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After the Quake
For the characters in after the quake, the Kobe earthquake is an echo from a past they buried long ago. Satsuki has spent thirty years hating one man: did her desire for revenge cause the earthquake? Miyake left his family in Kobe to make midnight bonfires on a beach hundreds of miles away. Fourteen-year-old Sala has nightmares that the Earthquake Man is trying to stuff her inside a little box. Katagiri returns home to find a giant frog in his apartment on a mission to save Tokyo from a massive burrowing worm. 'When he gets angry, he causes earthquakes,' says Frog. 'And right now he is very, very angry.
** Murakami’s new novel is coming **
COLORLESS TSUKURU TAZAKI AND HIS YEARS OF PILGRIMAGE
'The reason why death had such a hold on Tsukuru Tazaki was clear. One day his four closest friends, the friends he’d known for a long time, announced that they did not want to see him, or talk with him, ever again.'
162 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 25, 2000
1524 people are currently reading
34329 people want to read
About the author
Haruki Murakami
596 books131k followersHaruki Murakami (村上春樹) is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been best-sellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Gunzo Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award, the Tanizaki Prize, Yomiuri Prize for Literature, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Noma Literary Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Kiriyama Prize for Fiction, the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fiction, the Jerusalem Prize, and the Princess of Asturias Awards.
Growing up in Ashiya, near Kobe before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel Hear the Wind Sing (1979) after working as the owner of a small jazz bar for seven years. His notable works include the novels Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994–95), Kafka on the Shore (2002) and 1Q84 (2009–10); the last was ranked as the best work of Japan's Heisei era (1989–2019) by the national newspaper Asahi Shimbun's survey of literary experts. His work spans genres including science fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction, and has become known for his use of magical realist elements. His official website cites Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan as key inspirations to his work, while Murakami himself has named Kazuo Ishiguro, Cormac McCarthy and Dag Solstad as his favourite currently active writers. Murakami has also published five short story collections, including First Person Singular (2020), and non-fiction works including Underground (1997), an oral history of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2007), a memoir about his experience as a long distance runner.
His fiction has polarized literary critics and the reading public. He has sometimes been criticised by Japan's literary establishment as un-Japanese, leading to Murakami's recalling that he was a "black sheep in the Japanese literary world". Meanwhile, Murakami has been described by Gary Fisketjon, the editor of Murakami's collection The Elephant Vanishes (1993), as a "truly extraordinary writer", while Steven Poole of The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his oeuvre.
Growing up in Ashiya, near Kobe before moving to Tokyo to attend Waseda University, he published his first novel Hear the Wind Sing (1979) after working as the owner of a small jazz bar for seven years. His notable works include the novels Norwegian Wood (1987), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994–95), Kafka on the Shore (2002) and 1Q84 (2009–10); the last was ranked as the best work of Japan's Heisei era (1989–2019) by the national newspaper Asahi Shimbun's survey of literary experts. His work spans genres including science fiction, fantasy, and crime fiction, and has become known for his use of magical realist elements. His official website cites Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut and Richard Brautigan as key inspirations to his work, while Murakami himself has named Kazuo Ishiguro, Cormac McCarthy and Dag Solstad as his favourite currently active writers. Murakami has also published five short story collections, including First Person Singular (2020), and non-fiction works including Underground (1997), an oral history of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (2007), a memoir about his experience as a long distance runner.
His fiction has polarized literary critics and the reading public. He has sometimes been criticised by Japan's literary establishment as un-Japanese, leading to Murakami's recalling that he was a "black sheep in the Japanese literary world". Meanwhile, Murakami has been described by Gary Fisketjon, the editor of Murakami's collection The Elephant Vanishes (1993), as a "truly extraordinary writer", while Steven Poole of The Guardian praised Murakami as "among the world's greatest living novelists" for his oeuvre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,088 reviews
July 31, 2020
“No matter how far you travel, you can never get away from yourself.”
The Great Hanshin earthquake or Kobe earthquake occurred on 17th January 1995 and affected over a million lives in the southern part of the Hyōgo Prefecture. The loss of almost 6500 lives and the ruins of Kobe left a bruise at the country's core.
After the Quake doesn't chronicle the events of the earthquake, although all its stories have a vague connection to the disaster. However, instead of putting his characters at the very core of the disaster and writing about it, Murakami chooses to write about the nation's response and the weight on its conscience to showcase the earthquake's impact.
The Great Hanshin earthquake or Kobe earthquake occurred on 17th January 1995 and affected over a million lives in the southern part of the Hyōgo Prefecture. The loss of almost 6500 lives and the ruins of Kobe left a bruise at the country's core.
After the Quake doesn't chronicle the events of the earthquake, although all its stories have a vague connection to the disaster. However, instead of putting his characters at the very core of the disaster and writing about it, Murakami chooses to write about the nation's response and the weight on its conscience to showcase the earthquake's impact.
November 3, 2022
A collection of six stories is in this book.
I especially love short stories like Super-Frog Saves Tokyo and Honey Pie.
I also like one part of 'Landscape with Flatiron' where Miyake said " Tell you the truth, I don't have a refrigerator. I don't like refrigerators".
I especially love short stories like Super-Frog Saves Tokyo and Honey Pie.
I also like one part of 'Landscape with Flatiron' where Miyake said " Tell you the truth, I don't have a refrigerator. I don't like refrigerators".
August 2, 2018
This was my first time reading Haruki Murakami's writing, and I was indeed more than intrigued and impressed. The six stories in this mesmerizing collection are set at the time of the catastrophic 1995 Kobe earthquake, when Japan became brutally aware of the fragility of its daily existence. But the upheavals that afflict Murakami’s characters are even deeper and more mysterious, emanating from a place where the human meets the inhuman.
My two favorite stories: thailand & honey pie.
thailand:
This short story follows Satsuki - a professional pathologist - moving back to Japan after she “became fed up with living in America” for over a decade, researching the immune function of the thyroid gland. A lot of events occur over the course of Satsuki's story, when she ends up having her dreams foretold, which is one of my favorite things in books:
“She says that there is a stone inside your body. A hard, white stone. About the size of a child’s fist. She does not know where it came from.”
“A stone?” Satsuki asked.
“There is something written on the stone, but she cannot read it because it is in Japanese: small black characters of some kind. The stone and its inscription are old, old things. You have been living with them inside you for a very long time. You must get rid of the stone. Otherwise, after you die and are cremated, only the stone will remain.”
I live this kind of stuff.
“You are going to have a dream soon about a large snake. In your dream, it will be easing its way out of a hole in a wall—a green, scaly snake. Once it has pushed out three feet from the wall, you must grab its neck and never let go. The snake will look very frightening, but in fact it can do you no harm, so you must not be frightened. Hold on to it with both hands. Think of it as your life, and hold on to it with all your strength. Keep holding it until you wake from your dream. The snake will swallow your stone for you. Do you understand?”
It gave me chills.
thailand ends with quite an open ending as most of the stories did in this collection. Overall, it was a strange but insightful read. I liked it the most from all the other tales.
honey pie
The concluding story is about the tight-knit threesome of Junpei, Takatsuki, and Sayoko—with born short story writer, Junpei, at the center of this story. It was a lovely tale about friendships, love, storytelling, and so much more. But I especially loved the tales Junpei told Sayoko's daughter, Sala.
“Junpei often made up stories for Sala when she went to bed. And whenever she didn’t understand something, she would ask him to explain. Junpei gave a lot of thought to his answers. Sala’s questions were always sharp and interesting, and while he was thinking about them he could also come up with new twists to the story.”
Also, how great was Sayoko with her random bra trick:
“Sayoko was wearing a baggy black crewneck sweater. She put both hands on the table and counted, “One … two … three! ” Like a turtle pulling into its shell, she slipped her right hand up inside her sleeve, and then there was a light back-scratching kind of movement. Out came the right hand again, and the left hand went up its sleeve. Sayoko turned her head just a bit, and the left hand came out holding a white bra—a small one with no wires. Without the slightest wasted motion, the hand and bra went back up the sleeve, and the hand came out again. Then the right hand pulled in, poked around at the back, and came out again. The end. Sayoko rested her right hand on her left on the table.
“Twenty-five seconds,” Sala said. “That’s great, Mommy, a new record! Your best time so far was thirty-six seconds.”
One of the funniest and brilliant moments that I've encountered while reading.
Overall, I'm really glad I gave this short story collection a try, and I can't wait to read more of Haruki Murakami's charm and wit in his other works.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying After the Quake, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
Support creators you love. Buy a Coffee for nat (bookspoils) with Ko-fi.com/bookspoils
My two favorite stories: thailand & honey pie.
thailand:
This short story follows Satsuki - a professional pathologist - moving back to Japan after she “became fed up with living in America” for over a decade, researching the immune function of the thyroid gland. A lot of events occur over the course of Satsuki's story, when she ends up having her dreams foretold, which is one of my favorite things in books:
“She says that there is a stone inside your body. A hard, white stone. About the size of a child’s fist. She does not know where it came from.”
“A stone?” Satsuki asked.
“There is something written on the stone, but she cannot read it because it is in Japanese: small black characters of some kind. The stone and its inscription are old, old things. You have been living with them inside you for a very long time. You must get rid of the stone. Otherwise, after you die and are cremated, only the stone will remain.”
I live this kind of stuff.
“You are going to have a dream soon about a large snake. In your dream, it will be easing its way out of a hole in a wall—a green, scaly snake. Once it has pushed out three feet from the wall, you must grab its neck and never let go. The snake will look very frightening, but in fact it can do you no harm, so you must not be frightened. Hold on to it with both hands. Think of it as your life, and hold on to it with all your strength. Keep holding it until you wake from your dream. The snake will swallow your stone for you. Do you understand?”
It gave me chills.
thailand ends with quite an open ending as most of the stories did in this collection. Overall, it was a strange but insightful read. I liked it the most from all the other tales.
honey pie
The concluding story is about the tight-knit threesome of Junpei, Takatsuki, and Sayoko—with born short story writer, Junpei, at the center of this story. It was a lovely tale about friendships, love, storytelling, and so much more. But I especially loved the tales Junpei told Sayoko's daughter, Sala.
“Junpei often made up stories for Sala when she went to bed. And whenever she didn’t understand something, she would ask him to explain. Junpei gave a lot of thought to his answers. Sala’s questions were always sharp and interesting, and while he was thinking about them he could also come up with new twists to the story.”
Also, how great was Sayoko with her random bra trick:
“Sayoko was wearing a baggy black crewneck sweater. She put both hands on the table and counted, “One … two … three! ” Like a turtle pulling into its shell, she slipped her right hand up inside her sleeve, and then there was a light back-scratching kind of movement. Out came the right hand again, and the left hand went up its sleeve. Sayoko turned her head just a bit, and the left hand came out holding a white bra—a small one with no wires. Without the slightest wasted motion, the hand and bra went back up the sleeve, and the hand came out again. Then the right hand pulled in, poked around at the back, and came out again. The end. Sayoko rested her right hand on her left on the table.
“Twenty-five seconds,” Sala said. “That’s great, Mommy, a new record! Your best time so far was thirty-six seconds.”
One of the funniest and brilliant moments that I've encountered while reading.
Overall, I'm really glad I gave this short story collection a try, and I can't wait to read more of Haruki Murakami's charm and wit in his other works.
*Note: I'm an Amazon Affiliate. If you're interested in buying After the Quake, just click on the image below to go through my link. I'll make a small commission!*
Support creators you love. Buy a Coffee for nat (bookspoils) with Ko-fi.com/bookspoils
October 29, 2007
My favorite Murakami short story of all time is "The Kidney Shaped Stone That Moves Everyday." So when I realized halfway through the last story in After the Quake that the main character was the same one from "Kidney Shaped Stone," it was as if the planets had aligned, the clouds parted and a single shaft of sunlight shot down to bathe me in a golden glow; everything was perfect in the universe. And of course "Honey Pie" is now my second favorite Murakami story of all time.
It's a rare writer that can pull off the elegant and sentimental alongside the bizarre and hilarious, but Murakami is one of those writers. The man is truly genius. It took me a long time to figure out how to write this review without sounding like a crazed fangirl. I guess all I can really talk about is the way I feel after reading After the Quake. I felt happy in the way that you do when you hear a song for the first time and realize, Hey, this is really good, but I also felt sad. After the Quake was so brilliant that I didn't want the stories to end, and when they did, I felt like I was saying good-bye to a dear friend.
It's a rare writer that can pull off the elegant and sentimental alongside the bizarre and hilarious, but Murakami is one of those writers. The man is truly genius. It took me a long time to figure out how to write this review without sounding like a crazed fangirl. I guess all I can really talk about is the way I feel after reading After the Quake. I felt happy in the way that you do when you hear a song for the first time and realize, Hey, this is really good, but I also felt sad. After the Quake was so brilliant that I didn't want the stories to end, and when they did, I felt like I was saying good-bye to a dear friend.
