#43. About Finding Identity – Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami (Paperback)

I first tried to read a passage from Murakami’s novel ‘Norwegian Wood’ in the mid 1990’s. I say tried, it was written in Japanese (his books were yet to be translated into English) and formed part of my attempt to master the language when I was at university. I had largely forgotten about his work until the British actor Tom Burke mentioned his favourite book was Murakami’s ‘The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.’ 

I started trawling the internet and realised that I could now buy an English translation of ‘Norwegian Wood,’ which I could actually read, rather than listening to odd passages painfully translated by myself and fellow students. Whilst it might not be considered “classic Murakami,” I really enjoyed it and moved straight on to some of his other works. When I noticed this book in a local store, I was interested to see how Murakami was able to take the literary world by storm via this personal collection of essays written by the man himself.

 

“In this engaging book, Haruki Murakami shares his experience as an internationally bestselling author; his thoughts on the role of the novel in our society; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists and musicians.

 

Readers who have long wondered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas will be fascinated by this highly personal look at the craft of writing.”

This is an interesting collection of eleven essays written by Haruki Murakami which offer reflections about his life and how he became a writer. Unlike a traditional autobiography, these short essays allow Murakami to drift from memory to memory to give a deeply personal view of his life. The book is filled with pages of thought and reflection on his past memories and give an insight into his writing style, him as a person, and his personal creative process which has given us some of the most unique novels that I have read.

I find Murakami’s work fascinating; it allows the reader to go down the rabbit hole (or in his world it’s down a well) with him and think deeply about the strange events and experiences which he writes about.

If an aspiring writer has bought this book to learn writing techniques and how to think creatively, then they will be disappointed. This is not a book to teach people how to become a published writer, or an insight into the life of the writer and it’s certainly not an insight into how to approach writing, as Murakami’s view on that is simple…just get on with it.

“The reason I didn’t study hard was simple, it was boring. I just wasn’t interested. There were so many other things in life more fun than studying for school. Reading books, listening to music, going to movies…”

I couldn’t agree more. There were aspects of school I enjoyed, but I am not a studious person. I do however love learning. I am interested in the world that surrounds me. My best history lessons have never been in the classroom. I’ve learnt far more from theatre productions or from visiting castles and stately homes. There are more enriching ways in which to learn than sitting in a classroom listening to someone drone on about a subject.

“If there hadn’t been any books, or if I hadn’t read so many, I think my life would have been far drearier. For me, then, the act of reading was its own kind of essential school. A customised school built and run just for me, one in which I learned so many important lessons.”

I live surrounded by books. They are in bookcases, the cupboard under the stairs (originally built to house the vacuum cleaner) and in boxes in the loft. People say “why do you keep so many books once you’ve read them. You’re not going to read them again.”  I say, “I might not read them again, there again it’s not unknown for me to suddenly have the urge to read a past favourite, or one where I’ve forgotten my feelings about it, which with age and experience might have changed.” Mainly I keep books because I like to be surrounded by them. They are comforting, they are a source of inspiration, they have taught me valuable life lessons. They are the friends that don’t discredit you, that are always there to offer comfort and solace and advice when required. Open a book, breath in the scent of ink and paper and immediately any anxiety or agitation ceases. They are an opportunity to exist in a different world.

Another opportunity to put the real world behind you is to go running. Murakami is very passionate about running and is a strong believer that physical health helps with mental health. For the past thirty years he has run for an hour a day and competed in ultramarathons. This is something he has discussed in greater detail in his book ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’ and he believes this is key for him to be able to write successfully. It makes sense, it gives a chance for characters and ideas to develop whilst taking a break from the physical writing process.

To some his writing process may seem extreme. I found it astonishing that if he has an idea or collects some useful information, he doesn’t write it down. He files it away in mental filing cabinets in his head until he needs it and then he will start writing. I can’t even remember what’s on my shopping list, let alone any creative ideas I might have. Only when he feels he has stored away enough information will he start to write. He completes about four re-writes before he’s confident enough to give it someone for a first read and then he does more re-writes after that. Only then will he get his work translated from Japanese to English and send it to his editor for further comment.

The thing that interested me about this process is that Murakami shared that to give his creative mind a rest, he works as an English to Japanese translator. I found it fascinating therefore, that he still writes his books in his native Japanese and gets someone else to translate his work to English.

Reading Murakami’s distinctly personal stories was as fascinating to explore as his fictional works. It was encouraging to hear that he never had plans to be a writer, but that one day he decided to write a book and it won a literary prize. He became a professional writer; loved or loathed, it was in his blood and he ran with it.

This book gives hope to people who one day think they will write a book but have not attended expensive writing classes or courses. If you have a bit of talent and a gem of an idea it is important to just give it a go. This book might not tell you how to get there, but it is engrossing reading about an author whose books have given me extraordinary amounts of pleasure over the years.

 

Genre: Non fiction, Mémoire, Essay, Japan,

Release Date: 11^th January 2024

Publisher: Vintage

Pages: 208

 

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