For those of you who have read Haruki Murakami, which book do you think is the best introduction to his work?
For those of you who have read Haruki Murakami, which book do you think is the best introduction to his work?
19 Answers
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Norwegian Wood
I read 1Q84, am a Murakami fan now! Norwegian Wood is good too.
Kafka on the Shore
Dance, Dance, Dance or non-fiction What I talk about when I talk about running
I’ve only read a couple of his books. I liked Kafka on the Shore and Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki. The Strange Library was, well, strange.
Thank you all for your thoughts!
Wind up bird chronicles was fantastic. I also loved Norwegian wood and colourless tsukuru tazaki. Sputnik sweetheart was my least favourite. 1Q84 can be a bit daunting as a first read. I enjoyed it but I’d start off with something shorter
Following
Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world. I would start with that. Then, Chronicles of the Wind-up Bird and chase of a Wild sheep. These are best three for me. ? I am not fan of Norwegian woods.
Ok I’m good on this.
Norwegian Wood is great, but is in no way representative of Mura’s oeuvre. There are no elements of magical realism at all in it. However, it retains the core concept of loneliness that runs through his work.
The most ‘Murakami’ novel you’re going to find is the wind up bird chronicle.
Kafka on the shore is good but doesn’t hold up to wind up bird.
1Q84 is too long for a first attempt.
His other titles are good and give you a taste. Colourless Tsukuru feels weak compared to the rest.
I could suggest others, but I’ll come to the same conclusion:
Overall, I’d start with wind up bird. Definitely read Norwegian Wood but accept you’re getting something other than his usual wackiness.
Never read anything Murakami because never knew where to start. Your post is so useful! Definitely I’m going to read wind up bird chronicle if I finf a good translation. Thankssssssss
Great comments! Thanks again, everyone.
Just to ease you into the craziness I would say Norwegian wood or South of the border west of the sun, then throw yourself into a wild sheep chase or a wind up bird chronical.
Wind-up Bird Chronicle FTW! Absolutely. 😀
Love Alice…it was first tried out on the children of my favourite author George MacDonald, who was good friends with Lewis Carroll. They loved it so much that he was persuaded to submit it for publication.
East of The Sun West of The Moon I’d Say. He is, in my opinion, a very inconsistent writer. I found Norwegian wood to be infantile fluff that I had to toss aside (with a dog-like kicking motion to cover it up!). After Dark also got symbolically buried by my canine leg. I am very hesitant. I absolutely love surrealism, but…
There’s such a wide variety of opinion here, which I deeply appreciate! When I’m ready to try Murakami, I will review these comments and do some research on my own as well.
Good idea. I think there is quality opinion in this post.
His work is definitely an acquired taste I think.