June 5, 2021
Murakami was one of the authors that really got me into Japanese literature years ago. I discovered his work and read several in a row before I branched out looking for other authors from Japan. Despite his status in the literary world and his status as the author who helped get me into one of my favorite study areas in literature… I actually haven't read that much of him. When I first discovered him I read three of his books in a row… and then only briefly came back. I haven't even read his three most popular works (Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle or Kafka on the Shore). I felt it was about time to get back into his work and picked up this little short story collection. Well, how did it go?
Brief thoughts on each of the stories:
UFO in Kushiro - An interesting start to the collection and one that certainly sets up the two main themes. First is obviously the Kobe Earthquake. The second is identity. All these stories revolve around the idea of identity and this one is probably the most blatant about it, in which a man starts looking at his own after his wife leaves him. It's a story that honestly felt like it was setting up for more and felt more like the first chapter of a novel than a full story. It's good but feels unfinished. 3/5 stars
Landscape with Flatiron
A woman who left her family to live with her boyfriend builds a bonfire with their friend. It sounds simple, but this one is probably the bleakest of the stories. 3/5 stars
All God's Children Can Dance
I confess… I didn't get this one. It follows a man whose religious mother told him he was the product of an immaculate conception. He finds a man who might be his human father and… well, not much else. Sure I could analyze some of the events that followed, but it felt kind of pointless to me in the end. I was not impressed at all by this one. 2/5 stars
Thailand
Alright, after three middle ground to poor stories, we get an excellent one. A doctor decides to take a week vacation in Thailand, a friend sets her up with a driver/tour guide. The two of them get along and some stories are revealed from both sides. Well told, well thought out and frankly a narrative I would have love to see more of, but still felt finished unlike the first story. 4/5 stars
Super-Frog Saves Tokyo
The only story with blatant fantasy elements in the collection. A businessman arrives home to discover a giant frog in his house who informs him that he needs help defeating a giant worm who wants to cause another earthquake. The story is absurd, funny and surprisingly emotional at the end. 4/5 stars
Honey Pie
Now this one is perfect. Three friends meet in college and form a unique relationship. Both men are in love with the woman in the group, and when ends up with her, the other stays a constant part of both their lives. He's there during good times and in bad, and instead of seeing him as an intruder, he's always welcome. It's a complicated story, much more so than any way I could explain it, and I will never be able to get across how well done it was. It's a story about telling stories. It's a story about looking back at your life, seeing your mistakes and coming to terms with them. It's about seeing how to correct them. It's just wonderful. 5/5 stars.
Overall I think it's half a great to amazing collection and half mediocre to good. Overall I feel like I have to give it 3/5 stars, but still recommended for those who don't mind if the stories aren't completely wrapped up in a satisfactory manner.
Brief thoughts on each of the stories:
UFO in Kushiro - An interesting start to the collection and one that certainly sets up the two main themes. First is obviously the Kobe Earthquake. The second is identity. All these stories revolve around the idea of identity and this one is probably the most blatant about it, in which a man starts looking at his own after his wife leaves him. It's a story that honestly felt like it was setting up for more and felt more like the first chapter of a novel than a full story. It's good but feels unfinished. 3/5 stars
Landscape with Flatiron
A woman who left her family to live with her boyfriend builds a bonfire with their friend. It sounds simple, but this one is probably the bleakest of the stories. 3/5 stars
All God's Children Can Dance
I confess… I didn't get this one. It follows a man whose religious mother told him he was the product of an immaculate conception. He finds a man who might be his human father and… well, not much else. Sure I could analyze some of the events that followed, but it felt kind of pointless to me in the end. I was not impressed at all by this one. 2/5 stars
Thailand
Alright, after three middle ground to poor stories, we get an excellent one. A doctor decides to take a week vacation in Thailand, a friend sets her up with a driver/tour guide. The two of them get along and some stories are revealed from both sides. Well told, well thought out and frankly a narrative I would have love to see more of, but still felt finished unlike the first story. 4/5 stars
Super-Frog Saves Tokyo
The only story with blatant fantasy elements in the collection. A businessman arrives home to discover a giant frog in his house who informs him that he needs help defeating a giant worm who wants to cause another earthquake. The story is absurd, funny and surprisingly emotional at the end. 4/5 stars
Honey Pie
Now this one is perfect. Three friends meet in college and form a unique relationship. Both men are in love with the woman in the group, and when ends up with her, the other stays a constant part of both their lives. He's there during good times and in bad, and instead of seeing him as an intruder, he's always welcome. It's a complicated story, much more so than any way I could explain it, and I will never be able to get across how well done it was. It's a story about telling stories. It's a story about looking back at your life, seeing your mistakes and coming to terms with them. It's about seeing how to correct them. It's just wonderful. 5/5 stars.
Overall I think it's half a great to amazing collection and half mediocre to good. Overall I feel like I have to give it 3/5 stars, but still recommended for those who don't mind if the stories aren't completely wrapped up in a satisfactory manner.
December 27, 2024
The Kobe earthquake struck an area of southern Japan early one morning in January 1995. It took more than 4000 lives and left hundreds of thousands homeless. In this collection of six short stories, the relationship of the narrative to the earthquake itself is sometimes clear but at other times obscure. A link they do all share is that the events in each story take place one month after the earthquake.
The stories often have no ending. They simply reflect the thoughts and actions of various people in a narrow span of time. These are fragments of lives. In typical Murakami style, some stories include the surreal whilst others focus on people whose lives somehow feel empty, at least at that moment; some are outsiders, and some seem a little lost. The general tone is understandably melancholy. It’s all beautifully done. My favourite story involves a man who is confronted by a huge speaking frog. Sounds weird? Well it’s actually, for me, the most touching of all the tales.
Another excellent collection of stories from this writer who never fails to surprise and to make me think about my own place in the world and the way in which I choose to lead my life.
The stories often have no ending. They simply reflect the thoughts and actions of various people in a narrow span of time. These are fragments of lives. In typical Murakami style, some stories include the surreal whilst others focus on people whose lives somehow feel empty, at least at that moment; some are outsiders, and some seem a little lost. The general tone is understandably melancholy. It’s all beautifully done. My favourite story involves a man who is confronted by a huge speaking frog. Sounds weird? Well it’s actually, for me, the most touching of all the tales.
Another excellent collection of stories from this writer who never fails to surprise and to make me think about my own place in the world and the way in which I choose to lead my life.
April 17, 2020
“And then it struck him what lay buried far down under the earth on which his feet were so firmly planted: the ominous rumbling of the deepest darkness, secret rivers that transported desire, slimy creatures writhing, the lair of earthquakes ready to transform whole cities into mounds of rubble. These, too, were helping to create the rhythm of the earth.”
After reading his sole non-fiction work, Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, about the Tokyo subway nerve-gas attack on March 20, 1995, I was led to this collection of fictional short stories set in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake of January 17, 1995, which occurred only two months before the gas attack.
However the Kobe earthquake is just a sombre backdrop for the stories; the characters are only loosely connected to Kobe, and it felt more like Murakami intended to display the Japanese psyche, in which the earthquake served as a metaphor for the characters’ state of mind. Indeed, it felt as if I was wading through the rubble of their minds, and witnessing the ruptures and shaking of their emotional lives.
Not unsimilar to the interviews with several members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult (that was responsible for the gas attack) in ‘Underground’, we are shown the emptiness, darkness and existential despair that Murakami’s characters experience in their lives.
Personal tragedy and the feeling that there’s something missing in our lives can indeed lead us spiritual creatures to mediums, religions and cults like Aum.
So “perhaps we should think of After the Quake as an investigation of the psychic preconditions for the attack.” (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...).
“The whole terrible fight occurred in the area of imagination. That is the precise location of our battlefield. It’s there that we experience our victories and our defeats. Each and every one of us is a being of limited duration: all of us eventually go down to defeat.”
After reading his sole non-fiction work, Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, about the Tokyo subway nerve-gas attack on March 20, 1995, I was led to this collection of fictional short stories set in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake of January 17, 1995, which occurred only two months before the gas attack.
However the Kobe earthquake is just a sombre backdrop for the stories; the characters are only loosely connected to Kobe, and it felt more like Murakami intended to display the Japanese psyche, in which the earthquake served as a metaphor for the characters’ state of mind. Indeed, it felt as if I was wading through the rubble of their minds, and witnessing the ruptures and shaking of their emotional lives.
Not unsimilar to the interviews with several members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult (that was responsible for the gas attack) in ‘Underground’, we are shown the emptiness, darkness and existential despair that Murakami’s characters experience in their lives.
Personal tragedy and the feeling that there’s something missing in our lives can indeed lead us spiritual creatures to mediums, religions and cults like Aum.
So “perhaps we should think of After the Quake as an investigation of the psychic preconditions for the attack.” (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...).
“The whole terrible fight occurred in the area of imagination. That is the precise location of our battlefield. It’s there that we experience our victories and our defeats. Each and every one of us is a being of limited duration: all of us eventually go down to defeat.”
April 30, 2022
This is the twelfth book I have read by Murakami and at this point you could probably say that I am quite invested in the author. I think he is fantastic, well, sometimes. And that’s the problem, I just don’t find him very consistent in his brilliance. My opinion of this collection only reinforces my point.
The title After the Quake immediately suggests that these are stories relating to an earthquake when in fact these are short stories that were written after an earthquake in Japan and are very loosely related at best to the actual quake. They vary in their themes, optimism, purpose and quality. I consider them quite a random bunch of stories that happened to be written after a natural disaster which briefly appears in the pages. Was I missing something? I just don’t quite feel like these all belonged together or even in the collection.
Anyway, that aside, I liked some of the stories in here a great deal. Others just lacked any weight and were a bit bland. One was suggestive of great and transformative personal change spurred on by the realisation of how fleeting life can be, but it didn’t go anywhere. Another just seemed to be about people burning things on a beach as a from of catharsis. They all remained a little open ended, as good short stories should be. Indeed, a good short story should hang over you and linger in your mind, but not all of them were that engaging in their content. Not all the characters were interesting enough to warrant much thought.
If I sound critical of Murakami, it’s because I know how great he can be. And for me, that greatness only manifested itself in one short story here. It was a story about a frog called “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo.” And what makes this story so great is how uncertain everything felt; it felt real and unreal at the same time: it felt like reality had been warped and that the narrator may or may not have lost his mind. An unreliable narrator is not quite the right label because he believes what he experiences is real, but we are left questioning his reality. It was a clever piece of writing.
For me, this was very much a mixed bag. This can often be the case with short story collections, but I've never felt quite so polar about stories in the same book before by the same author. To invoke a cliche, he has really become hit or miss for me. So I think I'm going to have a break from Murakami for a while. I will read more of his books in the future, but that future will be distant.
___________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________
The title After the Quake immediately suggests that these are stories relating to an earthquake when in fact these are short stories that were written after an earthquake in Japan and are very loosely related at best to the actual quake. They vary in their themes, optimism, purpose and quality. I consider them quite a random bunch of stories that happened to be written after a natural disaster which briefly appears in the pages. Was I missing something? I just don’t quite feel like these all belonged together or even in the collection.
Anyway, that aside, I liked some of the stories in here a great deal. Others just lacked any weight and were a bit bland. One was suggestive of great and transformative personal change spurred on by the realisation of how fleeting life can be, but it didn’t go anywhere. Another just seemed to be about people burning things on a beach as a from of catharsis. They all remained a little open ended, as good short stories should be. Indeed, a good short story should hang over you and linger in your mind, but not all of them were that engaging in their content. Not all the characters were interesting enough to warrant much thought.
If I sound critical of Murakami, it’s because I know how great he can be. And for me, that greatness only manifested itself in one short story here. It was a story about a frog called “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo.” And what makes this story so great is how uncertain everything felt; it felt real and unreal at the same time: it felt like reality had been warped and that the narrator may or may not have lost his mind. An unreliable narrator is not quite the right label because he believes what he experiences is real, but we are left questioning his reality. It was a clever piece of writing.
For me, this was very much a mixed bag. This can often be the case with short story collections, but I've never felt quite so polar about stories in the same book before by the same author. To invoke a cliche, he has really become hit or miss for me. So I think I'm going to have a break from Murakami for a while. I will read more of his books in the future, but that future will be distant.
___________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________
August 24, 2025
Random but persistent streams of clear light and white smoke swirled together inside his eyes, which gave him a strangely flat view of the world. Was this what it felt like to die?
All God's Children Can Dance ~~ Haruki Murakami
Rarely has a story affected me as deeply as All God's Children Can Dance . Here, we spend time with the Mystical Murakami, the disturbing Murakami. The Murakami I love.
Yoshiya is born to an eccentric single mother who is 'born again' after several unfortunate couplings. Now she firmly believes her child is a child of God ~~ confirmation of this is given by the size of his enormous penis. We venture with Yoshiya as he seeks to find the man he thinks is his father. Along the way we meet wise, old characters like Mr Tabata who thinks that, this life is nothing but a short, painful dream.
All God's Children Can Dance is brilliantly written. Murakami deceives with what initially appears to be a simple story, and then we venture with Yoshiya deeper into the underbelly of his life until he finds his "God."
All God's Children Can Dance is a rich story that sneaks up on you, knocks the reader off kilter, in the end makes one want to join in Yoshiya's dance.
All God's Children Can Dance ~~ Haruki Murakami
Rarely has a story affected me as deeply as All God's Children Can Dance . Here, we spend time with the Mystical Murakami, the disturbing Murakami. The Murakami I love.
Yoshiya is born to an eccentric single mother who is 'born again' after several unfortunate couplings. Now she firmly believes her child is a child of God ~~ confirmation of this is given by the size of his enormous penis. We venture with Yoshiya as he seeks to find the man he thinks is his father. Along the way we meet wise, old characters like Mr Tabata who thinks that, this life is nothing but a short, painful dream.
All God's Children Can Dance is brilliantly written. Murakami deceives with what initially appears to be a simple story, and then we venture with Yoshiya deeper into the underbelly of his life until he finds his "God."
All God's Children Can Dance is a rich story that sneaks up on you, knocks the reader off kilter, in the end makes one want to join in Yoshiya's dance.
January 30, 2019
Ο μήνας Ιανουάριος άνοιξε και έκλεισε με Μουρακάμι. Πρόσφατα λοιπόν έπιασα το πρώτο μου βιβλίο από Μουρακάμι, και αυτό είναι το τρίτο που διαβάζω, και είτε μιλάμε για μυθιστόρημα 800 σελίδων είτε για βιβλίο αποτελούμενο από μικρές ιστορίες, όπως το συγκεκριμένο, δηλώνω γοητευμένη. Το "μετά το σεισμό" το διάβασα κυριολεκτικά in one sitting (που λένε και στο χωριό μου) και βρήκα τις ιστορίες του άλλες περισσότερο και άλλες λιγότερο ενδιαφέρουσες. Αγαπημένες μου η Ταϊλάνδη και η μελόπιτα.
“Θέλω να γράψω γι' ανθρώπους που ονειρεύονται και περιμένουν να τελειώσει η νύχτα, που λαχταρούν το φως για ν' αγκαλιάσουν αυτούς που αγαπούν.”
“Θέλω να γράψω γι' ανθρώπους που ονειρεύονται και περιμένουν να τελειώσει η νύχτα, που λαχταρούν το φως για ν' αγκαλιάσουν αυτούς που αγαπούν.”
September 12, 2007
I don't know how Haruki Murakami deals with the pressure of being my favorite writer. Does he realize what kind of pedestal I've place him on? Does it keep him up at night? I'm forever waiting to be disappointed by one of his books--I mean, the guy can't be PERFECT, can he? Well it hasn't happened yet.
This slim little volume of short stories (only six of them in all), all loosely connected to the 1995 Kobe earthquake, didn't garner as much critical acclaim as some of Murakami's other books. And, to be honest, the first couple of stories were just okay--solid, but not what I would necessarily call "genius", which is what I always expect from this guy.
But then I read the last two stories.
The first, "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" (the title is self-explanatory, really), is the weirdest of the bunch. And the second, "Honey Pie", fits with Murakami's more romantic and sentimental work (which my wife, a fellow Murakami lover, always says she enjoys more). Both knocked my socks off.
And so, seven or eight books into his oeuvre, this guy's still perfect.
This slim little volume of short stories (only six of them in all), all loosely connected to the 1995 Kobe earthquake, didn't garner as much critical acclaim as some of Murakami's other books. And, to be honest, the first couple of stories were just okay--solid, but not what I would necessarily call "genius", which is what I always expect from this guy.
But then I read the last two stories.
The first, "Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" (the title is self-explanatory, really), is the weirdest of the bunch. And the second, "Honey Pie", fits with Murakami's more romantic and sentimental work (which my wife, a fellow Murakami lover, always says she enjoys more). Both knocked my socks off.
And so, seven or eight books into his oeuvre, this guy's still perfect.
December 28, 2021
“What I was chasing in circles must have been the tail of the darkness inside me.”
While the devastating 1995 Kobe earthquake is not directly addressed in Haruki Murakami's after the quake , this disaster is a unifying presence that connects the collection's six short stories. Some stories resonated more than others. I enjoyed how enigmatic everything seemed in the opening story, "UFO in Kushiro," a story in which the main character's wife leaves him after watching coverage of the earthquake. I thought that it was a slow burn, but I also liked the meditative quality of "Landscape with Flatiron."
Perhaps my favorite, "Super-Frog saves Tokyo" is a surrealistic and humorous tale about a frog who recruits Katagiri, a loan collection agent, to help him save Tokyo. Without irony, Frog tells Katagiri, "Tokyo can only be saved by a person like you." The literary references, from Hemingway to Dostoevsky to Tolstoy, that Frog interjects into conversations adds to the humor and the sense of the impossible taking shape. Unrequited young love from the perspective of a semi successful writer makes "Honey Pie" an interesting take on some of Murakami's other works. All the stories had their moments. Still, I was less fond of "All God's Children can Dance" and "Thailand." 4.25 stars
“When the fire goes out, you'll start feeling the cold. You'll wake up whether you want to or not.”
“I want to write about people who dream and wait for the night to end, who long for the light so they can hold the ones they love.”
While the devastating 1995 Kobe earthquake is not directly addressed in Haruki Murakami's after the quake , this disaster is a unifying presence that connects the collection's six short stories. Some stories resonated more than others. I enjoyed how enigmatic everything seemed in the opening story, "UFO in Kushiro," a story in which the main character's wife leaves him after watching coverage of the earthquake. I thought that it was a slow burn, but I also liked the meditative quality of "Landscape with Flatiron."
Perhaps my favorite, "Super-Frog saves Tokyo" is a surrealistic and humorous tale about a frog who recruits Katagiri, a loan collection agent, to help him save Tokyo. Without irony, Frog tells Katagiri, "Tokyo can only be saved by a person like you." The literary references, from Hemingway to Dostoevsky to Tolstoy, that Frog interjects into conversations adds to the humor and the sense of the impossible taking shape. Unrequited young love from the perspective of a semi successful writer makes "Honey Pie" an interesting take on some of Murakami's other works. All the stories had their moments. Still, I was less fond of "All God's Children can Dance" and "Thailand." 4.25 stars
“When the fire goes out, you'll start feeling the cold. You'll wake up whether you want to or not.”
“I want to write about people who dream and wait for the night to end, who long for the light so they can hold the ones they love.”
February 17, 2018
آقا من موراکامی رو دوست دارم! ینی اگه تکتک این داستانها رو یکی برام تعریف کنه، میگم عه چقد خنک. اما وقتی موراکامی مینویسه چنان درگیر جزییات و شخصیتپردازی و معنا میشه که دیگه واویلا. بعد شکست عشقی رو من اینجا خوردم. همین جا، توی گودریدز که فهمیدم دوتا داستان این مجموعه نیومده! نمیدونم کدوم رو خوندم، درواقع صوتی گوش دادم. اما بازم اجرای زیبای حسین آزادی عزیز شکست عشقیمو زدود. :دی
از همه بیشتر داستان شیرینی عسل رو دوست داشتم. بقیه رو هم دوست داشتم و خوبیِ کتاب صوتی اینه که هروقت بخوای میتونی برگردی گوش بدی باز.
+ اول چار دادم اما وقتی دوتا داستانش نیست، واقعاً زیادیه! به نشانۀ اعتراض سه میدم!
از همه بیشتر داستان شیرینی عسل رو دوست داشتم. بقیه رو هم دوست داشتم و خوبیِ کتاب صوتی اینه که هروقت بخوای میتونی برگردی گوش بدی باز.
+ اول چار دادم اما وقتی دوتا داستانش نیست، واقعاً زیادیه! به نشانۀ اعتراض سه میدم!
May 10, 2020
یه مجموعه داستان جالب از هاروکی موراکامی
کتاب دارای شش داستان است که زلزله سال 1995 کوبه زندگی شخصیت های داستان رو به نحوی تحت تاثیر قرار میده
من ترجمه ی علی حاجی قاسم از نشر نگاه رو خوندم که تعریفی نداشت و داستان همه ی بچه های خدا حق دارند برقصند تو این کتاب قرار داده نشده بود
اگه بخوام به هر داستان جداگونه نمره بدم نتیجه ا��ن خواهد بود:
بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو ۲.۵
منظره ای با اتوی چدنی ۳.۵
تایلند ۳.۵
قورباغه ی عظیمی که توکیو را نجات می دهد ۴
شیرینی عسلی ۵
میانگینش میشه ۳.۷ که ۰.۷ نمره ازش به خاطر نداشتن داستان همه ی بچه های خدا حق دارند برقصند کم میکنم
کتاب دارای شش داستان است که زلزله سال 1995 کوبه زندگی شخصیت های داستان رو به نحوی تحت تاثیر قرار میده
من ترجمه ی علی حاجی قاسم از نشر نگاه رو خوندم که تعریفی نداشت و داستان همه ی بچه های خدا حق دارند برقصند تو این کتاب قرار داده نشده بود
اگه بخوام به هر داستان جداگونه نمره بدم نتیجه ا��ن خواهد بود:
بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو ۲.۵
منظره ای با اتوی چدنی ۳.۵
تایلند ۳.۵
قورباغه ی عظیمی که توکیو را نجات می دهد ۴
شیرینی عسلی ۵
میانگینش میشه ۳.۷ که ۰.۷ نمره ازش به خاطر نداشتن داستان همه ی بچه های خدا حق دارند برقصند کم میکنم
June 3, 2019
After the Quake is my first taste of Haruki Murakami. It is a collection of six stories set in the aftermath of the 1995 Kobe earthquake.
“Super-Frog Saves Tokyo” is the highlight of the collection ~ a nightmarish work of magical realism that is at turns humorous, grave, and gross. Frog is a polite and well-spoken creature given to philosophical musings and literary references. In the course of the story he mentions Nietzsche, Conrad, Tolstoy, Hemingway, and Dostoevsky. He also has a good sense of humor. I love his indignation when he imagines someone denying that he is a frog: “Anyone claiming I am not a frog would be a dirty liar. I would smash such a person to bits” (94).
The other five stories didn’t appeal to me at first reading. It was only after reading “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo” that I could appreciate them in context. While “Frog” can stand alone, the other five stories depend on the collection as a whole. Together they provide a backdrop for “Frog”~ a world shaken by earthquake, a people shaken by the naked fact of impermanence and the existential dread of meaninglessness.
All of the characters in this book are damaged people. None of them are likeable people, with the possible exception of Miyake from “Landscape With Flatiron.” But he’s not really likeable either. He’s vulnerable. I feel sorry for him and in my sympathy I like him a little. But likeable or not, they’re people. And that’s what’s important. Katagiri, who wonders why he was chosen to help Frog, describes himself as a short, balding, pot-bellied, nearsighted forty year old man with no wife, no children, no friends, no social skills, and no respect from anyone. And Frog replies: “Tokyo can only be saved by a person like you. And it’s for people like you that I am trying to save Tokyo” (104).
Reading these stories as a group puts me in mind of the atmosphere after the 9/11 attack here in NYC. The word ‘surreal’ was never more appropriate. Those of us who were not directly affected were still affected. As we watched the towers fall again and again on our televisions, our idea of what could and could not happen was forever changed. When we looked at the Manhattan skyline, a gaping wound looked back at us. We were damaged people. Perhaps that’s why I feel sympathy for the fragile Miyake with his phobia of refrigerators.
But life goes on, just as in Murakami’s stories. Though the skyline still looks wrong to me.
“Super-Frog Saves Tokyo” is the highlight of the collection ~ a nightmarish work of magical realism that is at turns humorous, grave, and gross. Frog is a polite and well-spoken creature given to philosophical musings and literary references. In the course of the story he mentions Nietzsche, Conrad, Tolstoy, Hemingway, and Dostoevsky. He also has a good sense of humor. I love his indignation when he imagines someone denying that he is a frog: “Anyone claiming I am not a frog would be a dirty liar. I would smash such a person to bits” (94).
The other five stories didn’t appeal to me at first reading. It was only after reading “Super-Frog Saves Tokyo” that I could appreciate them in context. While “Frog” can stand alone, the other five stories depend on the collection as a whole. Together they provide a backdrop for “Frog”~ a world shaken by earthquake, a people shaken by the naked fact of impermanence and the existential dread of meaninglessness.
All of the characters in this book are damaged people. None of them are likeable people, with the possible exception of Miyake from “Landscape With Flatiron.” But he’s not really likeable either. He’s vulnerable. I feel sorry for him and in my sympathy I like him a little. But likeable or not, they’re people. And that’s what’s important. Katagiri, who wonders why he was chosen to help Frog, describes himself as a short, balding, pot-bellied, nearsighted forty year old man with no wife, no children, no friends, no social skills, and no respect from anyone. And Frog replies: “Tokyo can only be saved by a person like you. And it’s for people like you that I am trying to save Tokyo” (104).
Reading these stories as a group puts me in mind of the atmosphere after the 9/11 attack here in NYC. The word ‘surreal’ was never more appropriate. Those of us who were not directly affected were still affected. As we watched the towers fall again and again on our televisions, our idea of what could and could not happen was forever changed. When we looked at the Manhattan skyline, a gaping wound looked back at us. We were damaged people. Perhaps that’s why I feel sympathy for the fragile Miyake with his phobia of refrigerators.
But life goes on, just as in Murakami’s stories. Though the skyline still looks wrong to me.
February 18, 2019
okay. well. this was certainly interesting.
um, what was that frog story?
I liked some stories, others not so much.
Will pick up more Murakami later on.
3.5 stars.
um, what was that frog story?
I liked some stories, others not so much.
Will pick up more Murakami later on.
3.5 stars.
July 18, 2018
آقا یه چیز بگم بخندین بم. من قبلاً پسلرزه رو صوتی شنیده بودم، و نمدونستم بعدِ زلزله همون پسلرزهایه که با یه ترجمه و از یه نشر دیگه و صوتی نشیدمش :))))
دفعه پیش از داستان ابرقورباغه خوشم نیومد. اما الان پایانش خیلی برام شاهکار بود. فکر کنم پسلرزه سانسور هم داشت و یکی از داستانهاش حذف شده بود. داستان شیرینی عسلی رو برا بار سوم خوندم و لذت بردم و بهنظرم بهترین داستان این مجموعه اومد. همین دیگه.
June 7, 2016
"After the Quake" offers six short stories, which have one common point: Kobe earthquake in 1995. The characters don't actually experience the earthquake directly, but it changes their life, unsettles and uneases them. That's the only generality. At the same time, each of the short stories is like a separate story with its characters and world. To tell the truth I feel a little bit unsettled about this book, because it is definitely new, strange and unusual for me.
“UFO in Kushiro,” is quite a strange start with a dull and passive main character. It offers the first encounter with the earthquake (in this book) in more detail. I can't tell for sure what the story means.
“Landscape with Flatiron" concentrates on existential questions with old-young point of view through the creating-destroying fire. The story gives some sad and you-can't-escape-the-inevitable mood.
“All God’s Children Can Dance” is a weird story, which combines religion, mother-son relationship (with some forbidden stuff), strange sexuality and desperate search of father. I'm not sure what I feel about this story.
“Super-Frog Saves Tokyo" was a real misunderstanding for me and it really was the foggiest story from all the six. I even can't describe it (sorry!)
I quite liked “Thailand” because it had some color (music and magical spices) and no such big passivity and “Honey Pie” with a fine silent love story, emotional and cute kid and the view to the world through the fairytales.
It's my first Murakami and it didn't spoil my desire to explore this unusual and definitely talented writer ;)
July 5, 2018
موراکامی راحت و آسون نفوذ میکنه به درون قلب آدم و قصشو تعریف میکنه، یه جوری می برتت به عمق شخصیتاش که میتونی لحظه های زندگیشونو با پوست و گوشت و استخون لمس کنی. داستان های اتویی در چشم انداز، شیرینی عسلی و تایلند رو خیلی دوست داشتم.
August 14, 2016
همه چیز به کنار، اون قورباغه هم به کنار :)
February 7, 2017
I enjoyed this short read. This book held multiple short stories that were all very different but shared the same theme. Every main character was someone that was a "nobody." They were shy, didn't have many friends, and no specific talents. However, by the end of the story they meant something to someone and they had done something "interesting" with their life.
I also really enjoyed this book because they were all stories that took place in Japan and were about the Japanese culture. I lived in Japan during the summer of 2014, so I was nice to go back by reading this book :)
I also really enjoyed this book because they were all stories that took place in Japan and were about the Japanese culture. I lived in Japan during the summer of 2014, so I was nice to go back by reading this book :)
June 16, 2022
The first couple of stories in this collection I found a bit flimsy. It wasn't until the final third that I arrived at two stories I loved - Thailand and Honey Pie. These better showcased the quirky turns of Murakami's imagination. On the whole I preferred the two of his novels I've read.
April 29, 2021
گفتار اندر معرفیِ کتاب
گفتار اندر معرفیِ کتاب
بعد زلزله(افتر کوئِک)، عنوانِ یک مجموعهی داستان متشکل از شش داستانِ کوتاه به نامهای (بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو، اتویی در چشمانداز، همهی بچههای خدا حق دارند برقصند، تایلند، ابرقورباغه توکیو را نجات میدهد، شیرینی عسلی) به قلمِ «هاروکی موراکامی» نویسندهی خلاق، توانا، مشهور و دوستداشتنیِ ژاپنیست که توسطِ آقای «جی رابین» یکی از مترجمهایی که موراکامیِ عزیز به شدت به او اعتقاد و اعتماد دارد به زبان انگلیسی ترجمه شده است.
گفتار اندر داستانهای کتاب
زلزلهای مهیب در سال ۱۹۹۵میلادی شهرِ «کوبه» ژاپن را لرزاند و هزاران کشته و ویرانیهای گسترده از خود بر جای گذاشت.
در این کتاب شش داستان کوتاه وجود دارد که در هر کدام زندگیِ شخصیتهای داستانها متاثر از این واقعهی هولناک دستخوش تغییراتی گردیده است.
داستانِ اول، بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو و ماجرای مردی میانسال به نامِ «کومورا» که با همسرِ خود زندگیِ متعارف و نرمالی دارد و روزی به خانه برمیگردد و متوجهِ عدمِ حضورِ همسرش در خانه میشود و یادداشتی که روی یخچال برای او باقی گذاشته: من میروم و دیگر هیچوقت برنمیگردم... !
داستانِ دوم، اتویی در چشم انداز و ماجرای مردی چهل و اندی ساله به نامِ «میاکو»، ترسِ درونی او از مرگ در یخچال، ماجرای اتویی که اتو نبود و زندگیِ او ... !
داستان سوم، همهی پسرهای خدا حق دارند برقصند و پسری به نامِ «یوشیا» که با مادرش زندگی میکند و به گفتهی مادرش او فرزندِ خداست!
مادر با پسرش رابطه دارد و روزی در ایستگاهِ قطار یوشیا با خدا(پدرش) روبرو میشود و او را با نشانهای که از مادرش شنیده میشناسد یعنی لالهی یکی از گوشهایش که سگ خورده... !
داستان چهارم، تایلند و خانم دکتری به نامِ«ساتسوکی» که از همسرش جدا شده و به جهت یک همایش پزشکی به تایلند سفر میکند. او آرزو میکند همسرش که در شهر کوبه زندگی میکند در زلزله کشته شده باشد و در این سفر تصمیم میگیرد پس از برگزاری همایش یک هفتهای به خودت استراحت داده و در آنجا... .
داستان پنجم، ابرقورباغهای که توکیو را نجات داد و مردی چهل ساله به نامِ «کاتاگیری» که کارمندی در بخش تسهیلات یک بانک است و روزی که به خانه برمیگردد میبیند در خانهی او قورباغهای با طول تقریبیِ ۱۸۰سانتیمتر منتظر اوست و… .
داستان ششم، شیرینی عسلی و یک مثلثِ عشقی بینِ «جونپی» و «سایوکو» و «تاکاتسوکی» به همراه یک ختر دوستداشتنی به نامِ «سالا» که چشم انتظارِ زندگیِ خوش و خرمِ دو خرس چشمهایش رو بست و در آغوشِ مادر آرام گرفت ... .
توصیه نامه
برای داستانِ سومِ این کتاب یعنی «همهی بچههای خدا حق دارند برقصند» فیلمی با اقتباس از این داستان به همین نام ساخته شده است که تماشای آن برای علاقهمندانِ موراکامیِ عزیز و دوستداشتنی خالی از لطف نیست.
این داستان داستانِ بسیار ساده اما عمیقیست اما موراکامی آنرا همانند تمامِ آثارِ خود، داستانِ بسیار پیچیده و عمیقِ خود را به سادهترین شکل ممکن به روی کاغذ آورده و حتی اگر در کتاب سوال یا ابهامی برای خواننده به وجود آمده باشد با دیدنِ این فیلم مرتفع خواهد شد.
درصورتیکه علاقهمند به تماشای فیلم هستید، میتوانید در پستهای بعدی همین کانال آنرا به همراه زیرنویس فارسی که برایش ساختهام دانلود و تماشا نمایید.
نقلقول نامه
"مهم نیست سفرِ آدم چقدر طولانی باشد، آدم هیچوقت نمی تواند از دستِ خود فرار کند."
"جوان بودن آسان نیست."
"غرقِ در بوی آتش چشمهایش را بست. با خود فکر کرد، من هیچوقت نمیتوانستنم با این آدم زندگی کنم. هیچوقت نمی توانستم درونِ قلبش نفوذ کنم اما حالا میتوانم همراهش بمیرم."
"اگر اینکه خدا انسان را امتحان کند درست است، چرا انسان خدا را امتحان کند خطاست؟"
"زندگی کردن و مردن به یک اندازه مهم هستند، اگر تمام نیروی خود را صرف زندگی کردن کنید دیگر نمیتوانید مرگِ خوبی داشته باشید."
“ترس واقعی، ترسیست که آدم در ذهن خود آنرا حس میکند.”
“ارزش نهاییِ زندگیِ ما را نه چگونگیِ بردهای ما بلکه چگونگیِ شکستهای ما نشان میدهد.”
“همهی چیزهایی که با چشمهایمان میبینیم لزوما واقعی نیستند!”
"ما آدما گاهی اوقات دلمون میخواد همهچیز رو دور بیندازیم."
"آدم تا وقتی زنده هست، هر کدام از اندامهای بدنش با دیگری فرق دارند اما زمانی که میمیرد همه تبدیل به یک چیز میشوند. فقط پوست و استخوانِ به دردنخور!"
"پیدا کردن شخصی که در جادهی پرسنگلاخِ زندگی از اعماقِ قلب دوستش داشته باشیم، کاملا متفاوت از پیدا کردن یک دوستِ بی ارزش است."
کارنامه
همانندِ تمامِ مجموعههای داستان کوتاهی که خواندهام، ابتدا برای هر داستان به شرح زیر امتیاز جداگانه دادهام:
بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو ۴ستاره، اتویی در چشمانداز ۵ستاره، همهی بچههای خدا حق دارند برقصند ۵ستاره، تایلند ۳ستاره، ابرقورباغه توکیو را نجات میدهد ۳ستاره، شیرینی عسلی ۴ستاره.
سپس از مجموع امتیازات که ۲۴ستاره بود برای ۶ داستان میانگین آن را برای کل کتاب یعنی ۴ستاره منظور نمودهام.
دانلود نامه
فایلِ ایپابِ کتاب به زبان انگلیسی، فیلمِ «همهی بچههای خدا حق دارند برقصند» که اقتباسی از سومین داستانِکتاب است و زیرنویسِ فارسی که به دلیل نبود زیرنویسِ فارسی برای این فیلم ساختهام را در کانال تلگرام آپلود کردهام و در صورت نیاز میتوانید آنهارا از لینکهای زیر دانلود نمایید:
لینک فایل کتاب
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/224
لینک فیلم
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/225
لینک زیرنویس فارسی فیلم
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/226
گفتار اندر معرفیِ کتاب
بعد زلزله(افتر کوئِک)، عنوانِ یک مجموعهی داستان متشکل از شش داستانِ کوتاه به نامهای (بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو، اتویی در چشمانداز، همهی بچههای خدا حق دارند برقصند، تایلند، ابرقورباغه توکیو را نجات میدهد، شیرینی عسلی) به قلمِ «هاروکی موراکامی» نویسندهی خلاق، توانا، مشهور و دوستداشتنیِ ژاپنیست که توسطِ آقای «جی رابین» یکی از مترجمهایی که موراکامیِ عزیز به شدت به او اعتقاد و اعتماد دارد به زبان انگلیسی ترجمه شده است.
گفتار اندر داستانهای کتاب
زلزلهای مهیب در سال ۱۹۹۵میلادی شهرِ «کوبه» ژاپن را لرزاند و هزاران کشته و ویرانیهای گسترده از خود بر جای گذاشت.
در این کتاب شش داستان کوتاه وجود دارد که در هر کدام زندگیِ شخصیتهای داستانها متاثر از این واقعهی هولناک دستخوش تغییراتی گردیده است.
داستانِ اول، بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو و ماجرای مردی میانسال به نامِ «کومورا» که با همسرِ خود زندگیِ متعارف و نرمالی دارد و روزی به خانه برمیگردد و متوجهِ عدمِ حضورِ همسرش در خانه میشود و یادداشتی که روی یخچال برای او باقی گذاشته: من میروم و دیگر هیچوقت برنمیگردم... !
داستانِ دوم، اتویی در چشم انداز و ماجرای مردی چهل و اندی ساله به نامِ «میاکو»، ترسِ درونی او از مرگ در یخچال، ماجرای اتویی که اتو نبود و زندگیِ او ... !
داستان سوم، همهی پسرهای خدا حق دارند برقصند و پسری به نامِ «یوشیا» که با مادرش زندگی میکند و به گفتهی مادرش او فرزندِ خداست!
مادر با پسرش رابطه دارد و روزی در ایستگاهِ قطار یوشیا با خدا(پدرش) روبرو میشود و او را با نشانهای که از مادرش شنیده میشناسد یعنی لالهی یکی از گوشهایش که سگ خورده... !
داستان چهارم، تایلند و خانم دکتری به نامِ«ساتسوکی» که از همسرش جدا شده و به جهت یک همایش پزشکی به تایلند سفر میکند. او آرزو میکند همسرش که در شهر کوبه زندگی میکند در زلزله کشته شده باشد و در این سفر تصمیم میگیرد پس از برگزاری همایش یک هفتهای به خودت استراحت داده و در آنجا... .
داستان پنجم، ابرقورباغهای که توکیو را نجات داد و مردی چهل ساله به نامِ «کاتاگیری» که کارمندی در بخش تسهیلات یک بانک است و روزی که به خانه برمیگردد میبیند در خانهی او قورباغهای با طول تقریبیِ ۱۸۰سانتیمتر منتظر اوست و… .
داستان ششم، شیرینی عسلی و یک مثلثِ عشقی بینِ «جونپی» و «سایوکو» و «تاکاتسوکی» به همراه یک ختر دوستداشتنی به نامِ «سالا» که چشم انتظارِ زندگیِ خوش و خرمِ دو خرس چشمهایش رو بست و در آغوشِ مادر آرام گرفت ... .
توصیه نامه
برای داستانِ سومِ این کتاب یعنی «همهی بچههای خدا حق دارند برقصند» فیلمی با اقتباس از این داستان به همین نام ساخته شده است که تماشای آن برای علاقهمندانِ موراکامیِ عزیز و دوستداشتنی خالی از لطف نیست.
این داستان داستانِ بسیار ساده اما عمیقیست اما موراکامی آنرا همانند تمامِ آثارِ خود، داستانِ بسیار پیچیده و عمیقِ خود را به سادهترین شکل ممکن به روی کاغذ آورده و حتی اگر در کتاب سوال یا ابهامی برای خواننده به وجود آمده باشد با دیدنِ این فیلم مرتفع خواهد شد.
درصورتیکه علاقهمند به تماشای فیلم هستید، میتوانید در پستهای بعدی همین کانال آنرا به همراه زیرنویس فارسی که برایش ساختهام دانلود و تماشا نمایید.
نقلقول نامه
"مهم نیست سفرِ آدم چقدر طولانی باشد، آدم هیچوقت نمی تواند از دستِ خود فرار کند."
"جوان بودن آسان نیست."
"غرقِ در بوی آتش چشمهایش را بست. با خود فکر کرد، من هیچوقت نمیتوانستنم با این آدم زندگی کنم. هیچوقت نمی توانستم درونِ قلبش نفوذ کنم اما حالا میتوانم همراهش بمیرم."
"اگر اینکه خدا انسان را امتحان کند درست است، چرا انسان خدا را امتحان کند خطاست؟"
"زندگی کردن و مردن به یک اندازه مهم هستند، اگر تمام نیروی خود را صرف زندگی کردن کنید دیگر نمیتوانید مرگِ خوبی داشته باشید."
“ترس واقعی، ترسیست که آدم در ذهن خود آنرا حس میکند.”
“ارزش نهاییِ زندگیِ ما را نه چگونگیِ بردهای ما بلکه چگونگیِ شکستهای ما نشان میدهد.”
“همهی چیزهایی که با چشمهایمان میبینیم لزوما واقعی نیستند!”
"ما آدما گاهی اوقات دلمون میخواد همهچیز رو دور بیندازیم."
"آدم تا وقتی زنده هست، هر کدام از اندامهای بدنش با دیگری فرق دارند اما زمانی که میمیرد همه تبدیل به یک چیز میشوند. فقط پوست و استخوانِ به دردنخور!"
"پیدا کردن شخصی که در جادهی پرسنگلاخِ زندگی از اعماقِ قلب دوستش داشته باشیم، کاملا متفاوت از پیدا کردن یک دوستِ بی ارزش است."
کارنامه
همانندِ تمامِ مجموعههای داستان کوتاهی که خواندهام، ابتدا برای هر داستان به شرح زیر امتیاز جداگانه دادهام:
بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو ۴ستاره، اتویی در چشمانداز ۵ستاره، همهی بچههای خدا حق دارند برقصند ۵ستاره، تایلند ۳ستاره، ابرقورباغه توکیو را نجات میدهد ۳ستاره، شیرینی عسلی ۴ستاره.
سپس از مجموع امتیازات که ۲۴ستاره بود برای ۶ داستان میانگین آن را برای کل کتاب یعنی ۴ستاره منظور نمودهام.
دانلود نامه
فایلِ ایپابِ کتاب به زبان انگلیسی، فیلمِ «همهی بچههای خدا حق دارند برقصند» که اقتباسی از سومین داستانِکتاب است و زیرنویسِ فارسی که به دلیل نبود زیرنویسِ فارسی برای این فیلم ساختهام را در کانال تلگرام آپلود کردهام و در صورت نیاز میتوانید آنهارا از لینکهای زیر دانلود نمایید:
لینک فایل کتاب
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/224
لینک فیلم
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/225
لینک زیرنویس فارسی فیلم
https://t.me/reviewsbysoheil/226
December 10, 2019
Terremoto interiore
"È tempo che lei cominci a prepararsi per affrontare la morte con dolcezza. Se lei continuerà a investire troppe energie solo nel vivere, non riuscirà a morire bene. Un poco alla volta è necessario fare questo cambiamento. In un certo senso vivere e morire si equivalgono, dottoressa."
Quella sera, nel suo grande letto immacolato, Satsuki pianse. Riconobbe il fatto che si stava dolcemente avviando verso la morte. Riconobbe di avere una pietra bianca e dura dentro il suo corpo. Riconobbe che da qualche parte nel buio si nascondeva un serpente verde tutto ricoperto di squame. Pensò al bambino che non era mai nato. Lei se n'era liberata e l'aveva gettato in un pozzo senza fine. E aveva continuato a odiare un uomo per trent'anni. Gli aveva augurato di morire fra atroci dolori. Per quello nel fondo del cuore aveva sperato persino in un terremoto. In un certo senso, si disse, sono stata io a provocare quel terremoto. Lui ha trasformato il mio cuore e il mio corpo in una pietra. Le scimmie color cenere in quella montagna lontana l'avevano guardata in silenzio. In un certo senso vivere e morire si equivalgono, dottoressa.
Nella prima metà Murakami sbanda paurosamente tra deragliamenti onirici e non detti che hanno più la parvenza di indecisione circa gli sviluppi da attribuire alle vicende narrate; nella seconda parte, al contrario di qualunque aspettativa, si assiste a una rinascita vertiginosa.
Un ufo atterra su Kushiro ★★
Bellissima l'immagine profondamente carveriana dell'immobilismo di fronte al televisore - i drammi esterni diventano palpabili quando la vita privata cessa negli stimoli, verità amarissima - e tutto sommato buoni gli intenti, ma il mordente si perde con una storia che sta in piedi con le stampelle e spegne la poca tensione narrativa con alcuni picchi di kitsch non indifferente.
Paesaggio con ferro da stiro ★★
L'attaccamento alla vita si tramuta in una lenta attesa verso la morte, rifuggita e soprattutto non accettata.
Spiace che il racconto vada a ricamarsi su un simbolismo talmente criptico da sottrarre drammaticità a quella che sarebbe una storia anche interessante.
Tutti i figli di Dio danzano ★1/2
Pastrocchio inenarrabile che tenta goffamente di legare il tema del peccato con una sottile atmosfera conturbante; ma il peggio arriva con la stucchevole risoluzione finale che si va a barcamenare tra catarsi shintoiste e prese di coscienza con tanto di nerchia gigante a fare da spettatrice (idea vagamente simpatica, ma, davvero, non si può leggere senza strabuzzare gli occhi).
Thailandia ★★★★1/2
Recitava Agostino d'Ippona che "vivere nel rancore è l'equivalente di bere un veleno e sperare che sia l'altro a morire".
L'attaccamento alla vita precedente è l'anticamera della morte interiore; la morte del passato la scelta più dolorosa e necessaria per rinascere in un'altra esistenza e accettare che, alle volte, le cose cambiano assieme a noi; e forse a prescindere da noi.
Meraviglioso racconto che adotta la forte metafora del terremoto per sconfinare in un limbo di consapevolezza.
Ranocchio salva Tokyo ★★★★★
Vivere una vita media, silenziosa e poco stimolante non ridimensiona le piccole lotte interiori a cui bisogna far fronte ogni giorno.
E, forse, non si è mai davvero pronti a una causa più grande che ci sovrasta e, al contempo, chiama a un riscatto; meglio fare quel che si può e vedere il mezzo fallimento come mezzo successo: non c'è fine alla lotta e l'equilibrio è il massimo a cui si possa aspirare.
Bello l'approdo finale, con tanto di atmosfera surreale a stemperare l'amara disillusione dietro la vicenda.
Torte al miele ★★★★
Emozionante racconto sull'amore come necessità individuale e l'amicizia come necessità reciproca (dove la differenza?). Il discrimine tra i due sentimenti passa attraverso il coraggio e l'onestà verso se stessi. Piccolo inciso: condivido pienamente la malinconia di Murakami nel veder così bistrattata la forma del racconto nel mercato editoriale.
"È tempo che lei cominci a prepararsi per affrontare la morte con dolcezza. Se lei continuerà a investire troppe energie solo nel vivere, non riuscirà a morire bene. Un poco alla volta è necessario fare questo cambiamento. In un certo senso vivere e morire si equivalgono, dottoressa."
Quella sera, nel suo grande letto immacolato, Satsuki pianse. Riconobbe il fatto che si stava dolcemente avviando verso la morte. Riconobbe di avere una pietra bianca e dura dentro il suo corpo. Riconobbe che da qualche parte nel buio si nascondeva un serpente verde tutto ricoperto di squame. Pensò al bambino che non era mai nato. Lei se n'era liberata e l'aveva gettato in un pozzo senza fine. E aveva continuato a odiare un uomo per trent'anni. Gli aveva augurato di morire fra atroci dolori. Per quello nel fondo del cuore aveva sperato persino in un terremoto. In un certo senso, si disse, sono stata io a provocare quel terremoto. Lui ha trasformato il mio cuore e il mio corpo in una pietra. Le scimmie color cenere in quella montagna lontana l'avevano guardata in silenzio. In un certo senso vivere e morire si equivalgono, dottoressa.
Nella prima metà Murakami sbanda paurosamente tra deragliamenti onirici e non detti che hanno più la parvenza di indecisione circa gli sviluppi da attribuire alle vicende narrate; nella seconda parte, al contrario di qualunque aspettativa, si assiste a una rinascita vertiginosa.
Un ufo atterra su Kushiro ★★
Bellissima l'immagine profondamente carveriana dell'immobilismo di fronte al televisore - i drammi esterni diventano palpabili quando la vita privata cessa negli stimoli, verità amarissima - e tutto sommato buoni gli intenti, ma il mordente si perde con una storia che sta in piedi con le stampelle e spegne la poca tensione narrativa con alcuni picchi di kitsch non indifferente.
Paesaggio con ferro da stiro ★★
L'attaccamento alla vita si tramuta in una lenta attesa verso la morte, rifuggita e soprattutto non accettata.
Spiace che il racconto vada a ricamarsi su un simbolismo talmente criptico da sottrarre drammaticità a quella che sarebbe una storia anche interessante.
Tutti i figli di Dio danzano ★1/2
Pastrocchio inenarrabile che tenta goffamente di legare il tema del peccato con una sottile atmosfera conturbante; ma il peggio arriva con la stucchevole risoluzione finale che si va a barcamenare tra catarsi shintoiste e prese di coscienza con tanto di nerchia gigante a fare da spettatrice (idea vagamente simpatica, ma, davvero, non si può leggere senza strabuzzare gli occhi).
Thailandia ★★★★1/2
Recitava Agostino d'Ippona che "vivere nel rancore è l'equivalente di bere un veleno e sperare che sia l'altro a morire".
L'attaccamento alla vita precedente è l'anticamera della morte interiore; la morte del passato la scelta più dolorosa e necessaria per rinascere in un'altra esistenza e accettare che, alle volte, le cose cambiano assieme a noi; e forse a prescindere da noi.
Meraviglioso racconto che adotta la forte metafora del terremoto per sconfinare in un limbo di consapevolezza.
Ranocchio salva Tokyo ★★★★★
Vivere una vita media, silenziosa e poco stimolante non ridimensiona le piccole lotte interiori a cui bisogna far fronte ogni giorno.
E, forse, non si è mai davvero pronti a una causa più grande che ci sovrasta e, al contempo, chiama a un riscatto; meglio fare quel che si può e vedere il mezzo fallimento come mezzo successo: non c'è fine alla lotta e l'equilibrio è il massimo a cui si possa aspirare.
Bello l'approdo finale, con tanto di atmosfera surreale a stemperare l'amara disillusione dietro la vicenda.
