Understanding Haruki Murakami

I have several books by Haruki Murakami. The more I read his writing, the more I love his writing. I must admit though that this attraction wasn't instantaneous. I first read Norwegian Wood and thought, "that was nice." The impact of his writing didn't strike me until months later when I found myself still thinking about that novel. After reading a recent essay by Murakami, I now understand the attraction and why it took me awhile to realize how much I like his works. It's like jazz music ... which doesn't always strike you immediately, but rather, grows on you. In fact, Murakami admits that his writing is influenced by his love of jazz music. Murakami's writing style is to take the words swirling around in his head (his "music") and give those words rhythm, melody, harmony, and finally free improvisation in the hope of "reaching a place that is new and meaningful."

I'll leave you with Murakmi's own words about writing:

One of my all-time favorite jazz pianists is Thelonious Monk. Once, when someone asked him how he managed to get a certain special sound out of the piano, Monk pointed to the keyboard and said: “It can’t be any new note. When you look at the keyboard, all the notes are there already. But if you mean a note enough, it will sound different. You got to pick the notes you really mean!”

I often recall these words when I am writing, and I think to myself, “It’s true. There aren’t any new words. Our job is to give new meanings and special overtones to absolutely ordinary words.” I find the thought reassuring. It means that vast, unknown stretches still lie before us, fertile territories just waiting for us to cultivate them.

From the essay "Jazz Messenger" by Haruki Murakami posted in the online version of the New York Times Sunday Book Review dated July 8, 2007

Reviews of Murakami's work can be found at:
Books 'N Border Collies (Lezlie) - Review of After Dark