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Porzucenie kota. Wspomnienie o ojcu
Porzucenie kota to wspomnienie Murakamiego o ojcu, uważane przez niektórych krytyków za jeden z najważniejszych tekstów pisarza opublikowanych w ostatnich latach i stanowiący klucz do zrozumienia wielu jego utworów. Ojcowie są u Murakamiego często nieobecni, co jest prawdopodobnie odzwierciedleniem skomplikowanych stosunków pisarza z własnym ojcem. Z tego niewielkich rozmiarów tekstu dowiadujemy się o dzieciństwie i dorastaniu pisarza w niewielkim mieście niedaleko Kobe, jako jedynaka kochającego książki i koty. Przede wszystkim jednak esej wyjaśnia, dlaczego w tak wielu utworach japońskiego pisarza pojawiają się sceny związane z drugą wojną światową oraz z okresem bezpośrednio ją poprzedzającym. Okazuje się, że przeżycia wojenne ojca, którymi podzielił się z małym synem, zostały niejako złożone na barki chłopca, który przez całe życie dźwiga ten ciężar. Murakami rozważa znaczenie historii i dowodzi, że każdy z nas jest odpowiedzialny za czyny popełnione w imieniu społeczeństwa czy narodu, do którego należymy, bez względu na to, czy się z nimi zgadzamy, czy nie.
80 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2019
About the author
Haruki Murakami
736 books138k 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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Review of advance copy received from Publisher
great cover. terrifying title
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
(thanks to the publisher for the arc)
November 19, 2020
Ci sono dei libri che ci vengono a trovare, un po’ come le persone che si incontrano per caso, per poi scoprire che quel caso ha in serbo un messaggio per noi.
In questo racconto autobiografico, Murakami si mette a nudo e affronta il dolore della perdita del padre nell’unico modo che uno scrittore sa fare: attraverso l’uso della parola, che addomestica la memoria, per lavare il dolore dalla disperazione e dai sensi di colpa.
Chi è orfano lo sa: i rapporti genitore-figlio, quando il primo non c’è più, diventano frecce appuntite che scavano nel vuoto lasciato dall’assenza. E allora bisogna scrivere, per permettere al dolore di farsi lacrime e di uscire allo scoperto.
E l’inconscio sa essere fantasioso e così affiorano ricordi marginali che all’inizio sembrano senza importanza: piccole finestre da cui fuoriesce la sofferenza.
Così è accaduto a Murakami: il ricordo di una gatta che con la sua famiglia decise di abbandonare, perché incinta. Oppure il ricordo di un gattino finito impigliato sui rami di un albero.
Sono questi gli espedienti narrativi che hanno permesso a Murakami di riconciliarsi con la memoria di suo padre, morto in seguito a una malattia. Dai ricordi marginali, Murakami figlio è stato attratto verso il centro della sua vita, per riscoprire la figura del padre e comunicargli il suo amore filiale.
“Comunque sia, quello che volevo dire con questo testo è una cosa sola: sono il figlio qualunque di un uomo qualunque. È ovvio, lo so. Ma piú mi fermo ad approfondire questa verità, piú mi convinco che tutto è sempre stato frutto del caso. Invece noi esseri umani, per tutta la vita, consideriamo un destino eventi che dipendono dal caso.”
“Una delle cose che ho voluto dire in questo testo è che la guerra provoca, nella vita e nello spirito di una persona − di un anonimo, comune cittadino −, enormi e profondi cambiamenti. Cambiamenti di cui io, cosí come sono qui adesso, costituisco il risultato. Se il destino di mio padre avesse imboccato una strada anche solo un poco diversa, non sarei esistito. La storia è questo: l’unica eventualità, fra innumerevoli altre, che si è attuata, senza se e senza ma.”
Caso ~ Caos ~ Destino: tre punti uniti della stessa geodetica che è la vita.
