Haruki Murakami fans discussion
Favorite Murakami work?


Second place, though, would have to be a tie - either Norwegian Wood or Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. I think there are two different Murakamis, though - he has a fantasy mode and a realism mode and I'm finding it a little hard to compare the two.





He has an affinity for 60s-era Western pop culture. The result of this is I can latch on to the mood he intends to evoke. I've been raving about him for years and am very happy to see so many people seem to share my enthusiasm for this subtle master.

I love the way he writes. His characters always seem to connect with me. Even if the story counts as surrealist stories but I can't seem to stop once I read his work. He is by far, one of the best author and one of my favorites ever.
Although I love his older works, but I have to say that I'm amazed with his current ones. So, if I have choose a favorite, my favorite will be Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. I think that book is brilliant. The way he switched one chapter to another from the wonderland and end of the world point of view was flawless.



I am surprised at the lack of mention of "The Wild Sheep Chase". I will always love this one because it was my first. It is really hard to pick one Murakami that is my *favorite*... I love anything by him.

I should add that I've only read two other Murakami novels so far, Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World (which I liked a lot) and The Wind-up Bird Chronicles. Not sure what to read next.


As a side tangent: I've just delved into David Mitchell's "Ghostwritten" (shame on me Alex for taking so long to follow through on this recomendation) and am trying to explore what about it strikes me as 'so Murakami'. True, I'm not finished yet, and this impression may be vague and premature, but still... It might just be the narrator of the Tokyo chapter. The young man truely seems like a Murakami export: working in the jazz record store, adopted by Mama-san, ennui over his blood line but pampered by escort girls and thug types. Perhaps it is an intentional homage- Anyone?

'Not sure what to read next...'
I'd be tempted to suggest 'Dance Dance Dance' as it's a sort of sequel to 'Wild Sheep Chase,' and the protagonist is very much akin to those pure-hearted wise-asses who lead in 'Wonderland' and 'Chronicles.' But if you want to go in a slightly different direction there's 'Norwegian Wood.' It may lack much of Murakami's trademark flights into 'unreality' but delivers on every other level, with plenty of humor and existential pathos, and some of the finest characterizations you're likely to read in modern fiction.

In the interests of full disclosure I have to say I've strayed from the path and haven't read either of his two most recent works...
So... favorite? I have to go with my gut and say "The Wild Sheep Chase."
Okay...first...i am sooooo happy that there is a group for Murakami!
second...I am working my way to trying to read everything he has written (I have a ways to go)... so I can only state which book is my favorite out of the several that I have read. They are: (favorite to least favorite, but still love)
A Wild Sheep Chase
The Elephant Vanishes
Kafka on the Shore
After the Quake
Dance Dance Dance
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman...
I really am excited to keep reading all the rest of his books, I just wish that there weren't other authors that I want to read as well...
second...I am working my way to trying to read everything he has written (I have a ways to go)... so I can only state which book is my favorite out of the several that I have read. They are: (favorite to least favorite, but still love)
A Wild Sheep Chase
The Elephant Vanishes
Kafka on the Shore
After the Quake
Dance Dance Dance
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman...
I really am excited to keep reading all the rest of his books, I just wish that there weren't other authors that I want to read as well...



I think if you read the book as an extended metaphor containing the two internal psyches of a Sleeping Beauty/Snow White Character - the wounded beautiful victim and the strong, smart, capable woman who wants to be part of the world - the book becomes more coherent and the symbolism makes a lot of sense. At least that's how I read it, and I was very impressed.

I have to say that Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Dance Dance Dance are my two favorites - there's something so poignant and beautiful about the ending in the latter, and they're both such basic good reads. I should reread them.


For those who like Underground, I recommend a documentary called A. It is a Japanese film that follows members of Aum Shinrikyo, the group responsible for the Tokyo sarin gas attacks. It provides an interesting perspective that, much like Underground, re-introduces the horrific attack at the individual level--a place so often left behind.

(oh, just give it up)Kafka on the Shore is a recent masterpiece.
it really is impossible to choose w/o including a
"but".
as an aside...the film 2046 is the closest I've seen to capturing Murakami's style in film. check it out.


:)



I went to see a theatrical production of Elephant Vanishing and loved it. Became intrigued and picked up Wind Up Bird, I like it but am not wowed. Should I start with something else?





Hurrah


After 'Sheep', "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World." This instantly became one of my favorite books, and is to this day potentially the most original story I've ever read. I've been through a bunch of his other works, as can be seen on one of the shelves, but 'Wonderland' or "Dance Dance Dance" are probably my favorites (although this may be partially because I didn't want to parrot everyone raving about Kafka and Bird, which were also amazing).

Wind-Up was my first Murakami, so I don't think I had developed a full appreciation for him at that point. I'll definitely re-read it at some point.
While I enjoyed after the quake, I still prefer his novels.
Just started Kafka on the Shore...

:)



I'm currently reading 'Birthday Stories', a collection that he compiled and edited. So far, rather intriguing.
The only disappointment has been 'After Dark'. It was rather short and not deep enough at all. Probably coz it's more like a novelette. But I'm quite let down, given how I love all his other work.


In other news; I received an e-mail from Amazon today recommending the Murakami book Tokio Blues. I hadn't heard of that title but with a little investigating I discovered it's the Spanish language version of Norwegian Wood.

Yes, I liked After Dark but it didn't stick with me as much as some of the others like Wind Up Bird and Wild Sheep Chase.
Books mentioned in this topic
The Hobbit (other topics)Sputnik Sweetheart (other topics)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (other topics)
An appropriate first question: What's your favorite Haruki Murakami work, and why?
Mine is Sputnik Sweetheart, mostly because I love the way it plays with the ideas of alternate realities. Obviously many of his books do this, but I thought the way it's presented in Sputnik Sweetheart is especially haunting and beautiful. I also love the narration style, and the book's unconventional love triangle.
Kafka on the Shore is the first runner-up.