, pero no deja de ser Murakami. Me llamó mucho la atención esa estructura desestructurada de sus cuentos, que me parece que junto con los otros elementos narrativos muestran la riqueza literaria del autor. Sin embargo, no siempre esa estructura funcionó para mí, pues en algunos relatos perdí el interés y otros ni siquiera llegaron a lo anecdótico.

Mis relatos favoritos son: La chica del cumpleaños, El espejo, Somorgujo, Los gatos antropófagos, La tía pobre, Conitos (muy ocurrente y divertido), Tony Takitani, El hombre de hielo, El mono de shinagawa y las anécdotas que Murakami cuenta, en especial la del afinador de pianos.

Para finalizar, decir que Murakami sigue siendo uno de mis escritores favoritos. Este libro es bastante recomendable y además tiene el plus del prólogo escrito por él mismo; y aún cuando Murakami se define más como novelista que cuentista, a mi me parece que sus cuentos no son una obra menor.

[Адриана К. · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Каквото и да си пожелават, колкото и далеч да отидат, хората никога няма да бъдат нещо друго освен самите себе си.“

Когато ви си се прииска да избягате в друг свят или да се скриете в сън, чрез книгите на Мураками сте на една корица разстояние от тази възможност. Всеки път историите му ме отвеждат в някаква паралелна реалност, а веднъж попаднал там, не ти се иска да се връщаш…
Великолепен сборник с разкази, четох като хипнотизирана през цялото време. Толкова различни, странни, напоени с въображение, с усещане за тъга, тиха самота и непредсказуема развръзка. За мен Мураками е просто гениален в това, което прави. Създава поглъщащи истории, които те завладяват изцяло - като да попаднеш в лабиринт от необикновени случвания, сред сюжети, герои, метафори и изящен стил, които омагьосват.

Самият японски автор споделя, че докато писането на романи за него е по-скоро предизвикателство, то писането на разкази му носи истинско удоволствие (дори го сравнява с джаз импровизация, която не знаеш къде ще те отведе). Може да ги създаде от почти всичко около него, дори да е нещо незначително – идея, дума, образ, а една от историите в сборника е вдъхновена от сън на съпругата му, има и такива, възникнали следствие на появили се негови интереси и увлечения. В едно свое интервю Мураками отбелязва, че като се замисли, е имал най-различни странни преживявания в живота си и усеща, че именно тяхната странност им дава смисъл. Той няма за цел да анализира логически този вид странности, допълвайки, че: „Ролята на художествената литература не е да анализира. Единственото нещо, което мога да направя, е да превърна тези преживявания, възможно най-реалистично, във фикция.“

Всеки разказ е като някакъв пъзел, който трябва да наредиш в съзнанието си докато четеш, като загадка с безброй възможности за решение и вероятно за всеки четящ смисълът ще е различен.

Цитати:

„онова, което е видимо за всеки, не е много важно.“

„Релси��е, по които не минава влак, притежават тайнствено мълчание.“

„Самотата отново го заляла като възтопъл бульон от мрак.“

“Не съм сигурен, че мога да определя разликата между това да си се вторачил в нищото и това да си умислен. “

„Понякога не се нуждаем от думи… По-скоро думите се нуждаят от нас. Ако нас ни няма, думите ще изгубят предназначението си. Не сте ли съгласен? Ще останат само думи, които така и не сме изговорили, а неизречените думи вече не са думи.“

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection from Haruki Murakami was on my TBR explode list for March, and I only meant to flip through it. But after reading "The Year of Spaghetti," he pulled me in. Other favorites include "Birthday Girl," "Crabs," and "Chance Traveler."

(I think I've finally made it past the Murakami glut in my TBR pile chronologically, at least for a while.)

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Não tenho por costume ler livros de contos. No entanto este foi me oferecido e estava há muito tempo na minha prateleira, pelo que resolvi que era desta que pegava nele. E já o devia ter feito há mais tempo...
nunca tinha lido nada de Murakami. Neste momento mal posso esperar por pegar num dos seus romances.
Cada conto deste livro é uma delicia. Totalmente original e surrealista, o escritor consegue captar a nossa atenção e entrar no íntimo de cada um de nós. Por mais estranha e diferente que seja a ideia e a história, conseguimos encontrar sentimentos e lugares pelos quais já todos passámos.
Uma pérola! Adorei!

"E, neste mundo, o mais assustador de tudo somos nós próprios. Não lhes parece?"

"Olhando para as partículas de luz, pairando imóveis no espaço, lutava para compreender os meus sentimentos. Toda a gente procura alguma coisa junto de outra pessoa. À minha frente, mas fora do meu alcance, erguia se uma parede de névoa. "

"Todas as coisas deste mundo tem uma razão para fazerem o que fazem... o vento agarra-nos com um propósito bem definido em mente e abana-nos. O vento sabe tudo o que escondes dentro de ti. E não é só o vento. Tudo, incluindo a pedra... A única coisa a fazer é deixarmo-nos ir. Absorver essas coisas e fazê-las nossas. Só então poderemos sobreviver e ganhar profundidade."

"O que importa é tomar a decisão de aceitar a outra pessoa totalmente, do fundo do coração. E tem de acontecer como se fosse a primeira e a ultima vez."

"A inveja é como um tumor o que se desenvolve cada vez mais dentro de nós, sem que ninguém saiba, sem uma justificação concreta. Mesmo sabendo que ele está ali, não há nada que possa ser feito para impedir o seu crescimento."

[Celia🪐 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y por fin puedo decir que me he leído un libro de Haruki Murakami. Era un autor al que tenía ya muchas ganas de leer, y que hasta me daba algo de vergüenza no haber leído ninguno de sus libros hasta la fecha. Así que cuando encontré este libro por casualidad en el vestíbulo del edificio en que vivo (un vecino había dejado varios que ya no quería para que los cogiera quien quisiera) lo vi como una señal de que ya era hora de leer algo de este autor de fama internacional, y comprobar de una vez si era tan bueno como señalaban las criticas que he visto por redes y por internet de sus obras. O descubrir si me encontraba en el grupo de aquellos que creen que está sobrevalorado y que le detestan, que todo podía ser.

Y voy a ser honesta: el libro me ha gustado bastante. Pero creo firmemente que no ha sido la mejor lectura para iniciarme con este autor japonés por varios motivos.

“Sauce Ciego, Mujer Dormida” es una recopilación de 24 cuentos que Murakami escribió y publico en diversos libros. Por ello no hay un hilo conductor en esta antología, cada historia tiene su propia entidad y no está relacionada con el resto de las que podemos encontrar en el libro. De ahí que nos topemos con relatos encuadrados en géneros tan diversos y variopintos como el terror, el surrealismo, la critica social, el misterio o la fantasía. En general, es ahí donde puedo encontrar la mayor critica a la recopilación a nivel personal: siento que al tocar tantos géneros no hay un sentido de la unidad propiamente dicho en todo el libro que haga que todo tenga más sentido y armonía. De ahí que considere que haya hecho mal iniciándome con Murakami con esta obra y que está, en general, me haya parecido un tanto irregular. Creo que los que más la disfrutarán son aquellos que ya hayan leído más cosas de este autor y que estén más familiarizados con él y sepan que esperar.

Porque, sinceramente, ha habido unos pocos momentos en los que me he sentido un poco perdida mientras leía. Un poco bastante, para que mentir. No es muy difícil percatarse de que Murakami tiene un mundo muy personal, lleno de simbología y que parte de muchas influencias, como la propia cultura japonesa o su amor por el jazz. Tenía la idea de llegar a este escritor sin saber nada de su obra ni de su vida, para dejar que cuando llegara el momento me sorprendiera. De hecho, las escasas reseñas que leído sobre alguno de sus trabajos las he visto prácticamente por pura chiripa, no porque yo las buscara de una manera premeditada. Y ahora me doy cuenta de que esto ha sido un craso error. Por lo menos en lo referido a esta antología, aunque me da que esta afirmación puede ser válida para todos sus libros. El mundo de Murakami bebe de muchas cosas, y su propia vida es una de sus principales fuentes. Me he dado cuenta mientras leía y, ahora sí, buscaba más información sobre su biografía. Además, como el autor japonés señala en la introducción, varios de estos relatos fueron el germen de algunas de sus novelas. Es por eso que en contra de mi costumbre no he ido escribiendo brevemente que me han parecido cada uno de estas historias. Notaba que no tenía mucho sentido hacerlo cuando toda la antología, según iba leyendo, iba descolocándome más y más.

