Blind Willow,Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami.Published by Harvill Secker.334 pages.Translated by Phillip Gabriel and Jay Rubin.
This is a collection of twenty five short stories which cover the authors career.In the introduction,he explains among other things why he likes writing short stories and the history of the stories included in this book.Some of them later became part of later novels and its interesting to see how for example Man-Eating Cats is incorporated into his novel Sputnik Sweetheart.
The stories again centre on many of his frequent themes and symbols..cats,jazz,strange friendships,chance, a sense of loss and an ability to find the extraordinary in even the most mundane situations and circumstances.
Some stories deal with seeming ordinary events then go "twilight zone".Others are based in such locations as Honolulu,Italy and Greece.Some deal with people,some with animals.One of my favorites dealt with a kidney shaped stone.
I think the best way to enjoy the book is not to plunge straight into it and read it in one or two sittings but rather dip and sample a few stories at a time otherwise the effect of each story and the writing is dissipated and lost.Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment