“I think memory is the most important asset of human beings. It’s a kind of fuel; it burns and it warms you.” --Haruki Murakami
Japanese writer Haruki Murakami’s work is often philosophical and haunting, touching on themes of sexual identity and love, loss and detachment, nostalgia and memory. As a young writer, Murakami was greatly influenced by the Western canon of writers that he admired; so much so that his fresh, direct and raw style changed the face of Japanese fiction writing that followed. He counts such diverse writers as Kafka, Dostoevsky, Raymond Chandler and Kurt Vonnegut as major influences. Murakami is that rare literary writer who revels in telling an exciting story without sacrificing his unique, singular vision. His use of magic realism, surrealism, the fantastic and a sly sense of humor are all signs of his fearlessness as a writer. Murakami has won numerous literary awards including the coveted Kafka Prize, and his legions of international fans wait expectantly year after year for the esteemed 74-year old writer to be awarded the Noble Prize in Literature.
In this 10-week SDG, we will be visiting stories from one of Murakami’s earliest collections, as well as two of his latest compilations. We will also watch two highly acclaimed films based on two of his short stories, Burning (2018) from Korean director, Lee Chang-dong and Drive My Car (2021) from Japanese director, Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Expect the usual mesmerizing atmosphere and a wry sensibility that might leave you with more questions, perhaps, than answers.
From The Elephant Vanishes (1994)
Week 1: Introductory Articles / ”The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday’s Women” / "A Slow Boat to China" / ”On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning”
Week 2: “Sleep” /”The Fall of the Roman Empire “ / “The Second Bakery Attack“ / The Second Bakery Attack (2010 Short Film)
Week 3: “TV People" / "Barn Burning” /Burning (2018 Film)
Week 4: “The Dancing Dwarf” / "The Little Green Monster" / ”The Elephant Vanishes”
From Men Without Women (2018)
Week 5: “Kino” / “Scheherazade”
Week 6: “Men Without Women" / Drive My Car” / Drive My Car (2021 Film)
Week 7: “Yesterday” / ”Samsa in Love”
From First Person Singular: Stories (2022)
Week 8: “Cream” / ”Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova”
Week 9: “With the Beatles” / “The Yakult Swallows Poetry Collection”
Week 10: ”Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey” / ”First Person Singular”
All three books are available in paperback and on Kindle:
Murakami, Haruki. The Elephant Vanishes, Vintage (1994)
Murakami, Haruki. Men Without Women: Stories, Vintage (2018)
Murakami, Haruki. First Person Singular: Stories, Vintage (2022)
The films Burning (2018), Drive My Car (2021) and The Second Bakery Attack (2010) are currently available for free or for a fee on several streaming platforms.