Ito ang lugar kung saan ang lahat ng bagay na bumibisita sa aking kaisipan ay inilalapat sa pamamagitan ng pagsusulat.
Ako si Alden, mula sa siyudad ng Valenzuela. Paborito ko ang mga bandang Eraserheads, Franco, Pupil, Sugarfree, Taken By Cars, Typecast, Urbandub, at mga libro na tulad ng Kikomachine Komix, Pugad Baboy, Beerkada, mga libro nina Bob Ong. Eros S. Atalia, Haruki Murakami, Paulo Coelho, Dan Brown, at marami pang iba. Mahilig ako sa cheeseburger, pizza, shawarma, chocolate at iced coffee.
Breaking News: I’m down to the last 50 pages of A Wild Sheep Chase, and I think I need a break for Murakami’s books after this one.
Currently reading: A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
His life was like a recurring nightmare: a train to nowhere. But an ordinary life has a way of taking an extraordinary turn. Add a girl whose ears are so exquisite that, when uncovered, they improve sex a thousand-fold, a runaway friend, a right-wing politico, an ovine-obsessed professor and a manic-depressive in a sheep outfit, implicate them in a hunt for a sheep, that may or may not be running the world, and the upshot is another singular masterpiece from Japan’s finest novelist.
Haruki Murakami Book Covers
The Elephant Vanishes is a compilation of short stories by Haruki Murakami, some of which appeared in previous international newspapers and magazines. As expected, the collection is full of Murakami’s usual array of lonely men, mysterious women, surreal scenarios, and ordinary events taking on sudden and unexpected meaning.
Prior to reading this, I had read Murakami’s other short story collection, Blind Willow Sleeping Woman, which I personally felt was a slightly stronger collection on the whole. That aside, I enjoyed almost all stories in this book. All of them were excellent reads and at the end, readers will surely have their personal favorites among the 17 stories.
Below are short descriptions of my favorite short stories (watch out for major spoilers!):
Other personal opinions:
Another interesting fact in this novel is Noboru Watanabe. This kind of name is given to several characters in several short stories, ranging from a missing cat (The Wind-up Bird and Tuesday’s Women) to a sister’s boyfriend (Family Affair) to an elephant keeper (The Elephant Vanishes). Perhaps “Watanabe” is the most common name in Japan.
Overall, Haruki Murakami manages to give all the stories here a unique unity in this one solid body of work. The Elephant Vanishes is definitely a classic Murakami — strange, whimsical, reflective and more than a little confusing. It’s a must-read for all the author’s fans, and could even start as a good point for those who are curious in the work of one of the greatest modern day writers.
Rating: ★★★★★
Currently reading: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
An intimate look at writing, running, and the incredible way they intersect, from the incomparable, bestselling author Haruki Murakami.
While simply training for the New York City Marathon would be enough for most people, Haruki Murakami decided to write about it as well. The result is a beautiful memoir about his intertwined obsessions with running and writing, full of vivid memories and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in athletic pursuit.
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