Pero ¿sabéis qué? Si hay algo que valorado mucho de este volumen es que el 95 % de estos relatos no me han dejado indiferente. Todos y cada uno me han dicho cosas muy diferentes, para bien o para mal. Pero sobre todo para bien.Y eso es lo que esperaba de Murakami, que fuera un escritor que de alguna forma me removiera, me sacase de mi zona de confort y me obligarse a ir más allá. Ha habido cuentos que no me han dicho absolutamente nada, otros que no he entendido, otros que me han encantado, y otros en los que directamente he tenido que echar mano de imaginación para encontrarles algún significado. El contenido de Murakami puede que no sea fácil, pero la forma en que escribe es simplemente espectacular. Lleva al lector a donde quiere, pero de forma que también le da bastante libre albedrío. Y con eso lo que logra es que incluso con los cuentos más descabellados éste consiga implicarse. Y los cuentos que me han gustado lo han hecho en un grado muy alto y profundo. Me han maravillado por lo delicados y brutales que pueden ser a la vez, por la forma en que Murakami nos habla sobre la pérdida, la soledad, los cambios generacionales y el desarraigo entre otros muchos temas, pero también de la redención y la esperanza. Y todo de una forma tan llena de sensibilidad como de fuerza, com mucha simbología, pero a la vez de una manera muy directa. Entre mis favoritos destaco “Viajero por Azar”, “Hanalei Bay”, “El Septimo Hombre, “La Piedra com Forma de Riñón que se Desplaza Día Tras Día”, “Toni Takitani”, El Espejo” y “ El Folklore de Nuestra Generación: Prehistoria del Estado Avanzado del Capitalismo”.

Valoro mucho el cuento como forma de narración. Me parece mil veces más difícil y complicado hacer una historia redonda en trama y personajes en diez o veinte páginas que en doscientas. Por eso como lectora, para mí, no hay nada más satisfactorio que encontrarme con un relato bien escrito y que me guste, y descubrir en poco espacio una historia bien asentada y con un hilo conductor fácilmente identificable y claro, que este sazonado con diversos sucesos que me resulten creíbles y bien organizados. No sé si será por esto que siempre que leo un cuento bien escrito noto en él una suerte de, llamémoslo vapor, que desprende la satisfacción del propio escritor a través de sus palabras, como si él o ella fuera consciente de lo que ha logrado. El cuento es la sublimación de la excelencia para mí. Y creo que en pocas antologías he notado más esto como en la presente “Sauce Ciego, Mujer Dormida” . Él mismo empieza el prólogo de la obra diciéndonos que “escribir novelas es como plantar un bosque, y escribir cuentos, se parece más a plantar un jardín. Los dos procesos se complementan y crean un paisaje completo que atesoro”. Y nos habla de cómo le gusta alternar la escritura de novelas con la de relatos. Y eso ha sido para mí toda esta recopilación, un canto a la lectura y escritura de los cuentos, a las satisfacciones y sinsabores que cada una de estas actividades puede procurarnos.

Así que sí, quizás no haya sido la mejor opción como primera lectura de este hombre, pero aún así he salido encantada de este reto. Yo estoy segura de que si hubiera leído más novelas de Murakami antes hubiera disfrutado mas esta antología. Lo que tengo claro es que me he quitado la espinita de no haber leído a este autor tan relevante, y que solo es el principio de una bonita relación. Eso sí, creo que es bueno intercambiar esta lectura con alguna otra, ya que leerla de un tirón, puede hacerse muy denso y pesado.

Tengo desde hace muchos años pendiente en mis estanterías “Tokio Blues”, y creo que no tardara en caer.

[Soheil Khorsand · Rating 3 out of 5]

گفتار اندر معرفی کتاب
«بیدِ کور، زنِ خفته»، عنوانِ یک مجموعه‌ی داستان متشکل از بیست و چهار داستانِ کوتاه به ترتیب به نام‌های (بیدِ‌کور زنِ‌خفته، دخترِ روزِ تولد، فاجعه‌ی معدنِ‌ نیویورک، هواپیما! یا اینکه او طوری حرف می‌زد انگار شاعر است، آینه، فرهنگ عامه برای نسل منِ ماقبلِ تاریخِ مرحله‌ی سرمایه‌داری، چاقوی شکاری، یک روز عالی برای کانگاروها، اسفرودِ بی‌دم، گربه‌های آدم‌خوار، داستانِ یک عمه‌ی بینوا، تهوع۱۹۷۹، مرد هفتم، سال اسپاگتی، تونی تاکیتانی، ظهور و سقوط کیک‌های شارپی، مرد‌ِ یخی، خرچنگ‌ها، کرمِ شب‌تاب، مسافرِ شانس، خلیج، هانالی، جایی که شاید پیدایش کنم، قلوه‌سنگی که هر روز جابجا می‌شود و میمونِ شینگوا» به قلمِ «هاروکی موراکامی» نویسنده‌ی خلاق، توانا، مشهور و دوست‌داشتنیِ ژاپنی‌ست که توسطِ دو مترجمِ محبوب و موردِ اعتمادِ موراکامی یعنی آقایان «جی رابین» و «فیلیپ گابریل» به زبان انگلیسیِ‌ روان، امروزی و بدونِ هرگونه پیچیدگیِ ادبی ترجمه شده است.
این مجموعه نیز همانندِ تمامِ مجموعه‌ی داستان‌های کوتاه دارای داستان‌های قوی و ضعیف است اما من در کل مجموعه را دوست داشتم، ضمنا من با چند داستانِ این کتاب به واسطه‌ی خواندنِ آن‌ها در برخی رمان‌های موراکامی خاطره‌بازی کردم.

