Novelist as a Vocation
An exploration of a writer’s life from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Norwegian Wood
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Words have power. Yet that power must be rooted in truth and justice. Words must never stand apart from those principles.
'You end this collection…vowing to never let life, or writing, get so complicated again' Guardian
Readers who have long wondered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas and what inspires his beautifully surreal worlds will be fascinated by this highly personal look at the craft of writing.
In this engaging book, the internationally best-selling author shares with readers what he thinks about being a novelist; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists, and musicians.
'Murakami is like a magician who explains what he's doing as he performs the trick and still makes you believe he has supernatural powers' New York Times Book Review
'A fascinating glimpse of the peculiar writerly life' Sunday Times
** A TIMES, SUNDAY TIMES and NEW STATESMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR**
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Novelist Murakami (1Q84) reveals the tricks of the trade in this stellar essay collection, originally published in Japan in 2015. In "Are Novelists Broadminded?" he observes that "people with brilliant minds are not particularly well suited to writing novels," while "A Completely Personal and Physical Occupation" makes a case that it's crucial for a writer to cultivate stamina: "You have to become physically fit. You need to become robust and physically strong. And make your body your ally." In "When I Became a Novelist" Murakami shares stories of his time at the Waseda University in Tokyo at the peak of student protests and recalls his days operating a jazz café with his wife in the mid-'70s: "We were all young then, full of ambition and energy—though, sad to say, no one was making any money to speak of." Especially enjoyable is a mystical tale he shares about a baseball game he attended in 1978 during which "based on no grounds whatsoever, it suddenly struck me: I think I can write a novel." Lighthearted yet edifying, the anecdotes make for a fantastic look at how a key literary figure made it happen. Murakami's fans will relish these amusing missives.
