I wish I could give this book more. I really liked some stories, such as the firefly, the one about the surfer, the mirror story and the one about the wave. My favourite remains however "the firefly" one because Murakami captures marvellously well the gap left by the death of their friend; the resulting proximity of the two who are left behind and their inability to fill each others' empty space. I just loved it. And I loved the ending. She was like the firefly. She took time to take flight, but when she finally did, she was free again. Free and beautiful.

However, I didn't like some other stories such as the staircase one, or the blind willows, or the spaghetti etc which are too random. Those stories give the impression that Murakami just wrote whatever came to mind... lol

لا أؤمن بالمصادفات ...
كل ما يحدث لنا من أمور حتى تلك التي تبدو تافهة وضئيلة الأهمية ، وقد نُعرض عنها ولا نوليها اهتمامنا ، هى في حقيقة الأمر أشبه برسائل صغيرة موجهة لك خصيصاً وليس عبثاً أو مصادفةً ، قد يُستعصى عليك فتحها وقد يتعذر عليك تبينها لكن هذا لا ينفي عنها حكمتها وغاية أن ترسل لك أنت دون الآخرين...
حتى تلك الأحداث الغريبة التي أشبه بطيف حلم يأتيك بغتة وما أن يغادرك حتى يتركك كما لو كنت مصعوقاً حائراً ، قد لا تتسبب في تغيير مسار حياتك ولكنها قد تلون حياتك الباهتة ...إذن هى لك أنت ولم تكن إلا لك ....

Wonderful, surreal, dreamlike... Murakami excels at the art of the short story; and I'd definitely recommend this book as a good introduction to his work.

Contents:
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman - One of the more surrealist works here. A young man has to take his younger cousin to a doctor's appointment - which leads him to recall visiting a friend in the hospital, years before. I know that doesn't sound surreal... but you have to read it.

Birthday Girl - Stuck working on her birthday, a young waitress is called upon to bring the reclusive restaurant owner his dinner. And she's offered a gift, of sorts. What is it? Don't expect to find out.

New York Mining Disaster - A young man who owns no formal suit has to borrow one five times in one year from his friend who likes to go visit zoos during typhoons - each time for a funeral. Then, a woman at a party tells him she killed someone. Then, a vignette related to the title. OK, I gotta admit this one did not make logical sense, unless you look at reading a story in much the same was as one might experience listening to experimental jazz. Which, I suspect, might very well be how Murakami looks at stories, at times.


Aeroplane:Or, How He Talked to Himself as If Reciting Poetry - A man is having an affair with an older,married woman. She tends to cry mysteriously. She tells him he talks to himself, although he's not aware of doing so. More surrealism.

The Mirror - A nightwatchman has a supernatural(?) experience. Can't say too much about it without giving it away, but yes, there's a mirror, and this is hands down one of the best 'ghost stories' I've ever read.

A Folklore for My Generation: A Prehistory of Late-Stage Capitalism - In college, the narrator always thought that two of his classmates seemed to be the most perfect students - and naturally, they seemed to share a perfect relationship. However, when he meets one of those classmates, years later, he hears the story from a different point of view.

Hunting Knife - At a vacation resort, a man on vacation with his wife notices a strange couple of guests staying at the same hotel: an elderly mother and her disabled son. Again, a story that's weirder than you might think.

A Perfect Day for Kangaroos - Sometimes, you should do something immediately, and not wait for the perfect day, because then, it'll be too late. But after all, if it's too late, life goes on.

Dabchick - This one crosses the line from surreal into absurd. It really sounds like one of those dreams that you have that make total sense while you're dreaming it, but after you wake up you realize it was completely ridiculous. I would totally have this dream, too, since I really need a better job right now.

Man-Eating Cats - A couple have an affair. When it's discovered, their marriages end, and they take off to Greece. But sitting pointlessly in Greece isn't necessarily as idyllic as it might seem. And it might end up stranger than you expect.

A 'Poor Aunt' Story - A meta-story about the writing process. Not my favorite in the collection. (But not bad enough to cause a star-docking).

Nausea 1979 - It might be a horror story about a man suffering a curse. Or it might not. There is, indeed, vomiting, either way.

The Seventh Man - "In my case, it was a wave," he said. "There's no way for me to tell, of course, what it will be for each of you. But in my case it just happened to take the form of a gigantic wave. It presented itself to me all of a sudden one day, without warning, in the shape of a giant wave. And it was devastating."
This is the story of that typhoon, and what was lost, and the trauma following. Again, I'm tempted to classify this as a 'ghost story' - and to put it up there with the best of them.

The Year of Spaghetti - A guy cooks spaghetti for a year and it is lonely and depressing. "Thinking about spaghetti that boils eternally but is never done is a sad, sad thing."

Tony Takitani - The moral of the story is: Don't try to get your wife to give up shopping, 'cause then she'll end up dead; it will be your fault, and what the hell are you going to do with all her clothes then?
You'll be sorry!
OK, maybe that's not actually the moral. It's actually a pretty emotionally harrowing, bizarre, and interesting piece.

The Rise and Fall of Sharpie Cakes - Very similar to 'Dabchick' in tone and feel. Both stories even have bizarre and supernatural birds. And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that Murakami doesn't think much of marketing conferences, and is not going to 'sell out.'

The Ice Man - None of her friends want her to marry the Ice Man. Is he even human? Why does she love him? But she plows on ahead, and it's even her idea to move with him to Antarctic climes. It might not have been a good idea, however.