گفتار اندر نقدِ ناشرانِ سودجوی ایرانی
از این تریبون استفاده می‌کنم و لعنت می‌فرستم به تمامِ مترجمان، ناشرین و دست‌اندرکارانی که بخاطر سودجوییِ خود اقدام به ترجمه و نشرِ داستان‌های موراکامی‌ِ عزیز با نام‌های من‌در‌آوردی و همچنین از همه بدتر میکس داستان‌ها و ابداعِ کتابی جدید می‌کنند.
اگر تا به امروز تمامِ تلاش خود را بکار بسته بودم تا همگان را آگاه کنم که موراکامی را تحتِ هیچ شرایطی بخاطر ترجمه‌های فاجعه‌بارِ مترجمانِ اکثرا بی‌سواد، برخی کم‌سواد و اندکی نیز نادان به فارسی نخوانند، این مجموعه رسما موجبِ شگفتیِ من گردیده است از این جهت که در ریویوهایی که از دوستانم خوانده‌ام به موارد زیر برخورد کردم:
اولا این کتاب متشکل از بیست و چهار داستان است اما دوستانی که برای این کتاب ریویو نوشته‌اند کتابی را خوانده‌اند که فقط ۷داستان کوتاه در آن بوده!
دوما این ۲۴ داستان توسط ناشرین مختلف در ۶کتاب با نام‌های عجیب و من‌در‌آوردی چاپ و منتشر گردیده است!
سوما ناشرین و مترجمین هیچ حقی برای موراکامی در ایران قائل نشده‌اند و بدون جلبِ رضایت وی اقدام به ترجمه‌های احمقا��ه‌ و بی‌کیفیتِ خود نموده‌اند و فقط و فقط برای کسب پول به نشرِ آثارِ پوچ و بی‌محتوای خود پرداخته‌اند!

توصیه نامه
دوستانِ عزیزتر از جانم، تعدادش از دستم در رفته اما مجددا عاجزانه خواهش می‌کنم از خریدِ ترجمه‌های احمقانه‌ی آثارِ موراکامی به فارسی خودداری کنید و وقتِ باارزشِ خود را پای خواندنِ این چرک‌نویس‌ها حرام نکنید چون نه شما از خواندنِ موراکامی لذت خواهید برد نه چیزی خواهید فهمید و فقط پولِ بی‌زبانِ خود را در جیبِ این دزدانِ فرهنگِ ثروت‌اندوزِ ناقضِ حقوقِ نویسنده خواهید ریخت.

کارنامه
همانندِ تمامِ مجموعه‌های داستان کوتاهی که خوانده‌ام، ابتدا برای هر داستان به شرح زیر امتیاز جداگانه داده‌ام:
بیدِ‌کور زنِ‌خفته ۳ستاره، دخترِ روزِ تولد ۳ستاره، فاجعه‌ی معدنِ‌ نیویورک ۲ستاره، هواپیما! یا اینکه او طوری حرف می‌زد انگار شاعر است ۲ستاره، آینه ۳ستاره، فرهنگ عامه برای نسل منِ ماقبلِ تاریخِ مرحله‌ی سرمایه‌داری ۳ستاره، چاقوی شکاری ۲ستاره، یک روز عالی برای کانگاروها ۲ستاره، اسفرودِ بی‌دم ۳ستاره، گربه‌های آدم‌خوار ۵ستاره، داستانِ یک عمه‌ی بینوا ۳ستاره، تهوع۱۹۷۹ ۳ستاره، مرد هفتم ۵ستاره، سال اسپاگتی ۲ستاره، تونی تاکیتانی ۴ستاره، ظهور و سقوط کیک‌های شارپی ۴ستاره، مرد‌ِ یخی ۳ستاره، خرچنگ‌ها ۲ستاره، کرمِ شب‌تاب ۴ستاره، مسافرِ شانس۴ستاره، خلیجِ هانالی ۴ستاره، جایی که شاید پیدایش کنم ۴ستاره، قلوه‌سنگی که هر روز جابجا می‌شود ۳ستاره و میمونِ شینگوا ۱ستاره،
سپس از مجموع امتیازات که ۷۲ستاره بود برای ۲۴ داستان، میانگین آن را برای کل کتاب یعنی ۳ستاره منظور نموده‌ام.

