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What I talk about when I talk about running

By Haruki Murakami

(6)

| Paperback | 9780307473394

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Book Description

From Publishers Weekly
Murakami's latest is a nonfiction work mostly concerned with his thoughts on the long-distance running he has engaged in for much of his adult life. Through a mix of adapted diary entries, old essays, reminiscences and life advice, Murakami crafts a charming little volume notable for its good-natured and intimate tone. While the subject matter is radically different from the fabulous and surreal fiction that Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) most often produces, longtime readers will recognize the source of the isolated, journeying protagonists of the author's novels in the formative running experiences recounted. Murakami's insistence on focusing almost exclusively on running can grow somewhat tedious over the course of the book, but discrete, absorbing episodes, such as a will-breaking 62-mile ultramarathon and a solo re-creation of the historic first marathon in Greece serve as dynamic and well-rendered highlights. Murakami offers precious little insight into much of his life as a writer, but what he does provide should be of value to those trying to understand the author's long and fruitful career. An early section recounting Murakami's transition from nightclub owner to novelist offers a particularly vivid picture of an artist soaring into flight for the first time. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Bookmarks Magazine
Haruki Murakami has established himself as one of the most interesting and innovative novelists of the last two decades, combining pop culture with a magic-realistic sensibility that has garnered the author a faithful following. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running couldn’t differ more from the rest of Murakami’s work. This slender volume catalogs the author’s love for that most solitary of athletic endeavors, though even Murakami’s prodigious talent as a writer can’t quite bridge the gap between the cultish world of hard-core running and a broader audience. This hit-and-miss effort—with something, literally, lost in the translation and some lazy writing—will be welcomed by a small (probably athletic) audience, but may not reach readers who aren’t already on board with Murakami or running.
Copyright 2008 Bookmarks Publishing LLC --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

2 Reviews

Voto: 6.5
L'ultima fatica di Murakami e' un librett esile come un'ostia, nel quale l'autore parla della sua passione per la corsa, le maratone, buttandoci ogni tanto due o tre osservazioni sulla sua vita di scrittore. Chiunque comprasse il libro pensando a una versione nipponica del kinghiano ... (continue)

Voto: 6.5
L'ultima fatica di Murakami e' un librett esile come un'ostia, nel quale l'autore parla della sua passione per la corsa, le maratone, buttandoci ogni tanto due o tre osservazioni sulla sua vita di scrittore. Chiunque comprasse il libro pensando a una versione nipponica del kinghiano "on writing" ne rimarrebbe deluso (come me). E da questo punto di vista neanche la descrizione sul retro del libro (edizione americana) e' interamente onesta. Ma tant'e'.
Il libro e' comunque piacevole e si legge volentieri. E ti fa venire la voglia di correre.

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― Demonio Pellegrino said on Sep 12, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

definitely a great book to read... By also living in Harvard, it is more interesting reading his description in words on Cambridge and the beloved Charles river.
This book somehow make you realize how and why Murakami is so successful in many different fields.
A very encouraging boo ... (continue)

definitely a great book to read... By also living in Harvard, it is more interesting reading his description in words on Cambridge and the beloved Charles river.
This book somehow make you realize how and why Murakami is so successful in many different fields.
A very encouraging book.

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― red said on Dec 3, 2008 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback