kafka VS murakami

[Positronius]

if you had one book from each to read forever on the moon, which ones and why>?

[wulong]

if you had one book from each to read forever on the moon, which ones and why>? I've never read Kafka, so I couldn't comment on that, but if I had to take a Murakami to the moon, I'd take The Wind up Bird Chronicle. My absolute favorite is Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but Chronicle has more meat to it; I think I'd be able to read it over and over and still be able to find new things in it...

[Ageless]

No doubt about it. Murakami ranks is one of Japan's finest in modern times...an insightful mind indeed. If you want a taste similar to Murakami, try Soseki...especially "Kokoro."

BTW....how ya doing with your gf? Your post in the career resources makes for a good reading and laugh!

[spacetiger]

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

[Gaijin de Moscu]

West of Border, South of Sun (?) was a good read, if a bit painful at times because it reminded me too much of myself.

Hardboiled wonderland was fantastic.

[Positronius]

dude.....after I finished reading west/south, I was paralyzed in a simnabuilstic depression for the following hours. Replace a couple cars in that book with buses and you have a few morsals of my personal history.

But, anyone who has been through a few relationships (especially with Japanese girls) will surely share some semblance with "beginning"

[Positronius]

shes great, but I keep catching her loitering around the local massagee place in a big colourful coat and I dont know what to make of it!

kafka: the trial

murakami: wild sheep chase

If you havent read the trial, I suggest doing so if you have the time, its a hilarious bureucratic nightmare. The feeling of dread indeed, with a crooked sardonic smile to match.

[sincity]

I remember thinking Kafka's "The Trial" and "The Castle" were pretty cool but I read them as a teenager so what the f*ck did I know? Teenage hipsters always dig alienation... And judging from "Hard-boiled Wonderland", it's pretty obvious that Murakami has read his Kafka. In fact, I think his most recent book is entitled "Kafka on the Shore."

I personally wouldn't bring any of their books to the moon. I prefer the genius of John Grisham. The books are thick but the payoff is bigtime! And you'll get a kick out of the way corporate America always takes a knife up the butt. Once you read 4 of his novels you can get online and boast to everyone how well-read you are.

If you haven't read "The Firm" I suggest doing so if you have the time....

[smallworld]

No doubt about it. Murakami ranks is one of Japan's finest in modern times...an insightful mind indeed. If you want a taste similar to Murakami, try Soseki...especially "Kokoro."

OK, in what way is Murakami similar to Murakami?

Sincity, so if you had to pick one Grisham and one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series to read forever on the moon, which ones and why?

[Song2]

Hmmm...books on the moon...do they have tables with one leg shorter than the others up there too...and just to put the record straight, is the moon made of cheese or rice?

[wulong]

OK, in what way is Murakami similar to Murakami?

Sincity, so if you had to pick one Grisham and one of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series to read forever on the moon, which ones and why? Bahaha.... .. . . .

[coaxialjack]

Kafka's efforts at novels are poo, if you ask me, he was a short story kind of man. the hunger artist is a particular treat, as is the one whose name i can't remember about the crime being slowly inscribed into the back of the criminal over and over again, until he's naught but a messy pulp.

Murakami is at his best in the short story format, too. The charming number about the husband and wife stealing bread from mcdonalds rates highly. But of the novels, nejimakidori is king. 'David Lynch...', it seems to say, 'eat my man-waste.'

Still waiting for Kafka on the shore. Another reason to learn kanji, i suppose.

[Positronius]

yeah, murakami is best at short story, if you discount all of his masterpeices.

have you read the trial? poo? your criticisms are worthless, think about that. Go meditate on the meaninglessness of your worlds as you sling letters on a mediocre medium at a giant who has come to define and create his own unique emotion.

[coaxialjack]

Hmm. I 'm sure Herr Franz would smirk at the idea of my criticisms being worthless. Well, probably not, the miserable _______, but he'd agree. My criticisms, along with everything else.

I just found the trial laboured, and quite tedious for it. he could have achieved the same effect in fewer pages. and kafka's syntax is f**king awful.

As for creating his own unique emotion, I'm intrigued as to which one that is. He doesn't have the market share on Jewish middle classed alienation, and draws heavily on the Judaic story telling tradition, albeit derailing it en route.

Don't get me wrong, I like a lot of his stuff, but the trial tires me.

As for Murakami, again, I have a lot of time for him, and would count him among my favourite writers. But he has a tendency to amble along chaotically when he's at work on a novel. That works for me, but he sometimes gets to the core of things more succinctly, and powerfully, in the short stories. There aren't many people left who can write short stories at all. This doesn't detract from the novels, which I love also.

Although though (tee hee) I found Hard Boiled Wonderland, blah blah blah to be a little too kafkaesque, and as such, irksome in parts.