How are you doing mr Jason . Thank you for your wonderful cultural channel. We appreciate your great efforts as foreigners subscribers as overseas students want to increase our cultural level improve our English language as well literature lovers too. It’s great you mention author around world . International literature. When we are kids we watched cartoon Tom Sawyer , Heidi, dubbed into Arabic. Any way I gathered main theme of novel and author biography briefly here it’s Haruki Murakami ( born in 1949 ) he is Japanese writer . His novels and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally . His works translated into 50 languages having sold milion copies of outside Japan. He has received numerous awards including gun 70 prize for new writers, world fantasy award , international short story award , flanz kalfa prize and Jerusalem prize . His notable works Norwegian Wood . The wind up bird , Kafka onshore , men without women, chronicle . Novel dance dance plot summary journey with narrator as he seeks to find Kiki, past lover throughout his experiences , narrator metaphorically shovels and dances with various characters. Best wishes for you your family friends.
Thank you for your comment and the information about this author, who I see has had many of his works translated into Arabic. Perhaps he is popular where you are. As for me, I'm doing well, thank you, all the best to you and your family.
Hi Jason! Great video - concise, very informative! Good point, to put reading into perspective. A new name for me to explore - Lethem, sounds really interesting. Now, I wonder, what do you make of another - "the better" - Murakami: Ryu? I've read only one of his novels, In The Miso Soup, and found it fascinating, not at all flat. I'm planning to read more. What about you?
Glad you enjoyed it. I've heard of the "other" Murakami and the novel you mention, but no, I haven't read it yet. I'll grab it on my next trip to the library and take a look. Thanks for the recommendation.
really enjoyed watching your reaction! i picked it up last month, and honestly i lost track of the plot halfway. the characters were flat, i agree wholeheartedly, and the attempted romance between yumiyoshi and the narrator was...lacking. my favourite character was gotanda (despite his blandness). i enjoyed reading his character for some reason i cannot yet place. i did quite enjoy the phrase the narrator keeps using throughout, though. 'shovelling cultural snow', was it? i'd like to reccomend another japanese author to you, if you'd entertain that. her name is mieko kawakami, and i've read two of her books. really enjoyed them! you should check out 'heaven' by her. i really enjoyed the simplicity of it.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video. I can't really remember the characters, but the business of meeting the Sheep Man was atmospheric (though I think this sequence is inspired by 'the horse' in Kobo Abe's Secret Rendezvous, which is a much better book by a much better writer). Thanks for the recommendations, I was not aware of Mieko Kawakami, so I'll give her a try. Happy holidays!
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan oh wow, thanks for the quick response haha :) i'll defintetely check out kobo abe's secret rendezvous (i already have kangaroo notebook in my to-read list) happy holidays right back at ya!
Your reaction is very interesting, in particular at the end when you put your reading of Murakami's novel into perspective, time and space. Something I've never thought about before, but reading in a certain place, at a certain time in one's life must have an impact on a reader's appreciation of a book. I share your point of view re Murakami's success. Not deserved, and as a writer is overrated, as there's nothing extraordinary, deep or brilliant in his writing in my opinion. Thank you very much for sharing other, and hopefully better, recommendations. Only read by Jonathan Lethem Fortress of Solitude and liked it a lot.
Thanks for your comment. I've read Amnesia Moon and Motherless Brooklyn by Lethem, too, both excellent. One of my friends has had dinner with him, and I'm ridiculously proud of that single degree of separation! No harm done re Murakami, his much shorter Sputnik Sweetheart is on the shelf and will get a read, too. We'll see if grasps this undeserved second chance to impress this disappointed man.
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan I'm taking note of Amnesia Moon and Motherless Brooklyn. I'd liked to read more works by Jonathan Lethem. Having a friend who has had dinner with him is a source of pride, and is worth mentioning. I hope for you Sputnik Sweetheart will be a more pleasant read than Dance Dance Dance. Forgot to thank you for sharing the article on Murakami's female characters. Interesting read.
In defense of murakami hes pretty self depricating in the book. Theres a whole page devoted to self satire. The young girl yukis father "makamuri" (maybe not the correct name) is a washed up has been of a writer whos lost his way as of late. If you can find the page its quite a funny read. I think with this he was trying to free himself up and avoid being pidgeon holed following the sucsess of the more conventional norweigeb wood. Anyway taste is taste and i get the criticism. I go to murakami to be enveloped in a world rather than a plot i guess.
I see your point. There is something unique about Murakami's work, and I can imagine people simply being into that in the same way people have favorite movie directors or bands. He has out-and-out fans rather than just readers. I criticized his book more harshly precisely because it promised more in the first half than it delivered, in my view, as it wound to a close. If you haven't read Kobo Abe's Secret Rendezvous, this had quite a lot in common with Dance Dance Dance in its atmosphere, but I felt it was better done. I still have NW and HBW to read, so there's still a chance one of those will impress.
I know it’s been 9 months since your comment but having finished the book yesterday I too questioned whether or not this character was a representation of Murakami himself. I actually noticed the character’s name is an anagram of his own Haruki Murakami and the character’s Hiraku Makimura.
Dance Dance has all the worst aspects of Murakami at their rawest form, he certainly improved later, but not by much. He's overrated and honestly a "starter author" as I and many friends and youtubers I watch liked when we just started reading, but soon grown out of. Also, so nice to know you are a Lethem fan, Chronic City is one of my favorite novels.
I like this phrase, "starter author," that's amusing. So it was something of a generational thing? I'm the right age to have read him the first time, but my tastes, my life, back then, barely brought me into contact with mainstream publishing of any kind, I was at art school and only interested in avant-garde/underground culture. I should do a Lethem video, he's the only living writer whose books I actively seek out.
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan not sure if its generational, or maybe it's because he's a famous literary and "weird" author that many people go to first, before finding the better ones, hence "starter author" lol maybe you got missed him because you were already on the scene and found the better stuff first
Think you're right. I was reading Philip K. Dick, Burroughs, Ballard, I had no interest in what the cultural elite was flogging as high art or supposedly edgy.
How are you doing mr Jason . Thank you for your wonderful cultural channel. We appreciate your great efforts as foreigners subscribers as overseas students want to increase our cultural level improve our English language as well literature lovers too. It’s great you mention author around world . International literature. When we are kids we watched cartoon Tom Sawyer , Heidi, dubbed into Arabic. Any way I gathered main theme of novel and author biography briefly here it’s Haruki Murakami ( born in 1949 ) he is Japanese writer . His novels and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally . His works translated into 50 languages having sold milion copies of outside Japan. He has received numerous awards including gun 70 prize for new writers, world fantasy award , international short story award , flanz kalfa prize and Jerusalem prize . His notable works Norwegian Wood . The wind up bird , Kafka onshore , men without women, chronicle . Novel dance dance plot summary journey with narrator as he seeks to find Kiki, past lover throughout his experiences , narrator metaphorically shovels and dances with various characters. Best wishes for you your family friends.
Thank you for your comment and the information about this author, who I see has had many of his works translated into Arabic. Perhaps he is popular where you are. As for me, I'm doing well, thank you, all the best to you and your family.
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan iam from Saudi Arabia eastern province near Kuwait.
Hi Jason! Great video - concise, very informative! Good point, to put reading into perspective. A new name for me to explore - Lethem, sounds really interesting. Now, I wonder, what do you make of another - "the better" - Murakami: Ryu? I've read only one of his novels, In The Miso Soup, and found it fascinating, not at all flat. I'm planning to read more. What about you?
Glad you enjoyed it. I've heard of the "other" Murakami and the novel you mention, but no, I haven't read it yet. I'll grab it on my next trip to the library and take a look. Thanks for the recommendation.
really enjoyed watching your reaction! i picked it up last month, and honestly i lost track of the plot halfway. the characters were flat, i agree wholeheartedly, and the attempted romance between yumiyoshi and the narrator was...lacking. my favourite character was gotanda (despite his blandness). i enjoyed reading his character for some reason i cannot yet place.
i did quite enjoy the phrase the narrator keeps using throughout, though. 'shovelling cultural snow', was it?
i'd like to reccomend another japanese author to you, if you'd entertain that. her name is mieko kawakami, and i've read two of her books. really enjoyed them!
you should check out 'heaven' by her. i really enjoyed the simplicity of it.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video. I can't really remember the characters, but the business of meeting the Sheep Man was atmospheric (though I think this sequence is inspired by 'the horse' in Kobo Abe's Secret Rendezvous, which is a much better book by a much better writer).
