| Title | : | What I Talk About When I Talk About Running |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0307269191 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780307269195 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 188 |
| Publication | : | First published October 15, 2007 |
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running Reviews
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To get through life some people drink copious amounts of alcohol to de-stress. Others smoke tobacco or cannabis. Some try heavier substances. My drug of choice, my way of clearing my head, calming down and escaping for a few hours, is to run. I am an absolute junkie. Sometimes I feel like I live to run. When I’m not reading, writing or cycling to work, then I’m running. It’s a fantastic experience, blasting my favourite psychedelic rock albums as I lose all my troubles on the road. Anyone who has taken up running seriously will understand how much of a drug it can be.
As strange as it may sound, I don’t think I’d be able to write a single review on here or even read a single book if I didn’t run regularly. I’m naturally quite a fidgety person. I have lots of energy and don’t like to sit still. I want to be outside! I also pace up and down a lot if I’m bored. Running calms me down. It allows me to sit at a desk (sometimes all day) writing essays for university. It also means I sleep at night. Without running, I just don’t get much. I end up with about 4-5 hours of sleep because I’m just not tired. I’m then perpetually groggy and moody the next day.
Running is such a healthy thing to do, and, as Murakami recognises, for some people it is essential for mental balance. It keeps them sane. Murakami gets running; he understands the point of it. I’ve often been asked: “why do you go running?” or “what’s the point of it?” The answer is simple: I go running to live. Being a literature student, and working in a pretty slow and unphysical environment, means I’m restless. We all need some form of exercise and some time to ourselves to reflect and be introspective. And that's what running is all about, at least for me and the author of this book.
For Murakmi it was an essential part of his writing process. In order to write novels, he had to run. As he was aiming for a deadline or the end of story, he was also aiming for a personal best in his next marathon. Ironically, I’m doing the exact same thing. As I approach my dissertation deadline, I’m also training for a marathon. Reading the words of another, who did the same thing as I’m doing, for the same reasons, is really quite revealing. My idea, which makes little sense to my friends and family, was given much more clarity in these pages. To hear another say the same thing, one who was immensely successful, gave me a little confidence boost and some motivation for my marathon. As a treat to myself, I’m actually running it on my birthday.
The book takes on the form of a memoir and relays the memories of the author as he trained, competed and eventually reflected upon his experience. There’s much wisdom to be gained from these pages, and, as I said Murakmi gets running, especially the near meditative mind set it can get you in. During long distance runs your mind forgets about the outside world and get into a sort of rhythm with your body, ten miles can pass in an instant as you experience the "runner's high." Not all runs are as good as this, but on some you lose yourself. It’s wonderful. Running is wonderful. And, for the right reader, this would be a wonderful book.
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*happy sigh*
You know when you read a book and it just speaks to you? Something about the time and place and just all the circumstances match up and you know you read the book at the perfect time? This was that.
My drive to immerse myself in the world of writing keeps growing, and I've found so much fun in collecting books about writers and writing that I can't wait to sink into. I had to start somewhere, so I picked up What I Talk About When I Talk About Running because, back when I bought it a few months ago, I'd read the first few pages in the bookshop and it had really piqued my interest.
This book is definitely about writing. We learn about Murakami's methods, his work ethic, why he became a writer in the first place, what keeps him writing now. But more than that it is a book about running. About why he loves running, how it has influenced his life, how it interlinks with his writing. It's a journal about his training, his ups and downs, and for a person who really really hate running (no, really, friends, I HATE IT) I found this an absolute pleasure. Sure, this was about running, but it was really about a person who loves something, and I learned so much from his determination and passion and consistency.
It was such a meditative reading experience for me, a chance to listen to someone talk about their life and the lessons they've learned, through a journal on running and writing. -
Hashiru Koto ni Tsuite Kataru Toki ni Boku no kataru koto = What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a memoir by Haruki Murakami in which he writes about his interest and participation in long-distance running.
Murakami started running in the early 1980's and since then has competed in over twenty marathons and an ultra-marathon.
Murakami gives reasons that make him run. Physical fitness is important to him and the constant challenge of breaking the record of the previous day is what motivates him to keep moving until he is forty.
The point at which he finds that he cannot improve his times any longer gives him a shock.
A motive is thus lost. He is struggling with the fact of getting old and accepting the associated limits of his capabilities.
In describing his sport, Murakami also describes his character and his way of coping with life.
Without feeling his physical limits again and again, he could not follow his calling as a writer.
He combines running with writing in a symbiosis: the one is not possible without the other.
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «از دو (دویدن) که حرف میزنم از چه حرف میزنم»؛ «وقتی از دویدن صحبت میکنم در چه موردی صحبت میکنم»؛ نویسنده: هاروکی موراکامی؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز نخست ماه آوریل سال 2011میلادی
عنوان: از دو (دویدن) که حرف میزنم از چه حرف میزنم؛ نویسنده: هاروکی موراکامی؛ مترجم: مجتبی ویسی ؛ تهران، نشر چشمه، 1388؛ در183ص؛ شابک 9789643627553؛ چاپ سوم 1389؛ چاپ چهارم 1390؛ در 179 ص؛ چاپ ششم 1394؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان ژاپن - سده 21م
عنوان: وقتی از دویدن صحبت میکنم در چه موردی صحبت میکنم؛ نویسنده: هاروکی موراکامی؛ مترجم: علی حاجی قاسم؛ تهران، نگاه، 1390؛ در160ص؛ شابک 9789643627553؛ چاپ سوم 1389؛ چاپ چهارم 1390؛ در 179ص؛ چاپ ششم 1394؛
وقتی از دویدن صحبت میکنم در چه موردی صحبت میکنم، آرام و ساده است؛ یادمانهای «موراکامی» است، نویسنده ی محبوب «ژاپنی» برنامه ای دقیق و منظم برای دویدن، و شرکت در مسابقات ماراتن دارند، و در این کتاب از لذت این ورزش استقامتی، و تاثیراتی که میتواند روی زندگی و حتی نویسندگی و شخصیت داستانها بگذارد، حرف میزنند
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 06/07/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 09/06/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی -
This book is literally so pointless
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I'm a bit baffled by how anyone who's not a distance runner could possibly be interested in this book, but I personally got a lot out of it. This is in spite of the fact that I'm not a Murakami girl, and honestly didn't enjoy the style of this book at all. I always feel when I'm reading him that I've somehow wound up with a crappy translation, but then I realize that I'm reading the same version as all the English-only Murakami lovers out there, so apparently I just don't like the way he writes. Still, I did enjoy this book, and I've given it four stars because I've found since finishing that it's really helped me with my own running. Now when I'm out there pounding the pavement, I think of Murakami and some things he wrote about, and it keeps me going. That's just what I'm after with these exercise books!
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running covers three main themes: running, writing, and growing older. This last was sort of a surprise, and was where I drew a large and unexpected amount of comfort, not exclusively related to running. Murakami was in his early thirties when he sold his jazz bar to write a first novel, and he took up distance running around that time. If Murakami can change careers, quit smoking, start running marathons regularly, and become a writer beloved of everyone in the world except for me, well then.... there's hope still for all of us! My life isn't necessarily decided yet, just because I'm nearing thirty. So now when I'm out running, I like to fantasize that I'm a sort of Haruki Murakami/Tilda Swinton figure, who's quit my job in social work to devote myself to my writing career. When I'm not on sabbatical in Hawaii, I live in a sprawling Manhattan castle with my older husband, younger boyfriend, and adorable children, and I take these long, rambling runs through the city to clear my mind for the novel-writing that sustains our unconventional and extremely good-looking family. I am currently at work on a sort of vanity project, this book about exercise called Where I'm Running From, which chronicles my personal journey from indolent vice to literary genius.... I know not all my adoring fans will necessarily enjoy this unconventional little piece, but if it helps a few poor schlumps discover the benefits of running, well then my work is not in vain!
I ran 15 miles yesterday, and not a few of those can be dedicated to Murakami, who really isn't a bad running buddy at all, as far as things go. Running is a solitary sport, which is why I like it, and Murakami understands and in some ways ameliorates the legendary loneliness of the long-distance runner. This is why I'm giving it four stars, even though I thought it was badly written. Again, I don't quite see how anyone who isn't a distance runner could get much from this book, and in fact I got bored towards the end when he started talking about triathlons, as I personally don't swim or bike. I do think non-runners could appreciate the description of his ultra-marathon, which was luridly fascinating to me as someone who would never consider running 62 miles and who believes people who do this sort of thing are complete mental cases. However, the main appeal of this book was in being able to relate to it. Murakami wrote about running, writing, and growing older in a way that made me feel better equipped to slog through all three of these often exhausting activities.... that's no small thing! -
"as long as my body allows i ll keep on running..i dont care what others say-that's just my nature,the way i m.."
and to be completely honest i just love the way you are😍
في كل كتاب كنت بقراه لموراكامي كنت بعرف حاجة عن شخصيته..ودايماً بقول إني يوما ما أتمني أقابله وأتكلم معاه وأعرفه أكتر و الكتاب هنا حقق لي جزء من هذه الأمنية😍
عمّ أتحدث عندما أتحدث عن الجري ..كتاب رائع لموراكامي بيتكلم فيه لأول مرة عن نفسه بعيداً تماماً عن كل الجنان اللي موجود في معظم رواياته..الكتاب علي حسب علمي غير مترجم للعربية و متوفر إلكتروني ككتاب صوتي و بي دي أف بالإنجليزية...
في هذا الكتاب عرفت حاجات كتير عن موراكامي أهمها طبعاً إن الرجل طلع رياضي وعداء جامد جداً
بيشترك كل سنة في ماراثون و حتي كتابة هذا الكتاب كان شارك في اكتر من ٢٥ ماراثون ده غير إنه شارك أيضاً في العديد من السباقات الثلاثية(الترياثلون) اللي بيكون فيها جري و سباحة و ركوب دراجات...
موراكامي كان يدير مقهي لموسيقي الجاز وكان يطبخ بنفسه فيه و قرر فجأة بدون أي مقدمات و هو عنده ٣٠ سنة إنه لازم يكون كاتب لدرجة انه مكانش عنده حتي قلم ولا ورقة يكتب فيها..!
وزي ما قرر فجأة إنه لازم يكون كاتب قرر فجأة أيضاً إنه لازم يجري وكان يبلغ من العمر ٣٣ عاماً و هو شايف إن الكتابة والجري بالنسبة له مرتبطين ببعض جداً من وجهة نظره:)
إسلوب السرد رائع ،ممتع و دمه خفيف في أوقات كتير و الكتاب عبارة عن مذكرات يومية كتبها هاروكي في عام ٢٠٠٥ و ٢٠٠٦ و بيتكلم فيه مش بس عن الجري لكن بيتكلم من وقت للتاني عن نفسه و عن حياته ككاتب وحتحس في نهاية الكتاب إنك عرفته أكتر و حتلاقي نفسك بتتمني تجري معاه شوية وياريت لو تتكلم معاه كمان بس في الغالب بيكون ساكت وحيسلم عليك ويكمل جري و هو بيسمع مازيكا:)
موراكامي بيصحي ٥ الصبح و بينام بدري..ب��عشق الموسيقي...بيحب يقعد لوحده لساعات طويلة..عنده إرادة غير عادية علي الرغم إنه مش صغير في السن..معندوش مشكلة إنه بيتعب وهو بيجري بالعكس هو شايف التعب ده لوحده بيحسسك إنك موجود..إنك عايش..وإنك تقدر تيجي علي نفسك مهماً كانت الظروف صعبة...
كتاب ملهم ..ممتع و مش بس مشجع علي الرياضة ولكن مشجع أكتر إنك تحط لنفسك هدف في الحياة وتحاول بكل ما تقدر إنك تحققه..
والصراحة أنا من ساعة ما بدأت الكتاب وأنا بعمل رياضة:)
يقول هاروكي إنه لو عنده فرصة يكتب علي قبره بعد وفاته مش حيحب يكتب غير كدة..
Haruku Murakami
1949-20**
writer(and runner)
at least he never walked..
قبل الكتاب دة يا موراكامي كنت من كتابي المفضلين وبعد الكتاب دة بقيت من كتابي الملهمين...
وبعدين بقي في الحب دة كله يا عم إنت😍 -
Audiobook.... narrated by Haruki Murakami
Listening to Murakami speak about the very universal way our inner voice functions with random thoughts - like clouds in the sky that come and go - was a little taste of heaven for me.
Given that I, too, was a runner for 25 years of my life - running marathons - and hilly trail half marathons - often beginning my training runs in the dark with a flashlight — this was absolutely a lovely delightful Audiobook. I enjoyed it very much.
I’m familiar with the language- the culture- the drive - the speed training - the setbacks - the injuries- the exhaustion- the pain - the adrenaline rush on race days - the replacement drinks - the log books - the socks and shoes - the chaffing - the spirituality- the emotions - the runner’s high and exhilaration.
I’ve been away from running almost as many years as I spent running obsessively......
Would I have enjoyed this tape 25 years ago? Not really. I was too busy ‘doing’ my own thing. I wouldn’t have appreciated ‘my own’ accomplishments back then either It wasn’t as though I woke up at 4am - to dress for 33° outside to begin my run and say to myself, “aren’t I inspiring?”
Not a chance. BUT NOW.... as an older fart who wouldn’t even consider running today, I can indulge in a few semi- inspiring ( or crazy) - memories from my younger running days. I remember ‘starting’ a marathon in Oakland in the pouring rain.....and it ‘never’ stopped the entire 26.219 miles. Nuts! I was nuts! And exhilarated. Breakfast was delicious afterwards.
Listening to Murakami share about himself - his daily running schedule- his running in Hawaii- his attempts to answer the questions “what does he think about when he is running” MIGHT EVEN BE MORE ENJOYABLE - or at least as much - TO THE NON RUNNER - than the runner. As I said .... I don’t think I would’ve enjoyed this audiobook as much when I ‘was’ a runner, as much as I did now.
Murakami says .....
..... he doesn’t really think of anything worth mentioning.
...... he runs to avoid
...... occasionally he runs not to get fat
...... The only people who ever even ask him the question of what he thinks about when he’s running are people who have never been running and don’t have a clue.
...... he’s not the type of person, we are being alone for five hours, is painful. He enjoys being by himself.
...... he mostly listens to rock music when he runs because the rhythm is the right beat
......he talked about being a young runner - then turning 50 - he talked about his emotions about growing old.
...... he talked a few times about competition, and how that is not the world and lifestyle he is after. He simply competes with himself.
There’s a lot of wisdom from Murakami. He’s likable and humble. A meditative type of listening and appreciating for me!
Lovely as can be! YES....I’m inspired! -
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. Say you’re running and you think, ‘Man, this hurts, I can’t take it anymore. The ‘hurt’ part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself.”
Haruki Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. pairs running and the art of writing (and its demands on focus and endurance). After reading Murakami’s Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage a few weeks ago, I had wanted to read more from this author. Admittedly, What I Talk About has a very different (one might say non-literary) quality which differentiates it from his novel. Still, it was an interesting account in which Murakami describes a nearly lifelong connection between running and how that running impacts his writing, and between aging and the potential decline of creative and physical power. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. -
A collection of personal essays about writing, endurance, and running, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running considers the impact running has had on the author’s life and work. Over the course of nine short essays, Haruki Murakami travels from Tokyo to Boston as he details his training regimen for the 2005 New York City Marathon and reflects on what running means to him. The author argues for approaching running, like writing, as a way to practice self-discipline on a daily basis, but not to the extent that the idea can serve as a thesis for the book, which comes across as a bit scattered and slight. The essays feel disconnected from each other, and each comes across as a collection of loosely related thoughts on running; Murakami tries but fails to disguise his book’s lack of substance with an abundance of prosaic descriptive passages. The book has some interesting points, but I didn’t feel impacted by it in the way many others on here have been.
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It was a rainy evening about seven years ago when I entered a book store. It was the perfect refuge – warm lights, thin crowd, a tea bar and loads of books. I marched to the tea bar, ordered a ginger- mint tea, placed my bag on a chair in the seating area and hopped to the alleys to browse for books while the tea was being brewed. Running my eyes like a squirrel, I was surveying the titles one after another when they came to a halt – they spotted a pristine white cover with a circular swirl in blood red. That is it. If the cover art struck me as a bored painter’s good night splash, the name at the bottom of it left me thinking.
THE ELEPHANT VANISHES. Err… Has the elephant vanished into the red-white whirlpool? What kind of a book could this be? And then, my eyes fell on the name at the top band of the cover. MURAKAMI. Is it a he or she? A Japanese? A Chinese? A Korean? What kind of genre does s/he write in? Is this a book I want to read now, when the evening is setting in and I am on the verge of being serenaded by some piping hot tea and solitude? I toyed with the idea by reading the blurb.
Well, no prizes for guessing that I picked up the book that day. And thus, flagged my relationship with Haruki Murakami. A man, who over the next many years, continued to sway me and surprise me, soothe me and shock me. In his world, ordinary things turned magical; magical became mundane. His idea of love was both endearing and futile, his doggedness both inspiring and fatiguing. He wrote tomes and quickies, short stories and essays, and with every work, left something sparkling for me to wallow in. My journey with him went through
Hear the Wind Sing,
1Q84,
Kafka on the Shore,
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage,
The Strange Library,
Kino and
Scheherazade and here I am, entering my eighth year with the most wonderful ‘What I Talk About When I Talk About Running’.
In this heart-warming, inspiring, anecdotal memoir, Murakami talks about his difficult decision to close his profitable and popular restaurant to dedicate time to writing (which he had just begun doing), and falling on the crutches of running to keep him going. Beginning with short sprints to ending up doing a marathon run of 62 miles in his late 50s, he purged all the negativity off his system and attained a constructive ‘void’, as he calls it. Insulating himself from worldly cacophony and drawing sweet nectar from his inner springs to fortify his writerly pen is what he achieved by running. While reading, I stumbled upon nuggets of wisdom on writing and life like one would accidentally discover a green patch on the sidelines of a long, tarred running pitch.“The most important thing we learn at school is the fact that the most important things can’t be learned at school.”
He further says that the most important traits of an author are talent, focus and endurance, in that order. He should know. With a writing career spanning half a century, the margin of error can well be dispatched to near naught. I shall be biased and wear it on my sleeve, for what can you possibly not love in an intent that sounds like this:
“It was a major directional change – from the kind of open life we’d led for seven years, to a more closed life. I learnt a lot of important lessons during that time. It was real schooling. But you can’t keep up that kind of life forever. Just as with school, you enter it, learn something, and then it’s time to leave.”
“Emotional hurt is the price a person has to pay in order to be independent.”
“I stop everyday right at the point where I feel I can write more. Do that, and the next day’s work goes surprisingly smoothly."“I felt that the indispensible relationship I should build in my life was not with a specific person, but with an unspecified number of readers.”
The man loves running, another name for embracing life. He began running when he was thirty-three, and he hasn’t stopped since. More vitality, jazz, cats and happiness (and a Nobel) to you, Murakami san. Happy 69th Birthday. -
This was great! But I was kind of hoping it would make me want to quit smoking and start being a runner. It did not. If anything, it solidified my already-pretty-solid hatred of the idea of running. God damn stupid healthy Haruki.
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"Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you're going to while away the years, it's far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive then in a fog, and I believe running helps you to do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that's the essence of running, and a metaphor for life — and for me, for writing as whole."
Haruki Murakami ~~ What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
If you love running, reading, or writing, or are a fan of Haruki Murakami's, this book is for you. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is a short ~~ by Murakami's standards ~~ memoir on running, life, music and writing. In addition to this, we discover some of his favorite authors, and their works. Note to self: must track down Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.
Confession time ~~ I'm not a runner. I have no desire to be, but this is a book by Murakami after all so it must be read. To quote the New York Times reviewer: “I’m guessing that the potential readership for “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” is 70 percent Murakami nuts, 10 percent running enthusiasts and an overlapping 20 percent who will be on the brink of orgasm before they’ve even sprinted to the cash register.” I fall into that 70%.
While reading this book, I became enamored with Murakami, the man, and his dedicated, practical, and philosophical approach to life, writing, and running. Murakami didn’t begin running seriously until he was 33, and now runs 6 miles a day rain or shine. He has competed in many marathons, has run a 62K, and competes in triathlons. And thru this all, Murakami describes himself as an average runner, listening to his musical selection for the day ~~ note to self: must track down Lovin' Spoonful Greatest Hits on Spotify ~~ and taking in the beauty of the world around him. Throughout the book, his running consistency and the dedication he shares with the reader becomes a metaphor for his life and the many accomplishments he has earned throughout his career. Murakami doesn't run to win win races; he runs to be healthy and active. He loves to run. I get that. I love to practice inversions. I once spent 40 minutes standing on my head. My friends thought I was nuts, but Murakami would understand.
Murakami does not make any claims about how running has completely transformed his life. Nor is he trying to sell us on anything. What he does here is simply share his thoughts on running, and the profound impact it can have on a person without even realizing it. Murakami's dedication to running every day, just like his dedication to writing, comes from his belief that maintaining consistency in anything you do will lead to accomplishing the goals you are seeking. This is not to say that there won’t be fears to be faced, injuries, delays, or frustrations, but that’s part of the experience. This is much the same philosophy Jack London espoused in
Martin Eden, a book I highly recommend.
The philosophy Murakami most wants to share with us here is that life is about getting a little bit better than where you were. This is also a major theme of his novels. This is mind expanding ~~ it is a lesson for everything we do in this life. Murakami says it even better: “For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level. I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary – or perhaps more like mediocre – level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.”
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"Nothing in the real world is as beautiful as the illusions of a person about to lose consciousness."
Murakami's mind has always fascinated me; that he transcends the normal and dull, spreading them into a realistic, dreamlike, colorful, soulful reality, amazes me. And I think when most of us read someone that fascinates and/or amazes us, we want to know what that person is like -- what makes him or her tick. And obviously we're almost always disappointed: an amazing mind doesn't equal an amazing person: an interesting mind doesn't equal an interesting person. Who can live up to the novel they write? If the novel is any good, it's impossible. Life is like that: full of disillusionment. What takes place in our imagination sure as hell beats "reality". And yet we go through moment to moment thinking we're living in reality-- but really we aren't: Why else do we all disagree so much? We're all living in our own alternate realities and no two are the same.
Getting into a "runner's zone" is an experience in which you immerse yourself in your own reality while simultaneously escaping "reality" by seeming to look down at it and poke fun of it from afar. During this time your own reality is a directly elevated version of itself; a mimicked but increased version -- full of, and due to -- pain and body awareness. While this is happening your consciousness -- while in part far more adeptly aware than normal (because of the pain) – also seems to float away, allowing you to view your reality from high above. All together, you feel how silly everything is: how intense it all is: how lacking it all is: how everything it all is. And you feel....and you float. And you realize how very much the body and mind are connected, and that patience really is a dear virtue. Life itself is enhanced.
"Emotional hurt is the price a person has to pay in order to be independent."
One thing I really like about running is how individualistic it is. You choose where you run; you choose when you run; you choose your own pace; you don't have to worry about getting hit in the head with a ball; no asshole is going to wrestle you to the ground or kick you in the shins: you are by yourself in every important way. It's all you. You listen to yourself, the inner rumblings of your mind and body; you get to know pain and pleasure at their extremes. It's all within you: your choice, your body, your consciousness.
We know the world better by knowing ourselves better. And let's be honest: you is all you'll ever be able to trust. You was there from the start and is there now. And you is all there ever was and ever will be. -
In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, Haruki Murakami doesn't try to convince others that we should all become long distance runners/triathletes like him. He does talk about why he took up running, how it has helped him with his creativity and why he will continue to run as long as he feels the need to do so.
I've never read a book by Murakami, other than this one. But, the interesting way in which he views the world makes me think that I'd probably enjoy his stuff.
I listened to this, rather short, audiobook on my daily commute. Murakami shares a lot of intimate details about his life that fans of his writing may really enjoy.
Before he took up running, Murakami said he was overweight and smoked around 60 cigarettes a day. 60 per day!
He wasn't just looking for a way to become fit. He wanted a exercise where he was left alone with his thoughts and challenged to focus for long periods of time.
Murakami says that, when he writes a novel, it is a matter of focus and endurance. He finds it difficult to "drill down through the rock of the mind to hit veins of creativity." (Quoting from memory, please forgive the inaccuracies.)
The focus that runners use to finish a long race is similar, he believes, to the focus needed to write page after page until the end of a novel. I think that type of mental ability is something that could be used in any creative endeavor, not just writing. For Murakami, writing is how he makes his art.
I liked that, even though Murakami loves running and extols its virtues, he says that he never tells other people that they should take it up. He thinks that our life paths reveal themselves to us in a unique way that only we know.
He runs because he loves it. If you love it too, run. If you don't, do what you love- walk, skip, jump, swim, whatever.
I can get behind that philosophy. Do what makes you happy because that happiness is a clue to what you were born to do.
Recommended for writers, runners, Murakami's fans and anyone who enjoys memoirs. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running made me wish that I loved running more. Because I don't. -
موراکامی رو دوست دارم، چون شبیه هیچ نویسنده ی دیگه ای نیست. شیوه ی نوشتنش، سبک زندگی کردنش و حتی طرز نگاهش به مشکلات و گذر زندگی، منحصر به فرد خودشه. این کتاب فرصت خوبی بود تا بهتر و بیشتر با این نویسنده ی دوست داشتنی آشنا بشم
^^
---
گاهی اوقات بهترین راه برای فرار از این دنیای دلگیر و ملال انگیزی که گرفتارش شدیم، اینه که به انجام دادن کارهای لذت بخشی پناه ببریم که حالمون رو بهتر میکنن و روحیه مون رو بالاتر می برن. از اون دسته کارهایی که وقتی سرگرمشون میشی، دیگه حواست، نه به گذر زمان هست، نه به غصه ها و نگرانی هات، نه به بلاتکلیفی هات و نه حتی به گذشتن روزهای تکراری و ملال آوری که تبدیل شدن به جزئی تفکیک ناپذیر از وجودمون. این سرگرمی ها می تونن هر چیزی باشن... از کتاب خوندن و نقاشی ک��یدن گوشه ی جزوه های دانشگاه گرفته^^ تا نوشتن یه شعر یا داستان کوتاه یا حتی دویدن و دوچرخه سواری و ورزش کردن و خلاصه هر چیزی که انجام دادنش، حالمون رو بهتر و عبورِ این روزهای طولانی رو، کوتاه تر و دلنشین تر می کنه
یادمون باشه که فرق بزرگی هست بین زندگی کردن و فقط زنده بودن. اینکه "لذت" بردن، در کنار "رنج" کشیدن نقش بزرگی، در به تصویر کشیدن ما به عنوان انسانی بازی میکنه که "زندگی کردن" رو فقط به "زنده بودن" ترجیح داده
طبیعتا" آدمی که واسه شرکت در مسابقه ی ماراتن، برای یک سال روزی چندین ساعت می دوه و به خودش این همه سختی میده، لزوما این کار رو فقط برای برنده شدن انجام نمی ده، انجامش میده چون از این کار لذت می بره و لذتی که از این رنج حاصل میشه درست همون چیزیه که می تونه خلاءِ درونمون رو پر کنه
پس اگر از انجام کاری، که از نظر بعضی ها مثل ریختن آب داخل ظرفی سوراخ دار هست، لذت می برید، انجامش بدین، چون چیزی که اون وسط مهمه احساس شماست نه نظر و عقاید دیگران
^^ -
If you are a runner, this book is very inspiring. We learn of why Murakami decided to become a writer, leaving behind his jazz bar and how he also committed to running a marathon every year. It is exhilarating (and encouraging!) to see how he completely (and successfully) changed his life. He has run marathons everywhere including the original Marathon to Athens route (albeit in the wrong season!) and about other long-distance races he ran in. He is a fascinating man (who SO deserves a Nobel!) and you get an intimate view of perhaps the greatest Japanese writer at the end of the 20th C and beginning of the 21st.
Fino's Murakami Reviews - Novels
Hear the Wind Sing (1979/1987-2015)
Pinball, 1973 (1980/1985-2015)
A Wild Sheep Chase (1982/1989)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (1985/1991)
Norwegian Wood (1987/1989-2000)
Dance Dance Dance (1988/1994)
South of the Border, West of the Sun (1992/2000)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1995/1997)
Sputnik Sweetheart (1999/2001)
Kafka on the Shore (2002/2005)
After Dark (2004/2007)
1Q84 (2010/2011)
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (2013/2014)
Killing Commendatore (2017/2018)
Fino's Murakami Reviews - Short Story Collections and Misc
The Elephant Vanishes (1993)
After the Quake (2000/2002)
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (2006)
Men Without Women (2014/2017)
First Person Singular (2020/2021)
Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2007/2008) -
موراكامي يرسم معالم شخصيته وحياته ما بين الجري والكتابة
مذكرات محكية ببساطة تُصور تركيبته المختلفة ذاتيا وأدبيا -
موراکامی در این کتاب طوری خودش رو توصیف میکنه که آدم فکر میکنه در اصل دوندهست، بعد نویسنده. این کتاب نشون میده که یک نویسنده لزوماً نباید آدم افسرده و سیگاری و تارک دنیا باشه.
خوانش دوم بسیار لذتبخش بود. -
I must say that I am very thankful to this book for getting me back into the habit of running and giving me a ready made excuse to spend 45 minutes of my time thus.
-
"لم أبدأ الجري لأن أحدا طلب مني أن أكون عداء، مثلما أنني لم أصبح روائيا لان أحدهم طلب مني ذلك . ذات يوم ، فجأة رغبت بكتابة رواية، وذات يوم ، فجأة ، بدأت بالجري، لأنني أردت ذلك ببساطة . كنت دوما أفعل ما أحب في الحياة ، وقد يحاول الناس منعي وإقناعي أنني مخطئ ، لكني لن أتغير "
إذا كنت من محبي الجري بالتأكيد ستحب كتاب يتحدث صاحبه عن الجري بهذا الشغف ( ولو مش بتحب الجري هتحب الكتاب برضه من حماس هاروكي وطريقه حكاياته ) " أستطيع القول إن هذه العادة دوناً عن كل عادة اكتسبتها في حياتي ، كانت اكثرها نفعاً وأكثرها معنى . لقد جعلني الجري دون استراحة طوال عقدين أقوى ايضاً ، في بدني وفي عاطفتي "
أو لو كنت من محبي هاروكي وشخصيات هاروكي الروائية ستحب التعرف اكثر على اجزاء من حياة هذا الكاتب وشخصيته واهتماماته.
"لم احتمل إجباري على فعل شئ لم أرغب بالقيام به في وقت لا ارغب فيه بذلك.في المقابل، كلما استطعت فعل ما اود القيام به ، في الوقت الذي أرغب فيه بذلك، بالطريقة التي أريدها، بذلت قصارى جهدي."
هاروكي يحكي لنا حياته وقصته مع الجري وكيف ولماذا بدأت ؟! ويحكي لنا ايضا متي وكيف جاءت رغبته في الكتابه ، وحياته قبلها . وكيف اخذ قرار ان يغلق نادي الجاز الخاص به ويتفرغ ويجعل الكتابة مصدر رزقه رغم معارضة الكثير لذلك .
" أستطيع بدقة تحديد اللحظة التي خطر لي فيها أن اكتب رواية .كانت الساعة الواحدة والنصف تقريبا من بعد ظهيرة الأول من أبريل عام ١٩٧٨ "
الى محبي هاروكي : احنا لازم نبروز اليوم ده ❤😅
كما نتعرف على جوانب من شخصية هاروكي وهي ليست بعيدة كثيرا عن شخصيات رواياته لذا قلت في البداية ان محبي شخصيات هاروكي الروائية سيحبون هذا الكتاب .
هاروكي كشخصياته شخص محب للوحدة ، يعرف متي عليه ان يكون اجتماعي مع الآخرين ثم ككل او اغلب الانطوائيين يبحث عن وقت يكون به بمفرده ، وهاروكي وجد هذا في الجري بجانب طبعا الكتابة . لكن الجري كان منفث لمشاعر وأشياء بداخله . وشئ أحب القيام به بكل تأكيد وكان مفيدا بالنسبة له ليستمر في عمله كروائي . وارتبط كلاهما بالآخر حتى انه يتمنى ان يكتب على قبره أنه " كاتب ( وعداء )
لم يمش قط على الأقل . ويقصد هنا انه لم يقم بالمشي في السباقات وأثناء ممارسته الجري .
يتحدث معنا هاروكي عن علاقته بالجري والماراثون ، وتدريباته اليومية وما يفعله للحفاظ عليها واهميتها لديه .وعلاقته ايضا بركوب الدراجة والسباحة للتهيؤ لسباق الترياثلون الذي يتم في ممارسة الثلاث رياضات بشكل متتالي .
فنتعرف بذلك على جانب هاروكي الرياضي وشغفه به . ويتحدث عن نفسه كروائي أيضا وعلاقته بالكتابه .وماهي اهم صفات الروائي. ( الموهبة ، التركيز ، الصبر)
"أظن أنني تمكنت من الجري لأكثر من عشرين عاما لسبب بسيط : لأنه يلائمني ،أو على الأقل لأنني لا اراه مزعجاً جداً. يواصل البشر فعل ما يحبون بطبعهم وينقطعون عن فعل ما لايحبون ."
حين تحدث عن بعض الافكار ومشاعره ومايفكر به اثناء الجري ، شعرت به وتفهمته كثيرا . لا أمارس الجري مثله رغم انى تمنيت أن افعل ، لكني أحب المشى وكما يحب هاروكي الجري بمفرده فأنا احب المشي بمفردي وكثيرا ما يساعدني على التخلص من ضيقي وغضبي . مما يذكرني كم تضايقت كثيرا حين كانت ممارسة المشى وتواجدى بالشارع يسبب لي مشكلة ، لم تضايقني المشكلة حينها بقدر ما ضايقني خسارتي لشئ كنت أجد به راحتي .
"المهم إن كنت اليوم أفضل من البارحة أو لا . إن الخصم الوحيد الذي يتعين عليك هزيمته في جري المسافات الطويلة هو نفسك ، وما أعتدت أن تكونه ."
حين تحب روايات كاتب معين وتأتي أمامك فرصة لتستمع لحديث له بشكل شخصي تتراوح حينها مشاعري بين شيئين متناقضين ، الحماس للقراءة والتعرف عنه بشكل أكبر وأعمق والتعرف على جانب من حياته الحقيقية بعيداً عن كتاباته وفي ذات الوقت أشعر بالخوف الشديد أن اشعر بالصدمة والتناقض تجاه هذا الشخص ، وأن يؤثر ذلك على حبي لهذا الكاتب . لذا ربما يمنعني هذا أحيانا من البحث للتعرف على الكاتب اكثر . لكن تغمرني السعادة حين اتعرف عليه ويزدادا حبي وتعلقي به . وهذا ما حدث هنا مع هاروكي . لقد وجدت اشياء كثيرة في شخصيته وأفكاره قريبة مني بشكل شخصي . وأعجبني عناده وتصميمه على تحقيق ما يريد وان لايتم إجباره على فعل شئ لا يريده . أحببت حماسه في الحديث عن الجري وعن الكتابة وإصراره على تحقيق ما يريد فيهما . وإفتخاره بما إستطاع تحقيقه لأنه يعلم حينها انه بذل ما كان بإستطاعته . أتمنى بجد يكتب سيرة ذاتية عن نفسه ويتكلم فيها اكتر عن حياته وشخصيته .
الكتاب اسلوبه حلو اوى والسرد سلس جدا وحسيت كأن هاروكي قاعد جنبي وبيحكيلى ويتكلم معايا . وحفزني على حاجات كتير اكمل فيها زى ما أنا رغم التريقة اللى بسمعها أحيانا او كثيرا 😅 .
٢٢ / ١٢ / ٢٠٢٢ -
V-am mai spus asta. M-a impresionat dintotdeauna modestia lui Haruki Murakami. Autoportretul... începe ca un jurnal de antrenament pentru maratonul de la New York și continuă ca o meditație despre viață și scris.
Cîți dintre noi au oare curajul să afirme cu maximă franchețe că nu dispun de o istețime maximă? Aproape nimeni. Haruki Murakami nu se sfiește să declare abrupt: „Nu sînt o persoană foarte inteligentă”. Mărturisește că se descurcă greu cu abstracțiunile. Preferă teoriilor concretul palpabil. Peste cîteva rînduri, își atenuează afirmația: „Sigur, un strop de inteligenţă tot am. Cred că am”. Dar nu e un speculativ ca Proust, Mario Vargas Llosa ori Umberto Eco
Și mai spune: „Sînt un om imperfect, un scriitor limitat, care duce o viaţă banală şi plină de contradicţii”. În schimb, își recunoaște o calitate extrem de rară la muritori: e perseverant, silitor, tenace. Poate rezista unui efort îndelungat. În plus, se simte bine în singurătate: „Sînt genul de om care preferă să fie singur”.
Cînd s-a apucat de scris? E destul de curios, dar a ținut minte ziua în care s-a hotărît să scrie un roman. Se afla pe un stadion, privea un meci de baseball: Era 1 aprilie 1978, ora unu şi jumătate după-amiaza. Totul a început ca din întîmplare, nu avea ambiții de mărire, nu-și dorea notorietate, nu voia să devină cel mai curtat prozator din univers. Așa a redactat Ascultă cum cîntă vîntul. A fost nominalizat la premiul Akutagawa, nu l-a luat, dar asta nu a avut nici o importanță. În definitiv, recunoaște Murakami, premiul ar fi fost o povară (interviuri, întîlniri cu cititorii, emisiuni). A înțeles, astfel, că destinul lui este să scrie.
Odată cu hotărîrea de a scrie și-a modificat radical programul de viață. Nu mai avea de ce să-și piardă nopțile într-un bar. Trebuia să-și cultive rezistența fizică, absolut necesară prozatorilor. A convocat un sfat în familie: „Eu şi soţia mea – am decis să ne schimbăm stilul de viaţă. Ne-am hotărît să ne trezim cînd răsare soarele şi să ne ducem repede la culcare după ce se întunecă. Asta era viaţa care ni se părea nouă firească”. Tot din acel moment s-a apucat de jogging și a hotărît să participle la alergări pe distanță lungă. În iulie 1983, a mers în Grecia și a parcurs în alergare „ușoară” drumul de la Atena la Marathon. A fost groaznic. Verile grecești sînt toride, te lichefiezi...
În opinia lui Murakami, un scriitor are nevoie de trei calități: de talent, de concentrare și de rezistență. Crede că scrisul unui roman e o specie de „muncă fizică”. Cînd talentul e firav, poți compensa: „Din fericire, spre deosebire de talent, aceste abilităţi (puterea de concentrare şi rezistenţa) se pot dobîndi ulterior şi se pot perfecţiona prin exerciţiu. Dacă te aşezi zi de zi la birou şi exersezi cum să-ţi focalizezi atenţia într-un singur punct, dobîndeşti în mod natural putere de concentrare şi rezistenţă”.
Haruki Murakami nu a acceptat niciodată mitul „poetului blestemat”, cultivat de romantici și ilustrat de Verlaine sau Rimbaud. Pentru a scrie un roman interesant nu e nevoie să duci o viață extravagantă. E suficient să te așezi zilnic la masa de scris și să reziști acolo 4-5 ore...
P. S. Programul lui Murakami m-a umilit. Nu m-aș putea culca în veci odată cu găinile... -
پاییز باشه، هوا سرد باشه، اتاق گرم و شومینه روشن باشه، فنجانی چایی باشه و صدای نم نم بارون پاییزی باشه، در کنار همه اینها کتابی از موراکامی باشه، اونم کتابی که بیشتر از هر نوشته ی دیگه ی این نویسنده احساس صمیمیت و همصحبتی رو به خواننده انتقال بده... تموم اینا، دست به دست هم دادن و شب زیبایی برام ساختن.
کتاب یجور صحبت صمیمی بین نویسنده و خواننده اس که توش نویسنده داره از تاثیرات رشته ورزشی خودش (دو) در نویسندگی و زندگی شخصیش میگه ولی نمی دونم چرا احساس صمیمی بودن نوشته ها رو بهم داد کتاب، انگار یجور مصاحبه شخصی با نویسنده داشتم! خیلی لذت بردم -
So many thoughts after reading this memoir!
First of all, I would like to say it's totally bizarre to rate a memoir as is similarly felt by many readers and reviewers. I can understand today what they meant by that.
And yes, I can also totally understand when a memoir is rated really low. I have done so too with the memoirs about celebrities and famous people because I just picked up the 'memoir' without actually knowing the personality at all or when the so called 'memoirs' are just pictures and only describe their work as a form of promoting themselves or when the book is written really bad or when it seemed like someone else might have written them or it happens when there is nothing much in them.
This particular memoir made me feel like I was reading one of the best written Murakami books. Because I can see the similarity in the writing style/pace as with his other books (fictional). Never have I ever read something about 'sports' like running, marathons, swimming and cycling this invested and I absorbed everything from cover to cover with such zeal.
This is one of those rare few books which I am able to relate so much and something which I plan to reread after a decade. This memoir is already like an old friend who I trust with my life and who I would turn to when I feel lost.
This book is game-changing for me. This particular memoir has given me so much than I had anticipated. Actually I was a bit apprehensive as I really did not know what to expect from this book as it's a non-fiction by my favourite author who's written only fiction and it seemed to talk about running. What should I expect from this book?
Anyway it turned out to be really outspoken and straightforward. To be honest, never in my entire life I would have believed anyone telling me anything that's happening in this memoir to be true unless it's Murakami himself. And it's so amazingly written!
The book has nine chapters/essays with an afterward. As the title says, this book talks mostly about the author's journey of running marathons and the other few sports mentioned.
He has included some parts regarding his writing and his love for music. I would like to say here that it's better to dive into this memoir blindly without expecting much or as to know more about his work or writing or personal life.
