/lit/ - Literature

What is his magnum opus, or has he yet to write it?

Out of his two styles of writing, which do you prefer?

If a woman you've never met before with a missing finger drinking a gin fizz made from Bombay Sapphire while 10 to 4 at the 5-spot plays talks about her missing sister, will 200 pages of cats, food porn, and ennui resolve it?

>>4652534
Since you're all probably too lazy to use Google or just don't give a enough fuck about Murakami let me spoonfeed you with links to his three latest short stories:

>A Walk to Kobe (Granta, issue 124, Summer 2013)
http://www.granta.com/New-Writing/A-Walk-to-Kobe

>Samsa In Love (The New Yorker, October 28, 2013)
http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/features/2013/10/28/131028fi_fiction_murakami?currentPage=all

>Drive My Car (Bungeishunju, November 9, 2013)
http://www.pdf-archive.com/2014/02/05/drive-my-car-1/

>Last Three

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce
A Feast for Crows - George RR Martin
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami

>Currently Reading

The Man in the High Castle - Philip K. Dick
A History of Western Philosophy - Bertrand Russell

>Next Three

Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Collected Stories - William Faulkner
The Book of Disquiet - Fernando Pessoa

If you intend to read only one of his bigger novels, pick one of these:

>The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
>Kafka on the Shore
>Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

If you're not sure about him and want something shorter to get the idea:

>Sputnik Sweetheart
>South of the Border, West of the Sun

Starting with Norwegian Wood is actually also a good idea, but it's his ONLY book without any "weird shit" happening so keep that in mind.

Starting with 1Q84 is tempting since it's his latest available in English, but it's his weakest book.

His best work is arguably the Dance Dance Dance, but keep in mind you need to read A Wild Sheep Chase first which is also really good.
Thing is A Wild Sheep Chase is kinda a follow up to his two earliest novellas (Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973) and they are pretty hard to get since they never came up outside the Japan. They're interesting but if you don't feel like it, you can just skip to Wild Sheep Chase without missing much.

His short story collections felt pretty much equally good to me so feel free to pick any of them if that's your kind of thing.

After Dark is hit or miss.

Underground is just collection of interviews with the victims. Interesting but nothing special.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a nice short memoir. Pick it up only if you already really like the guy and/or enjoy running.

If you intend to read only one of his bigger novels, pick one of these:

>The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
>Kafka on the Shore
>Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

If you're not sure about him and want something shorter to get the idea:

>Sputnik Sweetheart
>South of the Border, West of the Sun

Starting with Norwegian Wood is actually also a good idea, but it's his ONLY book without any "weird shit" happening.

Starting with 1Q84 is tempting since it's his latest available in english, but it's his weakest book.

His best work is arguably the Dance Dance Dance, but keep in mind you need to read A Wild Sheep Chase first which is also really good.
Thing is A Wild Sheep Chase is kinda a follow up to his two earliest novellas (Hear the Wind Sing and Pinball, 1973) and they are pretty hard to get since they never came up outside the Japan. They're interesting but if you don't feel like it, you can just skip to Wild Sheep Chase without missing much.

His short story collections felt pretty much equally good to me so feel free to pick any of them if that's your kind of thing.

After Dark is hit or miss.

Underground is just collection of interviews with the victims. Interesting but nothing special.

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a nice short memoir. Pick it up only if you already really like the guy and/or enjoy running.

I've read all his translated stuff and I enjoyed it a lot.

1Q84 I liked the least though. I was probably expecting too much. I also read Dance Dance Dance just before it which is definitely one of his best.

Norwegian Wood

>>2716202
kinda

too me it was always more about the mood, his typical average character doing his own thing, listening to jazz, reading western literature, fucking random women and cooking ... while something strange happens