Haruki Murakami.

[Sunhawk !nZQ2xl.g.6 No.1936932]

He's such a consistently average author. I've read all of his English language works, and the only works that aren't average are Kafka on The Shore and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle (good), and After The Quake, After Dark and NW (bad). Everything else seems very much middle of the road, not that there's anything wrong with that. Thoughts on this?

[Anonymous No.1936934]

I agree, for the most part.

He's one of those authors that I read before I was very experienced with literature, and I remember him fondly, but whenever I try to revisit his work, I'm left with an impression similar to what you've described.

[Anonymous No.1936945]

haruhi narutokami

[Sunhawk !nZQ2xl.g.6 No.1936947]

>>1936934

Having said all that, I still want to get 1Q84, his first epic. Looks pretty sweet. UK doesn't get Books 1, 2 or 3 until October, though.

[Anonymous No.1936988]

I think he's good, but I can see how many doesn't like his style.

>>1936947
You should, it's really good. I've only read books 1 and 2 so far though, still waiting on 3.

[Anonymous No.1937015]

Can you really judge an author by the TRANSLATION of his work? Literature relies heavily on language. Take this [citation needed]pedia bit on "The Pit and the Pendulum."

>The narrator experiences the blade mostly through sound as it "hissed" while swinging. Poe further emphasizes this with words like "surcingle", "cessation", "crescent", "scimitar", and various forms of sibilance.

I imagine that would be lost in a Spanish or Japanese translation.

[Anonymous No.1937019]

>>1937015

It should be taken for granted that we're discussing the merits of the translations.

[Anonymous No.1937029]

Honestly i doubt many authors can really even compete with Poe's control of language.
Sure, some things are lost in translation, but nowadays, I feel that stories are mainly stories, no longer do people care so much about words that they take the time, as Poe did, to really look deeply at every aspect of the word.
I think it's safe to say the -some- works after translation are no longer the same; while others lose very little in translation. Whether or not Murakami is one of them (probably not) is another question.

[Anonymous No.1937056]

>>1937029
My impression of Murakami agrees with his writing being favorable to translation, as well. The beauty of his work is in the worlds they create, not so much the words that are used.

Except for one thing:
Murakami claims his writing style reflects the way music is heard.
There's a youtube clip of him reading "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" at a lecture, and makes a point of reading it first in Japanese (after making the claim above).
I don't know whether that detail influences the wordplay or narrative more.
If the former, then there is definitely something lost in translation, which may be the case, based on the point he makes at that lecture.

[Sunhawk !nZQ2xl.g.6 No.1937087]

Some authors translate VERY well. Mario Vargas Llosa and Roberto Bolano both have very good prose, even though it's original Spanish. Translations aren't the end of the world.

[Anonymous No.1937534]

Murakami has a very good relationship with his translators. He's stated in many of his prefaces that they do a great job of conveying the essence of his stories into a universal feeling. I think he goes into it more in the preface of Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.

I personally love all of his writing. He has a very effortless way of describing human emotion, and his books never seem to lag. Sure, I like some books than others, but a bad Murakami book is still better than most modern fiction coming out.

[Anonymous No.1937594]

>>1936932

Damn Sunhawk, a nigga be confused when it comes to you.
Sometimes you have some of retarded ass opinions(Allende is good.)
Other times you hit the nail on the head(Murakami consistently average.)
You could of summed up your whole post by saying that Murakami is the Japanese equivalent of Paul Auster.
Not that /lit/ would know that since they're too busy reading Muracummy, David Faggot Walrus, and GURRRM.

[Tuan Jim !Y6d4OyAkDM No.1937606]

>>1937534
>I personally love all of his writing. He has a very effortless way of describing human emotion, and his books never seem to lag. Sure, I like some books than others, but a bad Murakami book is still better than most modern fiction coming out.
Agreed, wholeheartedly. I can admit that his prose isn't really anything to jump up and down about, but for some reason, it just captivates me, and when I read his work, I tend to read it in really long blocks because I just don't want to stop. I also really like the idiosyncratic things he describes; it's the tiny, quotidian details that make his writing enjoyable.

[Anonymous No.1937605]

>Sunhawk expresses his opinions of literature

[Anonymous No.1937616]

>>1937594

>could of

[Sunhawk !nZQ2xl.g.6 No.1937621]

>>1937594

Thanks, I think. I do have some antithetical opinions, I admit, like enjoying both postmodernism and (some) thrillers. But don't say bad things about Martin, /lit/ will hurt you. They're pretty tough, despite appearances.

[Anonymous No.1937628]

>>1937616

What can I say, its a doggy dog world.

>>1937621

Don't tell me you still haven't read the Jew York Trilogy.

[Sunhawk !nZQ2xl.g.6 No.1937637]

>>1937628

I bought the New York Trilogy in my latest batch of books, but haven't read it yet. Sorry. I hope it's better than ITCOLT, which was decent, but not amazing. Felt a bit trashy, and was too short.

[Anonymous No.1937646]

>>1937637

Id say its good enough but like Murakami Auster is a decent writer who sometimes writes good books..

[✿Fab✿ !!uPAynS9nRTz No.1937651]

sunhawk will you do you have skype

[✿Fab✿ !!uPAynS9nRTz No.1937654]

sunhawk do you have skype*

[Anonymous No.1937658]

sunhawk, do you have a vulva?

[Sunhawk !nZQ2xl.g.6 No.1937693]

>>1937654

Fabulous, is it you? The flowers are fabulous. No, I don't have skype, why?

>>1937658

No. Why should I , because I like Failwood?

[✿Fab✿ !!uPAynS9nRTz No.1937717]

>>1937693
i guess it's me

i don't really know anymore

do you have another way for us to be better friends ?

[Sunhawk !nZQ2xl.g.6 No.1937731]

>>1937717

I have AIM, we should talk sometimes*, which would be super nice.

*not today, my brain is fried from a 3 hour session of NiGHTS 1

[✿Fab✿ !!uPAynS9nRTz No.1937744]

>>1937731
ok!

i have an aim too i'll add you if you want you can just visit the lit chat real quick and give it to me whenever