In questo racconto autobiografico, Murakami si mette a nudo e affronta il dolore della perdita del padre nell’unico modo che uno scrittore sa fare: attraverso l’uso della parola, che addomestica la memoria, per lavare il dolore dalla disperazione e dai sensi di colpa.
Chi è orfano lo sa: i rapporti genitore-figlio, quando il primo non c’è più, diventano frecce appuntite che scavano nel vuoto lasciato dall’assenza. E allora bisogna scrivere, per permettere al dolore di farsi lacrime e di uscire allo scoperto.
E l’inconscio sa essere fantasioso e così affiorano ricordi marginali che all’inizio sembrano senza importanza: piccole finestre da cui fuoriesce la sofferenza.
Così è accaduto a Murakami: il ricordo di una gatta che con la sua famiglia decise di abbandonare, perché incinta. Oppure il ricordo di un gattino finito impigliato sui rami di un albero.
Sono questi gli espedienti narrativi che hanno permesso a Murakami di riconciliarsi con la memoria di suo padre, morto in seguito a una malattia. Dai ricordi marginali, Murakami figlio è stato attratto verso il centro della sua vita, per riscoprire la figura del padre e comunicargli il suo amore filiale.
“Comunque sia, quello che volevo dire con questo testo è una cosa sola: sono il figlio qualunque di un uomo qualunque. È ovvio, lo so. Ma piú mi fermo ad approfondire questa verità, piú mi convinco che tutto è sempre stato frutto del caso. Invece noi esseri umani, per tutta la vita, consideriamo un destino eventi che dipendono dal caso.”
“Una delle cose che ho voluto dire in questo testo è che la guerra provoca, nella vita e nello spirito di una persona − di un anonimo, comune cittadino −, enormi e profondi cambiamenti. Cambiamenti di cui io, cosí come sono qui adesso, costituisco il risultato. Se il destino di mio padre avesse imboccato una strada anche solo un poco diversa, non sarei esistito. La storia è questo: l’unica eventualità, fra innumerevoli altre, che si è attuata, senza se e senza ma.”
Caso ~ Caos ~ Destino: tre punti uniti della stessa geodetica che è la vita.
November 4, 2026
Full disclosure: I am not a big of Murakami. Fuller disclosure: I am about to review his memoir anyway. Fullest disclosure: I only picked it up because of the cat on the cover.
To play devil's advocate, I could not help but wonder how a story about abandoning a cat would unfold, or how Murakami would weave such an incident into a memoir. As it turns out, I think he did it rather well. He begins with one of his fondest memories of his father: the time they took a cat to the beach to abandon it, only to return home and find the very same cat already there. From this seemingly simple childhood anecdote, Murakami gradually unfolds a memoir about his father.
At first, I found myself wondering whether I was reading a memoir about Murakami or his father, given how much emphasis was placed on the latter. But somewhere along the way, I found myself a little moved by the underlying message. Without his father (and, of course, his mother), Murakami would not be here today. Despite their eventual estrangement, there is still a sense of gratitude towards the man who helped shape his existence.
It also got me thinking about what history really means. Murakami reflects on how, by partially inheriting his father's trauma through the stories and experiences passed down to him, he is also, in a way, taking over his father's history. It is an interesting way of looking at history as a braid of individuals' concrete, often small experiences rather than abstract narrative. In much the same way, a person's character is shaped by the accumulation of seemingly insignificant moments, including the little memories shared with a parent. Perhaps even something as simple as abandoning a cat can become part of the history between a father and son.
For the most of it, I really almost enjoyed this memoir, until it returned to the subject of cats. In all honesty, this is a rather sensitive subject for me, regardless of what might have been considered normal at the time. I understand that, especially in the postwar period, not everyone had the means to care for a cat as a pet. Still, the final account of having to leave a cat stranded in a tree because they had no way of bringing it down left me particularly uncomfortable.
Taking a wider view, I reckon that the incident was meant to illustrate how, much like cats that can easily climb up trees but struggle to come back down, some things are easier to get into than to get out of. Perhaps there was a philosophical point to be made there, but I could not quite get past what happened to the cat itself. It left a rather bad taste in my mouth and, ultimately, became one of the reasons I rated this memoir a little lower than I initially intended (again, am very emotional reader).