دانلود نامه
فایلِ ای‌پابِ کتاب به زبان انگلیسی را در کانالِ تلگرام آپلود کرده‌ام و در صورت نیاز می‌توانید آن‌‌را از لینک زیر دانلود نمایید:
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/258
سوم خرداد یک‌هزار و چهارصد

[Lee Klein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instead of planting a willow tree in the yard in honor of our ninth ("willow") anniversary, wife brought this book into my life at the right time, or so it seems, since it felt right to return to Murakami after many years away. I've only read The Elephant Vanishes (circa 1997), After the Quake (circa 2003), and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (in 2008) -- I've always liked him but apparently not well enough to read another Murakami book in the past 12 years. Also, importantly, for years the paperback versions of the novels I saw in stores and the copy of The Wind-up Bird Chronicle I own (a gift received somehow more than 15 years ago now) all had really small print and nonexistent margins. Before I started wearing reading glasses (1.5X magnification) it seemed too difficult to run my eyes across the page of a Murakami book for an extended time. The problem wasn't Murakami's writing, of course, which is straightforward, easy, conversational but not voice-driven, "balanced" as it's described in one of the better stories in this collection ("The Kidney-Shaped Stone"). My failure to read his novels, the names of which have all been familiar to me for years, was mainly the fault of those paperbacks with small print and stingy margins.

Generally, I enjoyed reading this perfectly formatted paperback collection, in part because I haven't read a story collection in a while. I liked the sequencing, anticipating that they'd put the good stories up front, followed by the lesser, weaker ones, and then it'd get better throughout, with the best stories toward the end. The collection seemed sequenced exactly like that, with the more fragmentary or shorter pieces filling out the second quarter being hit or miss, although one of the very few stories that seemed excellent throughout and nailed the ending was one of these shorter ones ("The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes"), with a metafictional allegorical vibe.

If I had to name favorites (<--that seems like a representative Murakami-type phrase) I'd probably say that I preferred "Birthday Girl," "Hunting Knife," "Man-eating Cats," "The Seventh Man," "Tony Takitani," "Chance Traveler," and particularly "Hanalei Bay," which apparently was made into a movie although unavailable to stream.

At their best these stories present a sort of enlightened mediocrity, settling in at an aesthetic midpoint, thereby steadying readers, allowing unreal or the otherworldly or fantastic or unusual elements to emerge without it seeming unnerving or silly or forced (as in that last story with the monkey), similar in this way to Kafka (steady tone and a single unreal element of intrigue) yet unlike magical realism since the prose is never ornate, florid, indulgent, artsy, kinetic, energetic, surprising, self-conscious.

In no way does Murakami capitalize on Japanese particularities -- instead his characters seem to live in a world of American exports, jazz of course throughout, and other international brands, like New Balance, reading Dickens, rarely mentioning Japanese products and food, certainly never emphasizing them.

What it seems like Murakami does best is lead the reader along, introduce an element of intrigue, a little mystery, something unknown or withheld, that gets the pages flowing ahead so characters' histories and minor pathologies can emerge, as well as maybe a few realizations about the nature of humanity/existence, before the intrigue resolves, never ingeniously (no a-ha! conclusions), usually organically, naturally, simply, almost like a dissipation just short of disapointing, often ending with a two-line summary or finisher like a moral, not quite condensed and definitive, after a white space.

The resolution of the plot, the story's point, is the mystery, the intrigue, leading the reader along in a way that pleasurably passes the time, maybe with a bit of instruction here and there, something that may or may not strike readers in such a way to evoke something similar from their lives.

A generous four stars for this collection -- I plan to read a lot more Murakami in 2021, in part because the margins and print size in these Vintage International paperbacks with the pastel geometric covers seem just about right, and I feel like it'll be worthwhile, without expectations of towering literary artistry-type reading experiences but something valuable to discover in terms of novel construction, or at worst I expect they'll be pleasant ways to pass the time, to wile away the final months of the pandemic (let's hope), the literary equivalent of taking in a baseball game on a summer afternoon (Murakami decided to start writing while lounging in the outfield stands at a baseball game -- the crack of the bat made him think "I'll be a writer.")

[Reem Ghabbany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read, 24 short stories some of them were deeply random and some were great. Most of the story had this really deep meaning that you do not catch right away.