And yes, I also feel like you will enjoy this book as much as I do if you like his other books. -
" إن الخصم الوحيد الذي يتعين عليك هزيمته في جري المسافات الطويلة هو نفسك وما اعتدت أن تكونه ، فهزيمة الآخرين لا تُغريني "
هذه الكلمات تُمثلني إلى حد بعيد لذا آثرت أن تُستهل بها المراجعة ، خاصةً وإنني أمارس رياضة المشي إلى الهرولة يومياُ كجانب من طبيعتي ، وقد قمت بإنضمامها بشكل رسمي لجدول ممارسة الرياضة اليومية... 🤗
لذا كانت مذكرات " موراكامي " عن الجري تسبر أعماق هذا الجزء مني لتكشف ما كان يتوارى من حقيقة الذات...
فأنت عندما تُمارس الرياضة بشكل يومي يُصبح الحديث عنها طبيعياً وعفوياً جداً ، وهذا ما كان هنا فأنت لن تشعر بأن ثمة تباهي من " موراكامي " أو سعياً وراء تحقيق تصنيف أو توقيت بل تدرك ماذا يعني أن يكون لديك هدفاً واضحاً ، تفعل ما تحب ، تتلاقى أنفاسك مع وقع أقدامك في فراغ هائل ، قد تظن بأن لابد وللأفكار أن تغزو هذا الفراغ ، ولكن في حقيقة الأمر إن فعلت فهى سرعان ما تنسل بنفس درجة السهولة التي غزت بها ذلك الفراغ....، أنت لا تعني إلا ببلوغ هدف ما....
تعرفت على " موراكامي " الانسان العنيد...الجسور...الذي لا يقبل التسوية ، الذي يمارس الجري يومياً ويشارك في سباقات الماراثون لمسافات طويلة بل وتلك التي ينضم إليها قيادة الدراجة والسباحة ، يبذل بها قصارى جهده دون ان يعرف الاستسلام....
عن ذاك الرابط الدقيق الذي استطاع أن يوجده بين ممارسة الكتابة والرياضة ، كيف يمكن للقدرة الجسدية ان تمد الكاتب بالطاقة الإبداعية التى قد تبدو للبعض إنها غالباً ما تكون عملية ذهنية إلا إنها تسننزف الجسد بصورة ما...
أفصح عن معايير الكتابة الاحترافية على المدى الطويل دون أن تبدو نصائح أو إرشادات لأنه يعلم جيداً بأن ليس على أحدهم ان يقتنع أو يأخذ بها....
يتمتع بطبيعة متمركزة على الذات لا تلق بالاً لآراء الآخرين على الإطلاق ، فلسفته في الحياة واضحة بلا أى تعقيدات ، ثمة غيمة من الإحساس بالخسارة تلقي بظلالها على روحه ، لا أدري ولكن يبدو أن شخصيات أعماله على النقيض تماماً ، تتيه في حالة من التشويش والارتباك والمصائر اللامتناهية كما لو أنها تمرد خفي من السيد موراكامي على طبيعته في الواقع.....
وأخيراً...ثمة وهج يومض في نهاية كل سباق وإن كان لا يستغرق سوى لحظات قليلة لكن لا تدعه ينفلت منك....
صديقتي داليا الجميلة شكراً لتشجيعك لي على قراءة هذا العمل المُمتع الجميل...وبانتظار مراجعة من مراجعاتك المتفردة بجمال خاص 😍 -
I've been struggling this year with finding forms of exercise I enjoy, so I was hoping this would show me how lifechanging running is. I may have had unrealistic expectations because this is a memoir so it's largely focused on how running affects his own life. I enjoyed it though it didn't really push me one way or another.
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وقتی از دویدن صحبت میکنم در چه موردی صحبت میکنم یک کتاب متفاوت از هاروکی موراکامی نویسندهی بزرگ ژاپنیست که من دوستش داشتم و با تک تک سلولهای بدنم پای سطر سطر این کتاب نشستم اما اینکه چرا انقدر با آن ارتباط برقرار کردم را در انتهای ریویو به شرح کامل نوشتهام و بخاطر این در آخر ریویو قرار دادم که اگر شخصی خواست گذشته من رو بخواند و حتی ازش الهام بگیرد اختیار عمل داشته باشد و من خواندن آن را به اجبار همراه ریویو به او تحمیل نکرده باشم و اگر شخصی نخواست هم صرفا بتواند به خواندن ریویو قناعت کند و از نظری طولانی آزردهخاطر نگردد.
موراکامی در این کتاب٬ خاطرات و بخشهای پررنگ از زندگی خودش در طی چندین سال را گردآوری و به شکل یک کتاب در آورده. خواننده پس از خواندن این کتاب خواهد فهمید: چطور موراکامی نویسنده شد٬ چطور قبل و اوایل نویسندگی امرار معاش میکرد٬ علایقش چه بود٬ چرا میدوید٬ چرا هیچوقت از دویدن دست برنداشت٬ تواناییها و کاستیهای خودش رو در چه میدید و برخی جزئیات تاثیرگذار دیگر از زندگی او. طبیعتا علاقهمندان موراکامی از خواندن این خاطرات (زندگینامه) او لذت میبرند اما از نظر من این کتاب میتواند الهام بخش زندگی خیلیها در سراسر دنیا باشد. اینکه شما هر شکلی هستید٬ هر استعدادی دارید٬ هر مشکلی در بدنتان دارید نباید هیچوقت دست از تلاش بکشید٬ حتی پس از رسیدن به هدف باز هم نباید بیخیال شوید. ما ممکنه روزانه دهها عیب در خودمان ببینیم اما برای رفع آنها چقدر تلاش میکنیم؟ و از همه مهمتر چقدر تلاش میکنیم بجای بولد کردن عیبها استعدادهای خود را شکوفا کنیم؟ چقدر برای تواناییهایمان میجنگیم؟ خواندن این کتاب وقت زیادی نمیبرد و میتوانید همانند من در کنار حتی یک رمان دوست داشتنی از خود موراکامی بخوانید و لذت ببرید٬ برای همین پیشنهاد میکنم حتما در لیست خواندن قرار بدیدش. در مورد ترجمه هم نگران نباشید٬ به جرات میگم تنها کتاب از موراکامی هست که سانسور نداره چون هیچ موردی که قابل سانسور باشه در کتاب وجود ندارد.
در پایان میرسم به دلیل شخصی که با تک تک سلولهای بدنم حرفهای موراکامی را تا آخرین خط خواندم و به دلم نشست: روزی در زمستان ۱۳۹۷ دیدم یک مرد سیگاریِ عصبیِ چاق و افسرده هستم با ۱۰۹کیلو وزن٬ توان ۱ طبقه پلهنوردی یا ۵۰۰ متر پیاده روی ندارم٬ یک روز همانند موراکامی که وقتی ۱۶ ساله بود اینبار من در ۲۹ سالگی بعد بیرون آمدن از حمام جلوی آینهی قدی ایستادم٬ به بدنم نگاه کردم٬ ابتدا از خودم خجالت کشیدم و بدم آمد٬ اقدام به شمردن ایرادهای خودم کردم و به این فکر میکردم که با این ایرادها زنت حق داشت که تنهات بذاره... در آن روز یعنی در ۲۷ دی ۱۳۹۷ تصمیم گرفتم درست از همین لحظه سیگار٬ مشروب٬ فستفود و قند را برای همیشه از زندگی خودم کنار بگذارم و از همین فردا صبح شروع به پیاده روی کنم٬ اوایل بعد از ۵۰۰ متر قدم زدن به نفس میافتادم اما ۳ ماه طول کشید تا با افزایش مسافت روزانه و کاهش وزن هفتگی بالاخره توانستم مسافت پیاده روی را به ۱۰ کیلومتر برسانم و بعد آن پیاده روی را کنار گذاشتم و شروع به دویدن در مسافت کوتاه کردم و هر روز همانند موراکامی به مسافتم اضافه میکردم. در یکسال اول موفق شدم ۴۶ کیلو از وزن خودم کاهش بدم و به ۶۳ کیلو وزن برسم بدون حتی ۱ گرم چربی در بدن اما بیخیال دویدن نشدم و چون با این میزان کاهش وزن عضلات زیادی را از دست داده بودم برنامه خود را تغییر دادم به ۴ روز تمرین با وزنه و ۳ روز استراحت بین تمرینات قدرتی را به دویدن اختصاص دادم٬ همانند نویسنده در بیش از ۲ سالی که میگذرد تا به امروز و نویسنده در طول این سالهای زیاد تعداد روزهایی که ورزش نکردم به تعداد انگشتهای دستم نمیرسد. قند٬ فستفود و کشیدن سیگار تبدیل به خط قرمز من شدهاند! من امروز وقتی جلوی آینه میایستم بدن عضلانی و بدون چربی خودم رو که میبینم همانند نویسنده از این بابت به خودم افتخار میکنم و دقیقا مانند حرف پایانی نویسنده که گفت روی سنگ قبرم بنویسید:(حداقل هرگز پیادهروی نکرد) دلم میخواد وقتی از دنیا رفتم روی سنگ قبرم بنویسند:(حداقل هرگز تسلیم نشد). -
An easy read but very simplistic and very repetitive. Not a runner myself, prefer walking so didn't really relate to that part. The parts about how he started writing was fairly interesting but all in all was disappointed in this book as a whole. Did quite a bit of skimming.
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کتاب "از دو که حرف میزنم از چه حرف میزنم" اولین کتابی بود که من از هاروکی موراکامی خواندم. کتاب قطعا یک شاهکار ادبی نیست، نکات قابل تأمل خیلی زیادی ندارد و شاید در بین آثار دیگر موراکامی هم جایگاه ویژهای نداشته باشد. کتاب روایتی است از دویدنهای موراکامی و تاثیر آن بر نوشتن رمان و مسائلی از این دست؛ دویدنی که شاید در یک نگاه دقیقتر، استعارهای است از زندگی و پیگیری هدفهای آن.
نکته جالب در مورد نویسنده، وجود یک خودآگاهی مثال زدنی در اوست؛ شناخت عمیق و موشکافانه موراکامی از خود و تواناییهایش، به طرزی خیرهکننده، در همه سطرهای کتاب دیده میشود و این مسئله، در کنار نگاهی که موراکامی به سه مقوله "مقابله با پوچی"، "هدف" و "رنج" دارد و در تمام کتاب دیده میشود، مرا مجاب کرد که به این کتاب چهار ستاره بدهم و مشتاق باشم در آینده نزدیک کتابهای دیگری هم از این نویسنده بخوانم... -
I finally reach the end. Strangely, have no feeling of accomplishment. The only thing I feel is utter relief that I don’t have to
runread this book anymore.
I started this book with two prejudices.
First, that the most tedious dinner party conversations typically start with your interlocutor telling you they are in training to run a marathon.
Secondly that an author’s work should stand alone from the author - I am with Elena Ferrante here - and that writers writing about themselves or even, perhaps particularly, their writing habits add nothing to their works. The rare exceptions tend to be authors who are a) extraordinary writers and b) whose write their autobiographies in the style of their novels (Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Thomas Bernhard).
This book did nothing to dispel either view.
Murakami is also no prose stylist, at least as rendered into English. In his novels this doesn’t entirely matter as his prosaic sentences are enlivened by his fantastic imagination, but writing non-fiction one loses that. Take away the talking vanishing cats, girls with pointy ears and the bottom of wells and there is little left.
So here for example when discussing his return to Cambridge (the lesser version) and the Charles River we are blessed with the insight that “I’d aged ten years, and there’d literally been a lot of water under the bridge.” Or that the profound thoughts he has while running include “on cold days I guess I think a little about how cold it is. And about the heat on hot days.”
There are a tiny handful of interesting nuggets in here about how Murakami became a novelist, perhaps just about enough to make a good New Yorker article, but it doesn’t make for a compelling book when one has to wade through running logs (why would anyone else care how many miles he ran in August 2005?! Or what time he did in the New York marathon?) to dig them out. And even with the nuggets it is more interesting to read the versions of his life as represented in his fiction (e.g. loner starts a jazz cafe) than here.
He may have been better writing a book about his bowel habits. More universal and of greater relevance to books (reading at least). And imagine if he had done so and we were greeted by comments such as - books are like bowel movements: sometimes one rushes out of you while others are only squeezed out with lots of time, effort and even pain. Genuinely that is the level of the 'running is like writing a book' insights we get here.
Tedious and not at all illuminating. -
An ideal book for writer runners (or running writers), but also probably worth it for non-running/non-writing readers as there's enough straight talk and suggestion about serious themes: enduring pain, aging, the importance of routine, self-awareness/alertness. Quick, lean, honest, at times amazing, occasionally mundane, definitely worthwhile. BUT WAIT! The really cool thing about this book is that it's also about authority. Murukami has run +25 marathons (including a +62-mile supermarathon) and written several novels. He's repeatedly done very difficult things to do. It makes sense to listen up when someone like him talks about what he talks about when he talks about how he's successfully spent his life. Some seem to object that this book wouldn't have been published by an unpublished author. But the deal is it COULDN'T HAVE BEEN WRITTEN by anyone else.
This second paragraph is more a review of a book review than a review of a book: I just read
Geoff Dyer's kind of idiotic review in Sunday's Book Review. It's sort of idiotic because half of it is sort of devoted to the translated use of "sort of" and "kind of." I used to like Geoff Dyer, but I think he just pretty seriously slipped. Much better would've been a quick suggestion that a Knopf editor could have cleaned things a bit, or a more generous approach saying that the "sort of" repetitions make for easy, conversational, congenial reading, or maybe even an interpretative stretch about a Japanse hesitancy to make unqualified assertions? Instead, Geoff Dyer condescends to Murakami (a man who's written how many novels and run how many marathons?) when Dyer suggests that Murakami is uncool for listening to Clapton or the Lovin' Spoonful! I'm sure when Dyer writes about fingerblasting his girlfriend in Southeast Asia ("my fingers grew so wet it was like oil pouring through them"), he listens to something way cooler - my guess: later work of Todd Rundgren. The immortal masterpieces of Sting? Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's duets with Eddie Vedder? The Buena Vista Social Club?!
I also realized yesterday that this book helped my endurance while on a long run - wasn't feeling so hot but I thought of Haruki on the 62+ mile run and made it all the way home without stopping. If just to please Geoff Dyer, you ask what was I listening to? "Paris au Printemps," a live album by Public Image Limited -- perfect running music for me.