Thanks for the recommendations, I was not aware of Mieko Kawakami, so I'll give her a try. Happy holidays!
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan oh wow, thanks for the quick response haha :)
i'll defintetely check out kobo abe's secret rendezvous (i already have kangaroo notebook in my to-read list)
happy holidays right back at ya!
Totally agree.
Good to know. Thanks.
Your reaction is very interesting, in particular at the end when you put your reading of Murakami's novel into perspective, time and space. Something I've never thought about before, but reading in a certain place, at a certain time in one's life must have an impact on a reader's appreciation of a book.
I share your point of view re Murakami's success. Not deserved, and as a writer is overrated, as there's nothing extraordinary, deep or brilliant in his writing in my opinion.
Thank you very much for sharing other, and hopefully better, recommendations. Only read by Jonathan Lethem Fortress of Solitude and liked it a lot.
Thanks for your comment. I've read Amnesia Moon and Motherless Brooklyn by Lethem, too, both excellent. One of my friends has had dinner with him, and I'm ridiculously proud of that single degree of separation!
No harm done re Murakami, his much shorter Sputnik Sweetheart is on the shelf and will get a read, too. We'll see if grasps this undeserved second chance to impress this disappointed man.
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan I'm taking note of Amnesia Moon and Motherless Brooklyn. I'd liked to read more works by Jonathan Lethem. Having a friend who has had dinner with him is a source of pride, and is worth mentioning.
I hope for you Sputnik Sweetheart will be a more pleasant read than Dance Dance Dance.
Forgot to thank you for sharing the article on Murakami's female characters. Interesting read.
In defense of murakami hes pretty self depricating in the book. Theres a whole page devoted to self satire. The young girl yukis father "makamuri" (maybe not the correct name) is a washed up has been of a writer whos lost his way as of late. If you can find the page its quite a funny read. I think with this he was trying to free himself up and avoid being pidgeon holed following the sucsess of the more conventional norweigeb wood. Anyway taste is taste and i get the criticism. I go to murakami to be enveloped in a world rather than a plot i guess.
I see your point. There is something unique about Murakami's work, and I can imagine people simply being into that in the same way people have favorite movie directors or bands. He has out-and-out fans rather than just readers.
I criticized his book more harshly precisely because it promised more in the first half than it delivered, in my view, as it wound to a close. If you haven't read Kobo Abe's Secret Rendezvous, this had quite a lot in common with Dance Dance Dance in its atmosphere, but I felt it was better done.
I still have NW and HBW to read, so there's still a chance one of those will impress.
I know it’s been 9 months since your comment but having finished the book yesterday I too questioned whether or not this character was a representation of Murakami himself. I actually noticed the character’s name is an anagram of his own Haruki Murakami and the character’s Hiraku Makimura.
Dance Dance has all the worst aspects of Murakami at their rawest form, he certainly improved later, but not by much. He's overrated and honestly a "starter author" as I and many friends and youtubers I watch liked when we just started reading, but soon grown out of. Also, so nice to know you are a Lethem fan, Chronic City is one of my favorite novels.
I like this phrase, "starter author," that's amusing. So it was something of a generational thing? I'm the right age to have read him the first time, but my tastes, my life, back then, barely brought me into contact with mainstream publishing of any kind, I was at art school and only interested in avant-garde/underground culture. I should do a Lethem video, he's the only living writer whose books I actively seek out.
@@TheChannelofaDisappointedMan not sure if its generational, or maybe it's because he's a famous literary and "weird" author that many people go to first, before finding the better ones, hence "starter author" lol maybe you got missed him because you were already on the scene and found the better stuff first
Think you're right. I was reading Philip K. Dick, Burroughs, Ballard, I had no interest in what the cultural elite was flogging as high art or supposedly edgy.