Our Efforts at Tidiness Vanish!
I just finished this up. I really can't get enough Murakami these days. Someday, I will write a Murakami essay and post it here. Until then, let's leave it at this: If you are interested in the human predicament as it emerges in our time, you must be reading Murakami. If you are not, you are missing out on our generation's Kafka.
My best understanding of his intentions is that he is taking aim at our mutual and collective urge to construct a unified narrative when that effort may not adequately square with reality. His copious use of surrealism, minimalism, and repetition mocks our efforts to tell one tidy story about the human experience. Every time I read one of his books, I get the same feeling that I derived from my first exposure to albums like Bitch's Brew and Love Supreme. Each book invites subtle transformation.
Try on Murakami in the new year.
My best understanding of his intentions is that he is taking aim at our mutual and collective urge to construct a unified narrative when that effort may not adequately square with reality. His copious use of surrealism, minimalism, and repetition mocks our efforts to tell one tidy story about the human experience. Every time I read one of his books, I get the same feeling that I derived from my first exposure to albums like Bitch's Brew and Love Supreme. Each book invites subtle transformation.
Try on Murakami in the new year.
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