I just learned about Haruki Murakami and his stuff sounds interesting. Anyone have any thoughts on any of his stuff?

Really? That is disappointing =/ I was hoping to find a new favorite author.

Ive heard that Norwegian Wood is good entry-level Murakami, followed by Wind-Up Bird Chronicles. Allegedly Kafka is hit or miss depending on you are talking to.

All his novels are superficially similar, see pic related. That said, if you read one and discard the rest you're missing out on vastly different explorations under the hood. The true Murakami meme is reading one and then stopping, and I doubt a single faggot on this board will agree with me because they're all seemingly incapable of reading Murakami beyond plot.

This gives me hope. Where should I start? I would like to go from worst-to-best order, or least-satisfying-to-most-satisfying like I am doing with Vonnegut atm, but if his worst is really hard to break in to, what would you suggest in its place?

oops, have a bigger one. If you can't deal with all of his books having all of the elements in pic related while exploring radically different themes, Murakami may not be for you, granted.

I've only read half a dozen of his novels. His worst is pretty unanimously 1Q84 and is indeed not worth reading. I enjoyed After Dark the least, but it was enjoyable. Just go by goodreads ratings desu

NW is Murakami lite. Nothing of the usual surreal stuff you get in most of his books. Maybe make it your second Murakami but go for either Kafka or Wind-Up as your first. Preferably Wind-Up in my opinion.

his story collections are the most interesting of his books: The Elephant Vanishes (extraordinary/surreal) and After the Quake (more 'realistic'). Of his novels, I enjoyed West of the Border, South of the Sun.

Iceman

Avoid After Dark at all costs, it sucks.

>tfw read norwegian wood
>mfw that ending came out of nowhere

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a great place to start, as most have suggested. My personal favorite is Sputnik Sweetheart, followed by Kafka on the Shore.

1. Read Sputnik Sweetheart.
2. Watch Norwegian Wood, the movie adaptation.
3. Listen to Norwegian Wood, the song.

Masterrace.

>he doesn't get after dark
Never breed, pleb.

This is true but it's also pretty great if you enjoy his style. I found I could just pick up them one after another without losing the comfy feel I had.

Kafka on the Shore was pretty well-written, but I still can't wrap my head around the magical realism.

>not understanding when metaphysical becomes physical
How do you even breathe? Literally everything "magical" represents a metaphysical concept. That's all there fucking is to it.

>Literally everything "magical" represents a metaphysical concept

[citation needed]

The man in white/colonel Sanders/ providence says this in Kafka. If you have it in an ebook search the word "concept" until it comes up. He spells it out in a dialogue about half way through the book.

Sure, I know Sanders says he's a concept, but what about Mr. Nakata looking for the fucking cat?

Or the guy Nakata kills, or the fucking ghost town that Kafka goes to in the middle of the forest?

There's a lot that doesn't make complete sense, just because you can project your own take on it.

Be prepared for a shitstorm OP, Murakami is intensely meme-status hated by Veeky Forums for reasons it seems not even the haters themselves quite understand. Most likely it vaguely has to with him being about as mainstream as literary fiction gets.

Anyway, Murakami is pretty good comfy core. I love Japanese Veeky Forums and read Japanese too, and he's by no means my favorite but I like him. He's not a great writer but he's a great storyteller and his novels will never fail to keep you very engrossed.

I recommend just reading Wind Up Bird, simply because it's his best work. Norwegian Wood is not a good introduction to him because it's his only novel without any kind of dreamshit, talking cats, etc.

After Dark and 1Q84 can definitely be skipped imho, although they're not terrible. Everything else is solidly recommended.

He actually is a pretty decent writer and a good storyteller.

The problem is that when certain books and writers get pop-culture status, their skills are inflated to a degree that is not realistic.

His writing is mostly--and at best--competent. He has a knack for similes and images that are so cringingly bad it's insulting.

>Tengo’s penis began to wake from its tranquil sleep in the mud, as if it had been poked in its back by a finger. It gave a yawn and slowed raised its head, gradually growing harder until, like a yacht whose sails are filled by a strong northwest tailwind, it achieved a full, unreserved erection.

>He literally stirred my mind and body the way a spoon stirs a cup of cocoa, down to the depths of my internal organs and my womb

And in the latest work there's some bullshit about a woman's high heels making the sound of a steady blacksmith at work or something. Truly awful.

He has never wow'd me with his prose. But yes, as I said, he is quite a good story teller. One the best. I have never

Btw, the cringe stuff is not the fault of translation.

The ghost town where Kafka goes by himself to be introspective? I had that one pegged as introspection. It's probably more nuanced than that, and it's been nearly a decade since I've read it, but I doubt you'd have to read too far into it when you understand that the metaphysical world is merging with the physical world to identify what are obviously concepts by their manifestations. I wish the cat/Nakata subplot was clearer in my memory so I could be more persuasive :/

That's not so bad though. It's a bit purple, but otherwise fine. I mean it's not great, but it doesn't make me hate the writing either.

Hey, man, if you're still around, who are your favorite Japanese writers? Very interested in your reply.