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The Desk of Haruki Murakami

harukimurakami.com

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Re: The Desk of Haruki Murakami

#11

Post by martijn_himself »

ctchocula wrote: post #8
martijn_himself wrote: post #7

I really like Murakami's work- my favourite is 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle'. But I've just finished reading 'Kafka on the Shore' and came away thinking it was too much fantasy and a bit shallow. Because of his masterful style he sometimes gets away with unresolved plots and mysteries but this was just too much. I like magical realism though. Any recommendations for other writers?

If you like magical realism, you might enjoy One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is a metaphoric interpretation of Columbian history based upon the lives of many generations of one family.

I loved it (it took a few attempts to finish it though).

I think Marquez's work is more realistic (and not always evident when he strays into the magical); Murakami sometimes crosses straight into fantasy. If that makes sense at all.

Re: The Desk of Haruki Murakami

#12

Post by mhd »

I'd really like to know more about the other desktop, i.e. what software he uses (both to actually write and collect thoughts/infos). Writers tend to differ a lot there, with some just using the newest Word, some keeping around ancient copies of WordStar and some even using Emacs...

Re: The Desk of Haruki Murakami

#15

Post by iambatman »

martijn_himself wrote: post #7

I really like Murakami's work- my favourite is 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle'. But I've just finished reading 'Kafka on the Shore' and came away thinking it was too much fantasy and a bit shallow. Because of his masterful style he sometimes gets away with unresolved plots and mysteries but this was just too much. I like magical realism though. Any recommendations for other writers?

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov is possibly my favourite magical realism book. I found that some of David Mitchell's writing is similar to Murakami, specifically number9dream, Ghostwritten and Cloud Atlas. Through reading Murakami I've gotten into Kobo Abe, he shares that weirdness with him and are very Kafkaesque, I loved The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.

Re: The Desk of Haruki Murakami

#17

Post by edanm »

martijn_himself wrote: post #7

I really like Murakami's work- my favourite is 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle'. But I've just finished reading 'Kafka on the Shore' and came away thinking it was too much fantasy and a bit shallow. Because of his masterful style he sometimes gets away with unresolved plots and mysteries but this was just too much. I like magical realism though. Any recommendations for other writers?

Interesting, I've only read 'Kafka on the Shore' and haven't read another Murakami because I didn't connect with it at all. Maybe I should try 'The Wind-up Bird Chronicle'?

Re: The Desk of Haruki Murakami

#18

Post by marquis »

martijn_himself wrote: post #7

I really like Murakami's work- my favourite is 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle'. But I've just finished reading 'Kafka on the Shore' and came away thinking it was too much fantasy and a bit shallow. Because of his masterful style he sometimes gets away with unresolved plots and mysteries but this was just too much. I like magical realism though. Any recommendations for other writers?

Borges short stories - some of my favourites are very accessible: The Garden of Forking Paths and The Aleph. Some of his stories are difficult to read and make more sense as you know the author better. He wrote interesting works such as reviews on fictitious books. If you are looking for 'not shallow', he's your man. I also second 'The Master and Margarita' recommended by iambatman.

Re: The Desk of Haruki Murakami

#19

Post by sleepyhead »

TurboHaskal wrote: post #9
anentropic wrote: post #5

pretty much my dream office

How come? That's hardly an office but a living room with sub-par ergonomics when it comes to getting work done.

> sub-par ergonomics

uh, you can't even see what type of chair he uses.

> hardly an office

So to be an office there is some strict requirements that it has to fulfil? I'll tell the local startup incubator in Phnom Penh where developers sat outside in 40c on wooden benches (with plastic container over power outlet for protection on rainy days) because the few rooms inside were occupied (no a/c).

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