Haruki Murakami and his magical world of literature

Let me start off by saying, that this is in no shape or form, a critical or in depth review of Murakami’s works, after all, who am I to judge? Not even the judges of the Nobel prize for literature dare to say they have understood Murakami’s world of storytelling enough to give him their recognition after all these years, for goodness’s sakes! All jokes aside, it seems obvious to say , that the way Murakami chooses to portray his characters and his ability to draw the readers into the worlds that he has created through “1Q84”, “Kafka on the Shore”, “ Norwegian Woods”, and the most recent masterpiece, “ Killing Commendatore” , has helped him become the industry giant as he is at the current stage within the literary world.

“1Q84” is the first book that has introduced me to Murakami, and I was stunned and mesmerized by the attention that he paid to the details and the surreality of the narrative. There are many writer’s guides that teach beginner writers must not tell but show the readers, and that the readers should not even sense the writer’s presence as they ride along with the characters’ conquests within the narrative. But what Murakami has done through dividing the narrative with the perspectives of individual characters, ignited a fire within me to invest emotionally with the characters, almost as if I have known them personally. The twin worlds of the male and female protagonists, connected by the moons, introduced to me a bizarre and yet fairytale like modern Japan. Although the book is over nine hundred pages long, one can easily finish without taking many breaks, because the reality would seemed to be wrapped within it as well.

Even though most of Murakami’s works are deeply embedded with the rich expression of Japanese culture and history, foreign readers like me have little to no difficulty in understanding and appreciating this genius’s intuition and insight. In addition to that, the novels often bring a special atmosphere of stillness to the readers, and the genre of magic realism could not be mentioned without Murakami’s unique flavour and touch.

There were many moments during the time that I spent reading his works, I found myself hearing the soundtracks of the scenes, seeing the exact settings of the fightings, conversations and struggles in front of me. It was not easy to pull myself away from the immersive experiences that Murakami’s writings had imprinted on me every time I finish reading one of his works . They also often left me spending a long time to reflect on the messages that he chose to deliver, and the connections he made to his opinions on societal problems and affairs.

History has proven again and again, that his style of writing withstand the test of time and Murakami continues to venture into new territories without fail. His fans range from young readers like me, to older generations who grew up reading his works. Even his earlier works transcend the age gaps that bring unique perspectives to the current state of affairs. None of this should be labelled with exaggeration, because Murakami is able to trigger a wide range of emotions from the readers as they engage with his writings.

Murakami juxtaposes the haunting usage of realism and influences from Western writers like Chandler, which leads to the establishment of “Murakami-sm”(a word that I just made up, because there is no better description of his style). Romance, fantasy, and magical realism, what a wonderful time to live in for readers like me, to be able to read Haruki Murakami’s works while he’s still producing new works as we speak. For fans of the silver screen or live stage experience, Murakami’s debut novel, “Hear the Wind Sing”, has been turned into a film, and so as his other works have been performed through stage productions. One can never get enough of Murakami’s addictive writing, and not finding them lost in the worlds that he has created.