Crabs - Aww! I think trying strange restaurants in foreign countries is an excellent idea; and one of the most fun parts of travelling! Don't let this story scare you off! (It's pretty effectively scary!) I've got a feeling Murakami got a bad case of food poisoning at some point...

Firefly - This story ended up being part of the novel 'Norwegian Wood.' I think it worked better in the context of the novel than as a short story - so go read the book!

Chance Traveller - Jazz, and coincidences. The torn relationship between a brother and sister is mended by events that seem like more than mere synchronicity.

Hanalei Bay - A Japanese woman's only son is killed by a shark, and she feels driven to travel and see, and understand the surfing community where he died.

Where I'm Likely to Find It - An investigator is hired (?) to look into the disappearance of a woman's husband from the stairwell of his own apartment building. But what is he really investigating?

The Kidney-Shaped Stone That Moves Every Day - A man, strangely obsessed with a one-time statement from his father that every man will only have three women of tru significance to him in his life, finds himself in a relationship with a women who won't tell him what she does for a living. He won't find out until after she has left his life.
tt
A Shinagawa Monkey - A woman begins to have bizarre episodes of forgetting her own name. It's only her name - she doesn't seem to be losing track of anything else. Doctors and psychologists won't help her, as the problem is too odd, and not that severe, by their lights. But then she finds a counselor who can track this down to the source...

O dievai, kaip smagu buvo po ilgos pertraukos paimti į rankas naują Haruki Murakami knygą. Turbūt geras pusmetis ar metai laiko buvau apleidusi jo kūrybą ir pasinėrusi į kito žanro literatūrą. Bet nieko nėra smagiau kaip vėl pasinerti į naujausią autoriaus kūrinį. Nors pažintį su autoriumi pradėjau prieš kelerius metus, tačiau jo kūryba dar iki šiol man yra mistika. Vis skaitydama jo kūrinius, dažnai juose atrandu daug sąsajų su pačiu autoriumi. O gal man čia tik taip atrodo? Apima toks jausmas, kad autorius savo gyvenimą atvaizduoja savo paties darbuose ir bando visa tai pateikti skaitytojui. Naujausias jo kūrinys "Aklas gluosnis, mieganti moteris" yra 24 apsakymų rinkinys, kuriame ir atsiskleidžia Haruki Murakami meistriškumas. Dalis apsakymų yra siurrealistiški, o kiti žemiškai paprasti, tarsi apie mus pačius. Autoriaus kūryboje vis randu tai, kas mane dar nustebina. Tas mokėjimas iš vieno pasaulio skaitytoją grąžinti į kitą ir yra didis rašytojo talentas. Jo veikėjai tarsi fantastiniai, tačiau jų kailyje slypi tikri žmonės su savo išgyvenimais bei jausmais. Arba, atvirkščiai, žmonės sutapatinami su kažkuo tarsi iš kitos planetos. Bet visame tame ir slypi visas gerumas. Todėl knygą skaičiau taupydama ir mėgaudamasi kiekvienu sakiniu, kiekvienu puslapiu. Nors kai kurie apsakymai yra tokie gyvenimiški, kad nejučia pradedi ir sau kažką pritaikyti. Ir viskas vyksta šiame pasaulyje: "Pasaulyje beveik nėra nieko, ko panorėjęs negalėtum išmesti. Tiksliau, visai nėra nieko. Be to, pradėjus mesti daiktus, netrukus apima noras išmesti viską. Panašiai kaip pralošęs didžiąją dalį turto paskui paleidi likusius pinigus. Per sunku pasilikti pusę".

Kadangi esu arši Murakamio gerbėja, tai būsiu , matyt, neobjektyvi. Patiko visi apsakymai. Vienas iš jų - Veidrodis - įvarė net siaubą. Oda pašiurpo skaitant :) ...šiuo rinkiniu nerekomenduočiau pradėt pažinties su rašytojo kūryba. Tai keistos istorijos. Kartais gali pasirodyt be pradžios ir pabaigos, kartais gali pritrūkt racionalaus proto ar logikos. Bet toks tas Murakamis :)

در نوشته‌های موراکامی توصیف‌اش از وقایع واحوالات بیش از هر چیز مرا به خود جذب می‌کند. مثل:
سرانجام در میان این دنیای ساکت و یخ‌زده تمام نیرویم از وجودم رخت بر بست و ذره‌ذره فروکش کرد.
یا
گمان نکنم هرگز بتوانم با خودم کنار بیایم. درست مثل این‌است که از حصاری بلند به بیرون افتاده باشم، بدون درد بدون هیچ صدایی.

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."

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 احمقانه‌ 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

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.

I savoured every word and took my sweet time reading this. The experience of reading this collection of short stories can perhaps be best described through sensations. The sensation of distractedly staring at something while waiting for a bus, till that moment of heady concentration becomes pleasurable in itself. For me each story heightened the pleasure of reading the next. It felt like something bizarre that frustrated me in story number one was actually preparing me to properly appreciate story number eight. Music would probably provide the adequate vocabulary to describe this feeling, but to weave that perfect sentence is beyond my expertise. I would highly and cautiously recommend this collection to everyone.

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.

چقدر «شهر او» و «دختری از ایپانما، ۱۹۶۳/۱۹۸۲» خوب بودن.:)


+توی این ترجمه از کتاب هم هکسره دیدم، هم اشتباه تایپی. چاپ نهمه، چاپ نــــهـــــم!