হারুকি মুরাকামি সম্ভবত বই লিখেন শীতের বিকেল কিম্বা সন্ধ্যাগুলোকে মাথায় রেখে। নয়তো এই সময়গুলোতেই কেনো সাধাসিধে গল্পগুলো এত চমৎকার হয়ে উঠে?
কিছু গল্প সুন্দর, কিছু গল্প অর্থহীন- কিম্বা অর্থ আছে তবু অর্থটা বোঝা যায়না। কিন্তু মোট কথা বেশিরভাগই উপভোগ্য।

I really loved most of these short stories. It seems like some of them are a bit over my head after some reflection, but they are unique and, as always with Murakami, beautifully written. Highly recommended to someone who likes his stuff, but also recommended if you are looking for a way to get into his stuff. Can't wait to get more into his collection

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.

3.5 out of 5 stars

A fun mix of stories! This collection showcases why I enjoy Murakami so much- he has incredible understanding of his characters and wonderful range in his storytelling.

There's a story in here that is creepy. Some are much shorter than others. Some are quiet and contemplative whilst others are 'typical' surreal Murakami.

It took me a while to read this but I definitely enjoyed it!

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.

Ja ću pročitati sve što ovaj čovjek ikad napiše. Ovo ovdje je 400+ stranica apsolutne ljepote. Murakami je kao simbol za bijeg od stvarnosti. Čitajte ga, molim vas.

Following what was a very long reading hiatus, most would say this was a daring choice. My answer is, I am a daring person. One who likes to challenge himself. Picking this book up after being tempted for years to choose from the attractive section of Murakami in my local bookstore, I did not know I would be killing two birds - or three, or four - with one stone.

This book was, after all, my return not only to reading in general, but to Japanese literature. It was also the first time I read a book of collected short stories (a fact unbeknown to me at the time of picking it up). I did not regret any of these three lovely birds, because it heralded me into my fourth and favourite bird and that is that I never stopped reading since.

Say what you want about Murakami and his misunderstood surrealism and magical realism, but he will forever be the writer I most look up to. He is the most brilliant writer in the most beautifully unapologetic ways. Murakami, simply, does not care about what is loved, trending or is cared for. He is at his very essence, what I believe to be, the purest form of story tellers. There is no guideline, no rule book. There is only amplified imagination. I mean, what is a book if it does not transport you to a world that transcends our own in every way possible.

Rest easy Murakami, for this book of yours I owe a great debt to. Every word, every scene, every plot was too good to be true. A natural, honey flavoured, magically enchanted acidic hallucinogen.

Open your mind, be accepting, and you will enjoy this book. You will love this book.

Definitively I am not a big fan of short-stories.

2* Yesterday
4* Town of Cats
3* Kafka on the Shore
3* Norwegian Wood
3* Hunting Knife
4* Minha Querida Sputnik
5* The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
4* 1Q84
2* Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
TR After the Quake

ترجمه ی سرکار خانم مونا حسینی رو نسبت به ترجمه ی قبلی بیشتر پسندیدم هرچند هنوز جاهایی جای ویرایش داره.
ولی در مجموع خوب بود.

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

Haruki's stories are intriguing, mysterious, sometimes completely incomprehensible but in a good way. He does some annoying things, like constantly referencing spaghetti or some specific European country or idea in a way that feels really cheap and forced. His style is simple, but it always draws me in, and I always want to finish the stories. Even if the endings sometimes seem too open, I never feel empty. It feels like something has been accomplished.
Whenever I read a popular author, I try to read their work as if it was just a random manuscript from an unknown author I found lying on the street. I'd say that this manuscript maintains a similar writing style throughout which seems quite weak. It's also uncomfortable at times, it feels like a private look into the unseen edges of the author's mind. But it does have some intrigue to it I cannot explain. I loved the Mirror story and the one about the man-eating cats the most. And the wish granting. Stuff like that, not the adulterous nonsense.

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.

n  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.n

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 - n  Filipinosn.)

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

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