Torte al miele ★★★★
Emozionante racconto sull'amore come necessità individuale e l'amicizia come necessità reciproca (dove la differenza?). Il discrimine tra i due sentimenti passa attraverso il coraggio e l'onestà verso se stessi. Piccolo inciso: condivido pienamente la malinconia di Murakami nel veder così bistrattata la forma del racconto nel mercato editoriale.
October 19, 2023
این همه محبوبیت و تعریف و تمجید برای موراکامی و منی که این سومین کتابی هست که ازش میخونم و نه تنها کوچکترین ارتباطی باهاش برقرار نکردم و نمیکنم بلکه تعجبم از این همه اقبال نسبت به این نویسنده بیشتر و بیشتر میشه
March 29, 2023
O antologie de proza scurta despre teribilul cutremur din 1995 care a zguduit regiunea Kobe din Japonia.
Avem de-a face cu 6 povestiri dintre care prima este "Un OZN aterizeaza in Kushiro". Mi s-a parut o intamplare ciudatica despre un tip numit Kamura care este parasit de sotie dupa cutremur. Nu am inteles foarte bine motivele ei si mi s-a parut un gest pueril. Probabil ca e "replica" de dupa cutremur, caci, dupa cum bine stim, nevasta trebuie sa aiba mereu o replica.
Dupa despartire Kamura este rugat de catre un prieten sa duca un colet surorii sale in Hokkaido. Acolo o cunoaste pe Shimao. In cadrul povestirii aflam si o istorisire cu ursi destul de interesanta. Ursul mi s-a parut cel mai vrednic de tinut minte din toata aceasta intamplare.
A doua poveste, "Peisaj cu fier de calcat" ne aduce aminte de "Focul" al lui Jack London, are un personaj iesit din comun, Miyake, ce uraste frigiderele, fiindu-i teama sa nu moara inchis intr-unul si e obsedat sa faca focuri pe plaja. Atmosfera si peisajul descris mi-a adus aminte de acele modele imprimate pe tricouri cu ajutorul fierului de calcat.
"Toti copiii Domnului danseaza" infatiseaza povestea lui Yoshiya, un tanar despre care se crede ca ar fi Fiul Lui Dumnezeu. Avem parte de elementul supranatural cu care ne-a obisnuit Murakami in fiecare opera de-a sa plus de o serie de detalii sexuale cu care ne-a obisnuit literatura japoneza.
In "Thailanda", Murakami ne rasfata cu cunostintele sale despre jazz. Actiunea povestii o are in prim plan pe Sabuki, un medic endocrinolog ce calatoreste in Thailanda unde are o serie de experiente revelatorii.
Ce-a de-a cincea este o poveste fantasy "Broscanul salveaza Tokyo" ce infatiseaza un broscoi adevarat, vorbitor, care ii propune unui barbat sa salveze impreuna Tokyo de un cutremur iminent. Avem aici foarte multe referiri la Nietzsche, Anna Karenina, Joseph Conrad, Dostoievski. Trebuie sa recunosc ca nu sunt fana a animalutelor vorbitoare, fiind trecuta de varsta in care sa mai cred in asemenea lucruri.
Ultima, "Placinta cu miere" este povestea micutei Sara care il viseaza pe Nenea Cutremur si se trezeste tipand noapte de noapte, epuizata de acest cosmar care se tot repeta. E de prisos sa mentionez ca nu cred nici in Nenea Cutremur.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate care mi s-au parut frumoase si care suna asa:
"Focul are forma libera. Si datorita acestui fapt, poate arata in orice fel, in functie de ce e in sufletul celui care il priveste."
"Nu cred ca as putea sa traiesc cu omul acesta, si-a zis ea. N-as reusi sa patrund in inima lui. Dar de murit, cred ca pot muri cu el."
"Inimile noastre nu sunt de piatra. Piatra se poate sfarama, se poate deforma, dar inima nu se sfarama. Fie bune sau rele, sufletele noastre pot comunica intre ele."
"Sa intelegi ceva si sa transpui acel ceva intr-o forma vizibila sunt doua lucruri complet diferite. Daca reusesti sa le faci pe amandoua in egala masura, viata devine mai usoara."
Avem de-a face cu 6 povestiri dintre care prima este "Un OZN aterizeaza in Kushiro". Mi s-a parut o intamplare ciudatica despre un tip numit Kamura care este parasit de sotie dupa cutremur. Nu am inteles foarte bine motivele ei si mi s-a parut un gest pueril. Probabil ca e "replica" de dupa cutremur, caci, dupa cum bine stim, nevasta trebuie sa aiba mereu o replica.
Dupa despartire Kamura este rugat de catre un prieten sa duca un colet surorii sale in Hokkaido. Acolo o cunoaste pe Shimao. In cadrul povestirii aflam si o istorisire cu ursi destul de interesanta. Ursul mi s-a parut cel mai vrednic de tinut minte din toata aceasta intamplare.
A doua poveste, "Peisaj cu fier de calcat" ne aduce aminte de "Focul" al lui Jack London, are un personaj iesit din comun, Miyake, ce uraste frigiderele, fiindu-i teama sa nu moara inchis intr-unul si e obsedat sa faca focuri pe plaja. Atmosfera si peisajul descris mi-a adus aminte de acele modele imprimate pe tricouri cu ajutorul fierului de calcat.
"Toti copiii Domnului danseaza" infatiseaza povestea lui Yoshiya, un tanar despre care se crede ca ar fi Fiul Lui Dumnezeu. Avem parte de elementul supranatural cu care ne-a obisnuit Murakami in fiecare opera de-a sa plus de o serie de detalii sexuale cu care ne-a obisnuit literatura japoneza.
In "Thailanda", Murakami ne rasfata cu cunostintele sale despre jazz. Actiunea povestii o are in prim plan pe Sabuki, un medic endocrinolog ce calatoreste in Thailanda unde are o serie de experiente revelatorii.
Ce-a de-a cincea este o poveste fantasy "Broscanul salveaza Tokyo" ce infatiseaza un broscoi adevarat, vorbitor, care ii propune unui barbat sa salveze impreuna Tokyo de un cutremur iminent. Avem aici foarte multe referiri la Nietzsche, Anna Karenina, Joseph Conrad, Dostoievski. Trebuie sa recunosc ca nu sunt fana a animalutelor vorbitoare, fiind trecuta de varsta in care sa mai cred in asemenea lucruri.
Ultima, "Placinta cu miere" este povestea micutei Sara care il viseaza pe Nenea Cutremur si se trezeste tipand noapte de noapte, epuizata de acest cosmar care se tot repeta. E de prisos sa mentionez ca nu cred nici in Nenea Cutremur.
In incheiere atasez cateva citate care mi s-au parut frumoase si care suna asa:
"Focul are forma libera. Si datorita acestui fapt, poate arata in orice fel, in functie de ce e in sufletul celui care il priveste."
"Nu cred ca as putea sa traiesc cu omul acesta, si-a zis ea. N-as reusi sa patrund in inima lui. Dar de murit, cred ca pot muri cu el."
"Inimile noastre nu sunt de piatra. Piatra se poate sfarama, se poate deforma, dar inima nu se sfarama. Fie bune sau rele, sufletele noastre pot comunica intre ele."
"Sa intelegi ceva si sa transpui acel ceva intr-o forma vizibila sunt doua lucruri complet diferite. Daca reusesti sa le faci pe amandoua in egala masura, viata devine mai usoara."
January 17, 2024
This is a book of 6 short stories. The devastating Kobe earthquake of 1995 makes an appearance in all the stories, but only in the periphery.
I loved this book and also gained some appreciation for the Short Story. When it is done well, it is so intense. You hang on every word as if the next sentence is going to tell you what you’ve been waiting to find out.
I listed to the audio version, and it was extremely well done. I know everyone consumes books differently, but if you’ve ever considered audio books, I think a book like this of short stories is where you might get the most value out of it. These stories seem meant to be told out loud.
I normally water the lawn or do something around the house when I listen to books, but these stories got so absorbing that I just wanted to drink in every word, so I switched to listening to them in a quiet and focused atmosphere.
None of the characters were impacted by the quake in what you might call a “direct” way, and often the mention of the quake only came in subtle ways. It wasn’t obvious to me what the message of the book was. I often felt like I just didn’t understand it. I only caught glimpses of a couple themes that were interesting to think about.
One theme was “emptiness”. While it was never ostensibly tied to the quake, many of the characters felt like their lives were empty and they had no value. I think it is natural to feel this way after such as senseless disaster that you have no power to prevent. Watching coverage of the disaster on the news was something that came up in several stories, and I can imagine how that can compound this emotion. In some cases, it seemed like the characters already had toxic feelings of emptiness lying around in the background, and the quake surged them up to the surface.
Another theme was fragility. Some of the characters seemed to get “broken” by the quake in complex and mysterious ways. These characters were already damaged, but figured out a way to get by with some sort of metaphorical crutch or band-aid. But the quake tore off the band-aid, leaving them “broken” in some way.
Highly recommended. Even if you think this book isn’t in your normal wheelhouse (it wasn’t for me), perhaps you’ll really like it. And if you've ever been curious about Murakami but are understandably reluctant to dive into one of his novels (that tend to be really long), reading a couple of these short stories might let you know whether you'd like him or not. I actually like his short stories much better than his novels, as his longer stories eventually do things that annoy me.
I loved this book and also gained some appreciation for the Short Story. When it is done well, it is so intense. You hang on every word as if the next sentence is going to tell you what you’ve been waiting to find out.
I listed to the audio version, and it was extremely well done. I know everyone consumes books differently, but if you’ve ever considered audio books, I think a book like this of short stories is where you might get the most value out of it. These stories seem meant to be told out loud.
I normally water the lawn or do something around the house when I listen to books, but these stories got so absorbing that I just wanted to drink in every word, so I switched to listening to them in a quiet and focused atmosphere.
None of the characters were impacted by the quake in what you might call a “direct” way, and often the mention of the quake only came in subtle ways. It wasn’t obvious to me what the message of the book was. I often felt like I just didn’t understand it. I only caught glimpses of a couple themes that were interesting to think about.
One theme was “emptiness”. While it was never ostensibly tied to the quake, many of the characters felt like their lives were empty and they had no value. I think it is natural to feel this way after such as senseless disaster that you have no power to prevent. Watching coverage of the disaster on the news was something that came up in several stories, and I can imagine how that can compound this emotion. In some cases, it seemed like the characters already had toxic feelings of emptiness lying around in the background, and the quake surged them up to the surface.
Another theme was fragility. Some of the characters seemed to get “broken” by the quake in complex and mysterious ways. These characters were already damaged, but figured out a way to get by with some sort of metaphorical crutch or band-aid. But the quake tore off the band-aid, leaving them “broken” in some way.
Highly recommended. Even if you think this book isn’t in your normal wheelhouse (it wasn’t for me), perhaps you’ll really like it. And if you've ever been curious about Murakami but are understandably reluctant to dive into one of his novels (that tend to be really long), reading a couple of these short stories might let you know whether you'd like him or not. I actually like his short stories much better than his novels, as his longer stories eventually do things that annoy me.
November 26, 2024
احتمالا موراکامی نه فقط برای من که برای خیلی ها علامت سوال بوده. از حدود ۸ سال پیش که خوندن آثارش رو شروع کردم، همیشه یه حس اشنا و به زبون نیومده از کاراکترهاش در وجودم ته نشین میشد. انگار که اون شخصیت ساخته و پرداخته ی ذهن موراکامی، بیش از اونکه خودش باشه، در من/ما پیدا شده بود. می خوندم و می گذشتم، اما همیشه تو خلوت خودم بهشون برمی گشتم. بااین حال تا چند وقت پیش که چند داستان کوتاه ازش خوندم کاراکترهاش تا این اندازه خودشونو برام روشن و واضح نشون نداده بودن. در واقع، بیشتر از رمانهاش، داستانهای کوتاهش منو به این نتیجه گیری و جمع بندی افکارم راجبشون سوق داد.
بعد از خوندن مانگاهای موراکامی ، با دیدن تصویر هایی که قبلا روشون متمرکز نشده بودم، فکر کردم برم سراغ داستان های کوتاه متنی و این کارو با دو مجموعه ی بعد از زلزله و نفر هفتم شروع کردم.
شاید بهتره متنم رو از یه صحبت کلی شروع کنم و اروم آروم به کاراکترهای موراکامی برسم.
جهان از آغاز (البته اگه آغازی براش قائل بشیم) تا به امروز همواره شاهد رنج، ظلم، خشم و طغیان در مقیاس کلان بوده. هرچقدر بیشتر جلو حرکت می کنیم، کتابهای بیشتری که مطالعه می کنیم، نگاهی که به تاریخ بشر و اتفاقاتی که در جهان معاصرمون میگذره میندازیم، بیشتر و بیشتر به این اطمینان می رسیم که هیچ وقت انسان به آرامش نرسید، و اگه آرامشی نسبی هم وجود داشته یا به دلیل فجایع طبیعی، مثل سیل و زلزله و طوفان از هم پاشیده یا خود انسان ، بلایی بوده که بر سر هم نوع خودش نازل شده. بلایی در قالب جنگ، انقلاب، ترور، تجاوز، خشونت، انتقام، نسل کشی و... .