That said, having read this memoir, I do feel I have a slightly better picture of Murakami as a person. Perhaps he is not all that bad, at least as a son, if not necessarily as a man. I can appreciate his reflections on his father and the gratitude he still holds despite their complicated relationship. Still, while this memoir has made me a little more perceptive towards him, it certainly has not changed all my reservations.
To play devil's advocate, I could not help but wonder how a story about abandoning a cat would unfold, or how Murakami would weave such an incident into a memoir. As it turns out, I think he did it rather well. He begins with one of his fondest memories of his father: the time they took a cat to the beach to abandon it, only to return home and find the very same cat already there. From this seemingly simple childhood anecdote, Murakami gradually unfolds a memoir about his father.
"The simple fact is that if any of these events had taken place, I wouldn't exist here on the face of earth"
At first, I found myself wondering whether I was reading a memoir about Murakami or his father, given how much emphasis was placed on the latter. But somewhere along the way, I found myself a little moved by the underlying message. Without his father (and, of course, his mother), Murakami would not be here today. Despite their eventual estrangement, there is still a sense of gratitude towards the man who helped shape his existence.
It also got me thinking about what history really means. Murakami reflects on how, by partially inheriting his father's trauma through the stories and experiences passed down to him, he is also, in a way, taking over his father's history. It is an interesting way of looking at history as a braid of individuals' concrete, often small experiences rather than abstract narrative. In much the same way, a person's character is shaped by the accumulation of seemingly insignificant moments, including the little memories shared with a parent. Perhaps even something as simple as abandoning a cat can become part of the history between a father and son.
For the most of it, I really almost enjoyed this memoir, until it returned to the subject of cats. In all honesty, this is a rather sensitive subject for me, regardless of what might have been considered normal at the time. I understand that, especially in the postwar period, not everyone had the means to care for a cat as a pet. Still, the final account of having to leave a cat stranded in a tree because they had no way of bringing it down left me particularly uncomfortable.
Taking a wider view, I reckon that the incident was meant to illustrate how, much like cats that can easily climb up trees but struggle to come back down, some things are easier to get into than to get out of. Perhaps there was a philosophical point to be made there, but I could not quite get past what happened to the cat itself. It left a rather bad taste in my mouth and, ultimately, became one of the reasons I rated this memoir a little lower than I initially intended (again, am very emotional reader).
That said, having read this memoir, I do feel I have a slightly better picture of Murakami as a person. Perhaps he is not all that bad, at least as a son, if not necessarily as a man. I can appreciate his reflections on his father and the gratitude he still holds despite their complicated relationship. Still, while this memoir has made me a little more perceptive towards him, it certainly has not changed all my reservations.
March 3, 2022
Carine le illustrazioni, noioso il resto.
October 29, 2026
firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!
“for if my father’s fate had changed by even a fraction, the fact is i wouldn’t exist. that’s what history is: a single, unsparing reality born from countless possibilities.”
i’m not a big murakami fan, but this was an interesting reflection of his father, as well as a few cats from his childhood memory — although it is sad to know back in the 50s it was common to abandon pets, especially cats.
i listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a wonderful job!
“for if my father’s fate had changed by even a fraction, the fact is i wouldn’t exist. that’s what history is: a single, unsparing reality born from countless possibilities.”
i’m not a big murakami fan, but this was an interesting reflection of his father, as well as a few cats from his childhood memory — although it is sad to know back in the 50s it was common to abandon pets, especially cats.
i listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a wonderful job!
July 23, 2025
چه شروع خوبی بود برای موراکامی خوندن؛
سه تا داستان کوتاه جالب و ساده و حقیقی(فکر کنم از زندگی واقعی خودش) که برای آشنایی با ایشون و قلمش لذتبخش بود، اونم تو یه نشستی که برمیگردی از پنجره میبینی هوا روشن شده.
🔖تیر ۱۴۰۴
سه تا داستان کوتاه جالب و ساده و حقیقی(فکر کنم از زندگی واقعی خودش) که برای آشنایی با ایشون و قلمش لذتبخش بود، اونم تو یه نشستی که برمیگردی از پنجره میبینی هوا روشن شده.
🔖تیر ۱۴۰۴
November 8, 2026
Das Buch ist wirklich schmuck, mit dem Hardcover, den liebevollen Illustrationen und den kurzen zweifarbigen Texten. HM macht sich auf Spurensuche. Er ist bereits 60 als er seinen 90jährigen Vater, nach 20 Jahren ohne Kontakt, am Sterbebett wiedersieht. Es gibt ein paar Rätsel denen er nachspürt, etwa 3 Jahre im Leben seines Vaters, die eine unklare Phase in dessen Lebenslauf sind. Drei Jahre seit er aus dem Militär ausschied und bevor er sich wieder an der Uni einschreibt. HM forscht generell mit großem Unbehagen nach. Er befürchtet auf irgendeine Beteiligung seines Vaters an Greueltaten während der Besetzung Chinas zu stoßen. Das Buch handelt zu 80% davon, dass er versucht die historischen Daten mit den Lebensstationen seines Vaters und dessen Vater abzugleichen und zu ordnen. Der Großvater war Priester und hat einen mittelgroßen Tempel geleitet. Sein Vater war Lehrer, von seinen Schülern bewundert, vom eigenen Sohn weniger. Der Vater war als junger Soldat im Krieg und hat sich als Zuflucht dem Verfassen von Haikus zugewandt, eine Leidenschaft, die er auch später weiterpflegte.
Die Geschichte ist ok zu lesen, aber wirklich nur Fanware. Es braucht schon ein gewisses Faible für den Autor, das über das durchschnittliche Interesse hinausgeht. Ansonsten kann ich mir vorstellen, wird man mit dem Text nicht viel anzufangen wissen. Und auch wenn man das gesteigerte Interesse mitbringt, besonders ergiebig wird das nicht abgerufen. Dazu geht er zu wenig in die Tiefe. Man begleitet Murakami eher dabei, wie er vorsichtig um das Leben seines Vaters herumschleicht. Er beschreibt nicht mal die genauen Gründe, warum er sich so lange, über 20 Jahre, von seinem Vater abgewandt hatte. Das wäre zu „graphic“ meint er an einer Stelle.
Für mich war es einfach schön wieder mal ein paar neue Textseiten meines Lieblingsautors zu lesen; wenn man die Zeichnungen abzieht, sind es nicht viel mehr als 40 Seiten.
Im wesentlichen bietet das Buch einen kleinen Baustein zum besseren Verständnis des Autors. Vielleicht kommt ja irgendwann noch mehr davon, vieles ist noch unklar.
Die Geschichte ist ok zu lesen, aber wirklich nur Fanware. Es braucht schon ein gewisses Faible für den Autor, das über das durchschnittliche Interesse hinausgeht. Ansonsten kann ich mir vorstellen, wird man mit dem Text nicht viel anzufangen wissen. Und auch wenn man das gesteigerte Interesse mitbringt, besonders ergiebig wird das nicht abgerufen. Dazu geht er zu wenig in die Tiefe. Man begleitet Murakami eher dabei, wie er vorsichtig um das Leben seines Vaters herumschleicht. Er beschreibt nicht mal die genauen Gründe, warum er sich so lange, über 20 Jahre, von seinem Vater abgewandt hatte. Das wäre zu „graphic“ meint er an einer Stelle.
Für mich war es einfach schön wieder mal ein paar neue Textseiten meines Lieblingsautors zu lesen; wenn man die Zeichnungen abzieht, sind es nicht viel mehr als 40 Seiten.
Im wesentlichen bietet das Buch einen kleinen Baustein zum besseren Verständnis des Autors. Vielleicht kommt ja irgendwann noch mehr davon, vieles ist noch unklar.
November 18, 2020
Videorecensione: https://youtu.be/0f_-zfiL4CQ
April 10, 2024
Non é ciò che dovremmo pensare di scrivere un po’ tutti, alla fine?
April 13, 2022
Pełne nostalgii.
April 7, 2022
Przeczytałam. I wiecie co? Nie sądziłam tak naprawdę, że będzie mi się podobało. Bo to jednak esej, wspomnienie. To bardzo osobiste, to nie moje klimaty. Ale to Murakami i podobało mi się bardzo. Bo to jego pióra i jego historia. Pięknie było być świadkiem, jak Murakami za pomocą pisania układa sobie w głowie relację z ojcem. Pięknie było poznać cząstki historii tego niezwykłego człowieka.
November 18, 2020
Un bellissimo racconto personale sul padre e il suo passato. Tutto inizia da un episodio "banale": Murakami e il padre vanno ad abbandonare la loro gatta adulta ma tornati a casa la gatta è lì ad attenderli. L'autore attinge da questi piccoli episodi per raccontare la sua storia, sostenendo alla fine di essere una persona qualunque, con un padre qualunque. Trovo che nella vita di tutti i giorni anche gli eventi più semplici e banali abbiano un ruolo importante. Ciò che rende le nostre vite straordinarie non è l'evento speciale ma l'insieme di tanti episodi quotidiani.
April 3, 2020
کوتاه وخلاصه ، خاطراتی پراکنده از دوران کودکی نویسنده ، همان طور که افکارخودمان درخلوت ازاین شاخه به آن شاخه می پرد.بعضی جاها هم تکراری است . پدر در جنگ جهانی دوم و جنگ با چین و بیشترازآن .
فکرکنم دلیل تکرار نقش "گربه " در داستانهای موراکامی رافهمیدم.
فکرکنم دلیل تکرار نقش "گربه " در داستانهای موراکامی رافهمیدم.
November 8, 2026
Bought it this Sunday morning and spent a thoroughly enjoyable, leisurely hour reading it. A very pretty little book, with lovely illustrations of cats and other vintage Japanese images.
I’d almost forgotten how much I enjoy Murakami’s non-fiction. I hardly ever reread books, being rather time-poor, but I’ve read several of his non-fiction works multiple times.
This is indeed a very personal story, centred on his father’s life and their relationship. For years, Murakami had believed that his father had taken part in the Nanjing Massacre, and he was relieved to discover that this was not the case. It is striking to think that this one discovery could have changed the way he saw his father, and perhaps made it possible for him to tell this story at all. In a way, this is not just a book about a father and son, but also about the weight of inherited memories and the complicated ways we come to understand our parents.
I’d almost forgotten how much I enjoy Murakami’s non-fiction. I hardly ever reread books, being rather time-poor, but I’ve read several of his non-fiction works multiple times.
This is indeed a very personal story, centred on his father’s life and their relationship. For years, Murakami had believed that his father had taken part in the Nanjing Massacre, and he was relieved to discover that this was not the case. It is striking to think that this one discovery could have changed the way he saw his father, and perhaps made it possible for him to tell this story at all. In a way, this is not just a book about a father and son, but also about the weight of inherited memories and the complicated ways we come to understand our parents.
December 24, 2020
Le illustrazioni di Emiliano Ponzi sono davvero splendide, e sono la vera rivelazione del libro, il racconto più che un racconto è un resoconto schietto e sentito della vita di suo padre e del rapporto che Murakami ha avuto con lui.
February 1, 2021
Un Murakami introspettivo che riflette sulla relazione con il padre attraverso i ricordi, partendo dall'episodio in cui, un pomeriggio d'estate, si recarono in bicicletta sulla spiaggia di Kōroen ad abbandonare un gatto.
Questo libro è un memoir della vita del padre, che vede come sfondo il Giappone alle prese con la seconda guerra mondiale, ed è proprio attraverso la vita del padre che Murakami ci mostra il suo lato più personale, in un viaggio che ci accompagnerà dalla sua infanzia all'età adulta.
Tutti noi custodiamo piccoli ricordi che per noi significano tanto, e in questo racconto Murakami ci svela i suoi con semplicità e tenerezza.
Bellissime le illustrazioni di Emiliano Ponzi, che riescono a rendere la lettura ancora più intima.
Questo libro è un memoir della vita del padre, che vede come sfondo il Giappone alle prese con la seconda guerra mondiale, ed è proprio attraverso la vita del padre che Murakami ci mostra il suo lato più personale, in un viaggio che ci accompagnerà dalla sua infanzia all'età adulta.
Tutti noi custodiamo piccoli ricordi che per noi significano tanto, e in questo racconto Murakami ci svela i suoi con semplicità e tenerezza.
Bellissime le illustrazioni di Emiliano Ponzi, che riescono a rendere la lettura ancora più intima.
September 15, 2021
Leaving A Cat: What I want to say about my father is kind of a memoir novelist Haruki Murakami wrote about his late father and his own childhood.
Mr. Murakami's father and his father's side of the family had been mentioned a few times in handful of the novelist's articles and books before, but it is the first time Mr. Murakami reveals in detail about his relationship with his father, the pieces of the older man's life history which Mr. Murakami managed to piece together (mostly his father's experience during WWII as a young monk being summoned to the battlefield), and a few experiences the father and the son had shared in the novelist's childhood (most of them are about cats).
The context is rather simple, but as a long time fan of Mr. Murakami's stories, I'm delight to learn more about the man's family history, how his relationship with his father changed through the decades, his relief after he researched and then concluded that his father wasn't involved with the infamous Rape of Nanjing massacre---though the father did confess to his young son about witnessing inhuman actions being carried out by the army, such as beheading of the war prisoners (Murakami comments that through this confession, intentionally or not, his father did pass down the burden of his dark memories to the next generation), and the novelist's comments on how said family history affects his life and his works.
Plus, the illustrations done by a Taiwanese female artist are very impressive too.
PSS: now I remember, Mr. Murakami also mentioned, in another article, he was stunned into speechlessness when he first saw the news about the infamous 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, in a hotel room's television.
Mr. Murakami's father and his father's side of the family had been mentioned a few times in handful of the novelist's articles and books before, but it is the first time Mr. Murakami reveals in detail about his relationship with his father, the pieces of the older man's life history which Mr. Murakami managed to piece together (mostly his father's experience during WWII as a young monk being summoned to the battlefield), and a few experiences the father and the son had shared in the novelist's childhood (most of them are about cats).
The context is rather simple, but as a long time fan of Mr. Murakami's stories, I'm delight to learn more about the man's family history, how his relationship with his father changed through the decades, his relief after he researched and then concluded that his father wasn't involved with the infamous Rape of Nanjing massacre---though the father did confess to his young son about witnessing inhuman actions being carried out by the army, such as beheading of the war prisoners (Murakami comments that through this confession, intentionally or not, his father did pass down the burden of his dark memories to the next generation), and the novelist's comments on how said family history affects his life and his works.
Plus, the illustrations done by a Taiwanese female artist are very impressive too.
PSS: now I remember, Mr. Murakami also mentioned, in another article, he was stunned into speechlessness when he first saw the news about the infamous 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre in Beijing, in a hotel room's television.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Haruki Murakami is a very private man. I once read that he refuses to be photographed so that he can live his life without being hassled in his native country, but it's ok in USA because unless he's in a bookstore, he can move freely. He is however releasing snippets of himself through these small biographical essays, and through them I've learned about his t-shirt collection, his love of music, and now his relationship with his father, who died in 2008. His strongest memory is that, despite continuing affection for her, of their trip to release a cat that they no longer felt they had room for. What happens will make you smile. At least I did. But what struck me even more were his ruminations on the randomness of possibility, of how his father's life evolved despite perceived options. It got me thinking that such random events could apply to everyone in the world, and that one's life could be entirely different if a door had slid in a different direction.
January 29, 2021
Murakami racconta suo padre attraverso ostacoli importanti, come la guerra, l’istruzione frammentata e la conflittualità tra i due (talvolta con troppe informazioni poco interessanti). Una memoria accompagnata e forse rafforzata da bellissime illustrazioni di Emiliano Ponzi.
Non so dare un’opinione precisa: perché infondo non è niente di più che la storia di suo padre, un racconto intimo forse scritto più per sé stesso che per gli altri.
Però trovo degno di nota la riflessione sulla casualità degli eventi, infondo Murakami è consapevole di aver avuto un padre con una vita piuttosto normale, ma grazie alla successione degli eventi, lo ha portato ad essere il grande scrittore che è tutt’ora.
Non so dare un’opinione precisa: perché infondo non è niente di più che la storia di suo padre, un racconto intimo forse scritto più per sé stesso che per gli altri.
Però trovo degno di nota la riflessione sulla casualità degli eventi, infondo Murakami è consapevole di aver avuto un padre con una vita piuttosto normale, ma grazie alla successione degli eventi, lo ha portato ad essere il grande scrittore che è tutt’ora.
June 11, 2022
Haruki Murakami ‘Bir Kediyi Terk Etmek - Babam Hakkında’da son derece kişisel bir anlatıyla karşımızda. Devasa puntoları sayesinde sadece 15 dakikada biten kitapta beni en çok etkileyen kısım tıpkı birçoklarımız gibi onun da aslında ‘şans eseri’ doğması. Annesinin nişanlısı ölmese, babası terhis olmasa çağdaş dünya edebiyatının en fenomen yazarlarından biriyle hiç tanışmamış olacaktık. Kedilerin sezgileri, inişlerin sanılanın aksine çıkışlardan daha zor olması ve baba-oğul çatışmalarında önce reddediş sonra kabulleniş safhasına geçilmesi kitapta diğer sevdiğim kısımlar oldu. Ben birçok Murakami eseri gibi yine çok severek okudum bu kitabı da. Üstelik de yazarın en şahsi eseri bu kitap. 15 dakikada bitse de etkisinin çok daha uzun süreceğine kefilim.
July 30, 2022
Acho que a obra é boa de acordo com o que propôs; não chega a ser excepcional ou nada do tipo, mas consegue em poucas páginas moldar a imagem de um país e uma geração constantemente cercada pela guerra e pela influência dessa em suas vidas.
É o que Murakami conta, dentre outros fatos, sobre a história e memória que tem do pai, um professor e universitário que precisou momentaneamente, por um erro burocrático, estar no confronto e esmiuçar como aquilo o modificou.
Com sensibilidade que lhe é característica, Murakami traz para a narrativa aquilo que lhe é intrínseco: os gatos, os abandonos, o mistério e nossas escolhas equivocadas, que podem ou não serem remediadas antes que o caos final se instaure. Gostei.
É o que Murakami conta, dentre outros fatos, sobre a história e memória que tem do pai, um professor e universitário que precisou momentaneamente, por um erro burocrático, estar no confronto e esmiuçar como aquilo o modificou.
Com sensibilidade que lhe é característica, Murakami traz para a narrativa aquilo que lhe é intrínseco: os gatos, os abandonos, o mistério e nossas escolhas equivocadas, que podem ou não serem remediadas antes que o caos final se instaure. Gostei.
June 1, 2022
Bir tür suçluluk duygusundan kaynaklanan günah çıkarma, psikolojik rahatlama sağlama amacıyla oluşmuş bir metin duygusu veriyor.
Son derece kişisel ve özel bir metin. Belki öyle kalması da gerekirdi.
Neden okumamız gerektiğini anlamadım.
Savaşlar olmasaydı, her şey çok farklı olurdu. Evet.
Son derece kişisel ve özel bir metin. Belki öyle kalması da gerekirdi.
Neden okumamız gerektiğini anlamadım.