هرچند که به نظر می رسه انسان رو به جلو حرکت کرده، یا ظاهرا با تمدنی پیشرو و پیشرفته رو به روییم و انتظار داریم در قرن حاضر، کمتر شاهد اینگونه بلاهای انسانی باشیم، اما اخباری که هر روزه از طرق مختلف به ما میرسه، چنین چیزی رو نشون نمیده. عجیبه که فاجعه و جریانی که در بیرون از ما رخ میده، و شاید ظاهرا ارتباط چندانی با شخص ما نداره، چطور ما رو به درون خودمون عقب می کشه. چیزی که من اینجا می خوام ازش بنویسم همینه، اونچه بیرون از ما رخ میده، بی ارتباط به ما نیست، درواقع در ارتباط تنگاتنگ با ادراک ما قرار داره.
فجایع، آسیبیه به روان بازمانده ها، چه اونها که دورند، چه اونها که نزدیک. چیزی که امروز به اسم تروما توی فضای مجازی، شوخی و جدی، زیاد می شنویم و کمتر کسیه که این کلمه به گوشش نخورده باشه. هرچند، متاسفانه اونچه در فضای مجازی می گذره، نشون میده که به جای پیداکردن مرهم برای این زخم، استفاده از این کلمه تبدیل به یک برند شده، مجوزی برای زخم زدن بیشتر.. .
بارها خوندیم، وقتی فاجعه ای در حال وقوعه، واکنش های دفاعی فرد، در لحظه ی وقوع یا مشاهده ، او رو گنگ می کنه، به قولی او رو فریز می کنه تا از او در همون لحظه حفاظت کنه. در یک کلام، فرد حادثه رو درک نمی کنه، حادثه، در قالب ادراک معمول نمی گنجه. اما بعدها نشانه های مشابه و یادآور فاجعه ی از سر گذرونده شده، بارها و بارها در قالب صحنه های تکه و پاره، و نه به شکل کامل در سراتاسر عمرش به او برمی گرده: گاهی می خوای کامل به یاد بیاری تا کل مفهوم ادراک نشده وگنگ رو به فهم در بیاوری و برش چیره بشی و گاهی میخوای فراموش کنی، یا شاید سرکوبش کنی، اما زخم، اجازه فراموشی نمی ده، نمی تونی برش چیره بشی وادارت میکنه یاد بگیری با این زخم زندگي کنی، جوری که دیگه آزاردهنده نباشه. تناقض لاینحل، حاصل این زخم و جنگ مداومه برای به فهم در اوردن واقعه.
به هر حال، این آسیب نه تنها به صورت مستقیم، بلکه به صورت غیر مستقیم هم بر روان اثرگذاره. چیزی که در داستانهای موراکامی می تونیم پیداش کنیم. زخم، یا به قول روانکاوها، روان زخم، چیزی خارج از محدوده ی درک شده انسانه و به قول والتر بنیامین، به دلیل "فقر تجربه" اتفاق میفته. به هنگام مواجهه با حادثه بیرونی، اونچه در درون اتفاق می افته و عدم انطباق معناییش، با اونچه می تونسته درک بشه، تجربه ی زخم یا تروما است که در قالب کلمات فلسفی "هیچی"،"نیستی" هم بارها به زبان میاد. حاصل این فرایند، یک انسان بیگانه نسبت به تعاریف معمول و درک معمول چیزهاست.گسست شناخت و هویت خود و دیگران و جایی که در اون زندگی می کنه، تغییر رفتار خودآگاه، تغییر جهت اراده، قطع ارتباط ادراکی با جهان خارج، شکافی عمیق بین درون و بیرون و در نهایت مشکل عمیق در کیفیت ارتباط انسانی چیزهاییه که به دنبالش میاد.
زخم ناگفته، درک مستقیم از زمان(و موراکامی نشون داد درک ما از مکان) رو هم دچار اختلال میکنه، شاید یکی از کاراکترهای مشهور ادبی که اختلال درک زمانی رو نشون داد، کوئنتین خشم و هیاهو بود. وقتی چیزی به درستی درک و شناخته نشه، به آسونی به زبان نمیاد، به آسونی گذر نمی کنه، کلمات رایج، قالب کوچک و کلیشه ای هستند برای ریختن اون مفاهیم شکل نگرفته. اما برای زندگی با یک زخم، بیانی لازمه، بیانی با زبان بی زبانی. این بیان ، قصه ی ماست.
قصه از دید روایت کلاسیک، اغاز، اوج و پایانی منطقی و قابل توضیح داره. از منظر رویکرد روانشناسی، قصه اما راهی هم هست برای بیان خود، برای درمان، برای پذیرش، برای زندگی کردن با زخمی که بر روی قلب سنگینی می کنه. تجربه ای که به قالب چیزی درک شده درنیاد ، تجربه ای رها شده است و اگه شما او رو رها کنید او شمارو رها نخواهد کرد، انقدر خودش رو تکرار می کنه تا بلاخره به او توجه کنید، وقتی توجه کنیم، ما هم قصه ای برای گفتن داریم. اما مسلما نه مطابق قالبهای معمول پذیرفته شده.
در مورد کوئنتین، فاکنر، با جابه جایی و دستکاری روایت کلاسیک، زمان و البته زبان پریشی رو به تصویر کشید. امروز همین مفهوم موراکامی رو وادار کرد از قالب کلاسیک خارج بشه، گویی او برای بیان تجربه "درک ناشده" قالبی نمی دید، شاید برای همینه که اگه ما با نگاه سرگرمی و داستان و قصه صرف به سراغ داستانهای موراکامی بریم، با خوندنشون گیج میشیم و چون انتظاری که ازش داشتیم برآورده نشده، موراکامی خوندن رو کنار میذاریم ، شاید ازش منزجر هم بشیم. کاراکترهای موراکامی بی قصه ان، چون درک درستی از اونچه بر سرشون رفته ندارن، گیج شدن، چون مشابه دردی که می کشند رو تجربه نکردن و پی پاسخ ان. "قصه ی خود را گفتن" ، پذیرفتن ماوقع، بدون اینکه بفهمی چطور اتفاق افتادن و کنار اومدن با تجربه ی نافهمیده است.
درمورد مجموعه داستان "بعد از زلزله" نوشته ای که توجه منو جلب کرد این بود: "بعد از فاجعه ی زلزله ی کوبه نوشته و چاپ شد و چند ماه بعد ژاپن با حملات تروریستی گروه اوم بار دیگر به بحران برگشت". به نظر میرسه، موراکامی این دو فاجعه رو جدا از هم نمی دید، روان شکننده انسان معاصر، بعد از زلزله ی کوبه، گویا فقدان ها و سوگ های مشترک زیادی رو به یاد آورد، زلزله ای که درون انسان رو به لرزه درآورد. شاید "قورباغه عظیم الجثه توکیو را نجات می دهد " دقیقا اشاره به همین موضوع باشه.
کلیه روایت کاراکترهای این مجموعه، اگرچه در کوبه زندگی نکردن، اما همه به نوعی با کوبه مرتبط ان، اما نه مستقیم، که به طور غیر مستقیم. اخبار زلزله رو می بینند، مدتهاست از کوبه مهاجرت کردن و یا آشنایی دور در کوبه داشتند. نه اینکه فاجعه ی کوبه ، صرفا اونها رو متاثر کنه یا صرفا دلسوزی کنند، بلکه عمیقا اونها رو در خودشون غرق میکنه، یادآور تجربه ای میشه که خودشون از سر گذروندن. یاد اور فقدانی که احساس می کنن...چیزی از دست رفته، گره خورده با مفاهیم مرگ و هیچی...نه فقط مرگ، بلکه از دست رفتن ونابودی مفاهیمی که دیرزمانی به اونها تکیه زده بودند، احساس فقدانی که نیازمند توجهه. فاجعه کوبه میشه "یادآور" یا به قول معروف "نماد" ورود چیزی
غیر منتظره به ذهنی که آمادگی پذیرش اون رو در لحظه نداشت. میشه یاد اور فقدان... یاداور از دست دادن، سرگردانی و سوگ ...
به نظر میاد این کاراکترها، همون تعریف انسانی هستند، که ژیژک بهشون برچسب "سوژه پسا ترومایی" زده ( Posttraumatic stress disorder)(PTSD)، نجات یافته ی سرگردان یک مفهوم دردناک ناشناخته ، ظاهرا بی معنی و متناقض. کاراکترهای موراکامی از این منظر ،مورسوی کامو، در معنای دقیق کلمه هستند.
این داستانها، تلاشیه برای نشون دادن ناتوانی آدمی جهت بیان، و همچنین تلاشیه برای ارام کردن و یافتن مرهم برای این فقدان، دادن فرصتی برای سوگواری اونچه از دست رفته. البته این مرهم از کاراکتری به کاراکتر دیگه هم متفاوته. کاراکترهای موراکامی افراد کاملا معمولی هستند، زندگی معمولی ، شغل معمولی، دایره روابط معمولی... کسایی که در مسیر زندگی عادی زخمی شدن. شاید برای همینه که برای ما جذابن. موراکامی زخم تک تک ما ادمها رو به رسمیت میشناسه، میبینه و مارو تشویق به توجه و سوگواری درخور می کنه. نشون میده که ما از ناتوانی بیان و رو در رویی، پذیرش و سوگی درخور، در رنجیم و ناگزیر دست به کارهایی می زنیم که برای دیگران ناشناخته و شاید حتی منفوره و به خاطرش سرزنش میشیم و حتی گاهی در مقیاس کلان، اگه ما "سوگواران" کنار هم جمع بشیم، فجایع سیاسی بزرگی رو رقم بزنیم، که نه تنها زخممون درمان نشه که به زخم های بسیار بیشتری هم منجر خواهد شد... فرار از زندگی قبلی، فرار از خونواده، ترک شدن ظاهرا بی دلیل، ترک کردن بی دلیل، گم شدن های دوره ای، دست به دامن فراموشی شدن با ترک مکان وقوع حادثه... همه و همه ما جمع "سوگواران" رو تشکیل میده.
اما انگار موراکامی به بهبود هم امیدواره، بهبودی که با رو در رویی با زخم، با سقوط همراهه و نمای آرومی از عاقبت بازمونده این جنگ به دست میده، فرصتی برای تامل و سوگواری شایسته... این تصویر، چیزی بود که داستان نفر هفتم بیشتر از باقی داستانها برای من روشن کرد. به تصویر کشیدن زخم غیر قابل بیان کاراکترها، ویژگی بارز نوشته های موراکامیه و فکر می کنم برای همین، ادبیات سوررئال درامیخته با فرهنگ فولکلور، به عنوان نمادهای دهشت همراه با عجز جمعی و فردی، در آثار موراکامی مدام به چشم میان.
_ در آخر می خوام بگم، برای من مجموعه داستانهای کوتاه موراکامی نمره ۴ داره اما تعدادی از داستانهای به فارسی ترجمه شده با سانسور وحشتناکی همراهن. مثلا داستان "بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو". توصیه می کنم داستان رو به زبون انگلیسی و اگه به زبون ژاپنی اشنایید به زبون اصلی مطالعه کنید. فکر می کنم کسی که زبان ژاپنی بدونه، از طریق بار معنایی گسترده کلمات به نکته های بیشتری از این مجموعه داستانها پی میبره:)
بعد از خوندن مانگاهای موراکامی ، با دیدن تصویر هایی که قبلا روشون متمرکز نشده بودم، فکر کردم برم سراغ داستان های کوتاه متنی و این کارو با دو مجموعه ی بعد از زلزله و نفر هفتم شروع کردم.
شاید بهتره متنم رو از یه صحبت کلی شروع کنم و اروم آروم به کاراکترهای موراکامی برسم.
جهان از آغاز (البته اگه آغازی براش قائل بشیم) تا به امروز همواره شاهد رنج، ظلم، خشم و طغیان در مقیاس کلان بوده. هرچقدر بیشتر جلو حرکت می کنیم، کتابهای بیشتری که مطالعه می کنیم، نگاهی که به تاریخ بشر و اتفاقاتی که در جهان معاصرمون میگذره میندازیم، بیشتر و بیشتر به این اطمینان می رسیم که هیچ وقت انسان به آرامش نرسید، و اگه آرامشی نسبی هم وجود داشته یا به دلیل فجایع طبیعی، مثل سیل و زلزله و طوفان از هم پاشیده یا خود انسان ، بلایی بوده که بر سر هم نوع خودش نازل شده. بلایی در قالب جنگ، انقلاب، ترور، تجاوز، خشونت، انتقام، نسل کشی و... .
هرچند که به نظر می رسه انسان رو به جلو حرکت کرده، یا ظاهرا با تمدنی پیشرو و پیشرفته رو به روییم و انتظار داریم در قرن حاضر، کمتر شاهد اینگونه بلاهای انسانی باشیم، اما اخباری که هر روزه از طرق مختلف به ما میرسه، چنین چیزی رو نشون نمیده. عجیبه که فاجعه و جریانی که در بیرون از ما رخ میده، و شاید ظاهرا ارتباط چندانی با شخص ما نداره، چطور ما رو به درون خودمون عقب می کشه. چیزی که من اینجا می خوام ازش بنویسم همینه، اونچه بیرون از ما رخ میده، بی ارتباط به ما نیست، درواقع در ارتباط تنگاتنگ با ادراک ما قرار داره.
فجایع، آسیبیه به روان بازمانده ها، چه اونها که دورند، چه اونها که نزدیک. چیزی که امروز به اسم تروما توی فضای مجازی، شوخی و جدی، زیاد می شنویم و کمتر کسیه که این کلمه به گوشش نخورده باشه. هرچند، متاسفانه اونچه در فضای مجازی می گذره، نشون میده که به جای پیداکردن مرهم برای این زخم، استفاده از این کلمه تبدیل به یک برند شده، مجوزی برای زخم زدن بیشتر.. .
بارها خوندیم، وقتی فاجعه ای در حال وقوعه، واکنش های دفاعی فرد، در لحظه ی وقوع یا مشاهده ، او رو گنگ می کنه، به قولی او رو فریز می کنه تا از او در همون لحظه حفاظت کنه. در یک کلام، فرد حادثه رو درک نمی کنه، حادثه، در قالب ادراک معمول نمی گنجه. اما بعدها نشانه های مشابه و یادآور فاجعه ی از سر گذرونده شده، بارها و بارها در قالب صحنه های تکه و پاره، و نه به شکل کامل در سراتاسر عمرش به او برمی گرده: گاهی می خوای کامل به یاد بیاری تا کل مفهوم ادراک نشده وگنگ رو به فهم در بیاوری و برش چیره بشی و گاهی میخوای فراموش کنی، یا شاید سرکوبش کنی، اما زخم، اجازه فراموشی نمی ده، نمی تونی برش چیره بشی وادارت میکنه یاد بگیری با این زخم زندگي کنی، جوری که دیگه آزاردهنده نباشه. تناقض لاینحل، حاصل این زخم و جنگ مداومه برای به فهم در اوردن واقعه.
به هر حال، این آسیب نه تنها به صورت مستقیم، بلکه به صورت غیر مستقیم هم بر روان اثرگذاره. چیزی که در داستانهای موراکامی می تونیم پیداش کنیم. زخم، یا به قول روانکاوها، روان زخم، چیزی خارج از محدوده ی درک شده انسانه و به قول والتر بنیامین، به دلیل "فقر تجربه" اتفاق میفته. به هنگام مواجهه با حادثه بیرونی، اونچه در درون اتفاق می افته و عدم انطباق معناییش، با اونچه می تونسته درک بشه، تجربه ی زخم یا تروما است که در قالب کلمات فلسفی "هیچی"،"نیستی" هم بارها به زبان میاد. حاصل این فرایند، یک انسان بیگانه نسبت به تعاریف معمول و درک معمول چیزهاست.گسست شناخت و هویت خود و دیگران و جایی که در اون زندگی می کنه، تغییر رفتار خودآگاه، تغییر جهت اراده، قطع ارتباط ادراکی با جهان خارج، شکافی عمیق بین درون و بیرون و در نهایت مشکل عمیق در کیفیت ارتباط انسانی چیزهاییه که به دنبالش میاد.
زخم ناگفته، درک مستقیم از زمان(و موراکامی نشون داد درک ما از مکان) رو هم دچار اختلال میکنه، شاید یکی از کاراکترهای مشهور ادبی که اختلال درک زمانی رو نشون داد، کوئنتین خشم و هیاهو بود. وقتی چیزی به درستی درک و شناخته نشه، به آسونی به زبان نمیاد، به آسونی گذر نمی کنه، کلمات رایج، قالب کوچک و کلیشه ای هستند برای ریختن اون مفاهیم شکل نگرفته. اما برای زندگی با یک زخم، بیانی لازمه، بیانی با زبان بی زبانی. این بیان ، قصه ی ماست.
قصه از دید روایت کلاسیک، اغاز، اوج و پایانی منطقی و قابل توضیح داره. از منظر رویکرد روانشناسی، قصه اما راهی هم هست برای بیان خود، برای درمان، برای پذیرش، برای زندگی کردن با زخمی که بر روی قلب سنگینی می کنه. تجربه ای که به قالب چیزی درک شده درنیاد ، تجربه ای رها شده است و اگه شما او رو رها کنید او شمارو رها نخواهد کرد، انقدر خودش رو تکرار می کنه تا بلاخره به او توجه کنید، وقتی توجه کنیم، ما هم قصه ای برای گفتن داریم. اما مسلما نه مطابق قالبهای معمول پذیرفته شده.
در مورد کوئنتین، فاکنر، با جابه جایی و دستکاری روایت کلاسیک، زمان و البته زبان پریشی رو به تصویر کشید. امروز همین مفهوم موراکامی رو وادار کرد از قالب کلاسیک خارج بشه، گویی او برای بیان تجربه "درک ناشده" قالبی نمی دید، شاید برای همینه که اگه ما با نگاه سرگرمی و داستان و قصه صرف به سراغ داستانهای موراکامی بریم، با خوندنشون گیج میشیم و چون انتظاری که ازش داشتیم برآورده نشده، موراکامی خوندن رو کنار میذاریم ، شاید ازش منزجر هم بشیم. کاراکترهای موراکامی بی قصه ان، چون درک درستی از اونچه بر سرشون رفته ندارن، گیج شدن، چون مشابه دردی که می کشند رو تجربه نکردن و پی پاسخ ان. "قصه ی خود را گفتن" ، پذیرفتن ماوقع، بدون اینکه بفهمی چطور اتفاق افتادن و کنار اومدن با تجربه ی نافهمیده است.
درمورد مجموعه داستان "بعد از زلزله" نوشته ای که توجه منو جلب کرد این بود: "بعد از فاجعه ی زلزله ی کوبه نوشته و چاپ شد و چند ماه بعد ژاپن با حملات تروریستی گروه اوم بار دیگر به بحران برگشت". به نظر میرسه، موراکامی این دو فاجعه رو جدا از هم نمی دید، روان شکننده انسان معاصر، بعد از زلزله ی کوبه، گویا فقدان ها و سوگ های مشترک زیادی رو به یاد آورد، زلزله ای که درون انسان رو به لرزه درآورد. شاید "قورباغه عظیم الجثه توکیو را نجات می دهد " دقیقا اشاره به همین موضوع باشه.
کلیه روایت کاراکترهای این مجموعه، اگرچه در کوبه زندگی نکردن، اما همه به نوعی با کوبه مرتبط ان، اما نه مستقیم، که به طور غیر مستقیم. اخبار زلزله رو می بینند، مدتهاست از کوبه مهاجرت کردن و یا آشنایی دور در کوبه داشتند. نه اینکه فاجعه ی کوبه ، صرفا اونها رو متاثر کنه یا صرفا دلسوزی کنند، بلکه عمیقا اونها رو در خودشون غرق میکنه، یادآور تجربه ای میشه که خودشون از سر گذروندن. یاد اور فقدانی که احساس می کنن...چیزی از دست رفته، گره خورده با مفاهیم مرگ و هیچی...نه فقط مرگ، بلکه از دست رفتن ونابودی مفاهیمی که دیرزمانی به اونها تکیه زده بودند، احساس فقدانی که نیازمند توجهه. فاجعه کوبه میشه "یادآور" یا به قول معروف "نماد" ورود چیزی
غیر منتظره به ذهنی که آمادگی پذیرش اون رو در لحظه نداشت. میشه یاد اور فقدان... یاداور از دست دادن، سرگردانی و سوگ ...
به نظر میاد این کاراکترها، همون تعریف انسانی هستند، که ژیژک بهشون برچسب "سوژه پسا ترومایی" زده ( Posttraumatic stress disorder)(PTSD)، نجات یافته ی سرگردان یک مفهوم دردناک ناشناخته ، ظاهرا بی معنی و متناقض. کاراکترهای موراکامی از این منظر ،مورسوی کامو، در معنای دقیق کلمه هستند.
این داستانها، تلاشیه برای نشون دادن ناتوانی آدمی جهت بیان، و همچنین تلاشیه برای ارام کردن و یافتن مرهم برای این فقدان، دادن فرصتی برای سوگواری اونچه از دست رفته. البته این مرهم از کاراکتری به کاراکتر دیگه هم متفاوته. کاراکترهای موراکامی افراد کاملا معمولی هستند، زندگی معمولی ، شغل معمولی، دایره روابط معمولی... کسایی که در مسیر زندگی عادی زخمی شدن. شاید برای همینه که برای ما جذابن. موراکامی زخم تک تک ما ادمها رو به رسمیت میشناسه، میبینه و مارو تشویق به توجه و سوگواری درخور می کنه. نشون میده که ما از ناتوانی بیان و رو در رویی، پذیرش و سوگی درخور، در رنجیم و ناگزیر دست به کارهایی می زنیم که برای دیگران ناشناخته و شاید حتی منفوره و به خاطرش سرزنش میشیم و حتی گاهی در مقیاس کلان، اگه ما "سوگواران" کنار هم جمع بشیم، فجایع سیاسی بزرگی رو رقم بزنیم، که نه تنها زخممون درمان نشه که به زخم های بسیار بیشتری هم منجر خواهد شد... فرار از زندگی قبلی، فرار از خونواده، ترک شدن ظاهرا بی دلیل، ترک کردن بی دلیل، گم شدن های دوره ای، دست به دامن فراموشی شدن با ترک مکان وقوع حادثه... همه و همه ما جمع "سوگواران" رو تشکیل میده.
اما انگار موراکامی به بهبود هم امیدواره، بهبودی که با رو در رویی با زخم، با سقوط همراهه و نمای آرومی از عاقبت بازمونده این جنگ به دست میده، فرصتی برای تامل و سوگواری شایسته... این تصویر، چیزی بود که داستان نفر هفتم بیشتر از باقی داستانها برای من روشن کرد. به تصویر کشیدن زخم غیر قابل بیان کاراکترها، ویژگی بارز نوشته های موراکامیه و فکر می کنم برای همین، ادبیات سوررئال درامیخته با فرهنگ فولکلور، به عنوان نمادهای دهشت همراه با عجز جمعی و فردی، در آثار موراکامی مدام به چشم میان.
_ در آخر می خوام بگم، برای من مجموعه داستانهای کوتاه موراکامی نمره ۴ داره اما تعدادی از داستانهای به فارسی ترجمه شده با سانسور وحشتناکی همراهن. مثلا داستان "بشقاب پرنده در کوشیرو". توصیه می کنم داستان رو به زبون انگلیسی و اگه به زبون ژاپنی اشنایید به زبون اصلی مطالعه کنید. فکر می کنم کسی که زبان ژاپنی بدونه، از طریق بار معنایی گسترده کلمات به نکته های بیشتری از این مجموعه داستانها پی میبره:)
August 19, 2017
4 αστεράκια της κλίμακας ρίχτερ.Ίσως από τα λιγότερο σύνθετα βιβλία του Χαρούκι Μουρακάμι που έχω διαβάσει αλλά εξίσου ποιοτικό και όπως ο σεισμός που αποτελεί και το κεντρικό θέμα στο οποίο στηρίζει τις ιστορίες του έτσι και εκείνος έρχεται να «κουνήσει» τον αναγνώστη με μια σειρά ιστοριών γεμάτες από εσωτερικές αναζητήσεις και με κέντρο τους τον άνθρωπο και τον διαφορετικό ψυχισμό αυτών. 6 διαφορετικές ιστορίες ανθρώπων ο καθενας με τα δικά του θέματα μάχονται για να αλλάξουν κάτι στις ζωές τους και με ένα τρόπο που μόνο ο Χαρούκι Μουρακάμι ξέρει βρίσκουν το φως.
Αγαπημένη μου ιστορία του κυρίου βάτραχου
«όλη η φοβερή μάχη έγινε στο χώρο της φαντασίας». Διότι «Εκεί ακριβώς βρίσκεται το πεδίο των μαχών μας. Εκεί βιώνουμε τις νίκες και τις ήττες μας». Γνωρίζοντας βεβαίως, βεβαίως πως «Ολοι ανεξαιρέτως είμαστε πλάσματα περιορισμένης διάρκειας: τελικά όλοι θα νικηθούμε.
Αγαπημένη μου ιστορία του κυρίου βάτραχου
«όλη η φοβερή μάχη έγινε στο χώρο της φαντασίας». Διότι «Εκεί ακριβώς βρίσκεται το πεδίο των μαχών μας. Εκεί βιώνουμε τις νίκες και τις ήττες μας». Γνωρίζοντας βεβαίως, βεβαίως πως «Ολοι ανεξαιρέτως είμαστε πλάσματα περιορισμένης διάρκειας: τελικά όλοι θα νικηθούμε.
June 29, 2017
اول می خواستم به کتاب سه امتیاز بدم اما داستان "شیرینی عسلی" به قدری شیرین و جذاب بود که تصمیم گرفتم چهار امتیاز بدم
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