Savaşlar olmasaydı, her şey çok farklı olurdu. Evet.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Major thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for providing me ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts:
Perhaps the first in which Murakami talks about his family through nonfiction in translation in which he thinks about his own father and attempts to write his own history. A version of it. Which is then only a part of it. And it lands claim to wonder where we all are if we don’t leave things behind to tell to the next generation or even to think about for ourselves.
Short, sweet, and perfect to finish at the bookstore in a single sitting in between going to and from, in the temporary graces between the fleeting past and the ever-moving present.
Perhaps the first in which Murakami talks about his family through nonfiction in translation in which he thinks about his own father and attempts to write his own history. A version of it. Which is then only a part of it. And it lands claim to wonder where we all are if we don’t leave things behind to tell to the next generation or even to think about for ourselves.
Short, sweet, and perfect to finish at the bookstore in a single sitting in between going to and from, in the temporary graces between the fleeting past and the ever-moving present.
November 18, 2024
Un Murakami diverso dal solito. Un racconto che ci permette di conoscere un po'meglio questo scrittore. Figlio qualunque di un uomo qualunque....esattamente come tutti noi...
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.
Haruki Murakami Trojan-catted me.😅
Abandoning a Cat begins with an odd little anecdote about Murakami and his father attempting to abandon a cat when he was a child. Soon, I realized the cat had been wheeled through the city gates and was smuggling in a story about his father's military service. Read a story about military history? War? Me? Happily? What the hell happened here?
Because the war isn't really the point, is it? His father is. Murakami traces this man's life through Buddhism, haiku, teaching, military service, chance, trauma and even a few cats they shared along the way. Even knowing father and son would eventually become estranged, there's something surprisingly tender about the memories Murakami chooses to preserve.
Eventually all those pieces become something bigger. His father's history. His mother's too. The accidents and near misses that had to happen exactly as they did for Murakami himself to exist. They lost twenty years together, but they were still part of one another. Without everything that came before him, there's no Haruki Murakami. No novels. No talking cats. No Little People. And I wouldn't currently be wondering when the hell I'm going to find time for The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
“All we can do is breathe the air of the period we live in, carry with us the special burdens of the time, and grow up within those confines. Apart from whether it’s good or bad, that’s just the natural progression of things. In the same way young people today continue to do things that irritate their parents.”
Haruki Murakami Trojan-catted me.😅
Abandoning a Cat begins with an odd little anecdote about Murakami and his father attempting to abandon a cat when he was a child. Soon, I realized the cat had been wheeled through the city gates and was smuggling in a story about his father's military service. Read a story about military history? War? Me? Happily? What the hell happened here?
Because the war isn't really the point, is it? His father is. Murakami traces this man's life through Buddhism, haiku, teaching, military service, chance, trauma and even a few cats they shared along the way. Even knowing father and son would eventually become estranged, there's something surprisingly tender about the memories Murakami chooses to preserve.
Eventually all those pieces become something bigger. His father's history. His mother's too. The accidents and near misses that had to happen exactly as they did for Murakami himself to exist. They lost twenty years together, but they were still part of one another. Without everything that came before him, there's no Haruki Murakami. No novels. No talking cats. No Little People. And I wouldn't currently be wondering when the hell I'm going to find time for The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.
“All we can do is breathe the air of the period we live in, carry with us the special burdens of the time, and grow up within those confines. Apart from whether it’s good or bad, that’s just the natural progression of things. In the same way young people today continue to do things that irritate their parents.”
March 17, 2022
মুরাকামি যা লেখেন সেটাই ভালো লাগে। তার প্রয়াত বাবাকে নিয়ে সুন্দর একটা স্মৃতিকথা। সাধারণ ভঙ্গিতেই লেখা। অথচ, কি মায়ায় ভরা! কি বিষণ্নতায় টুইটম্বুর!
February 15, 2023
กลับกลายเป็นว่า ผมชอบงานเขียนเชิงบรรยายของลุงมูมาก เป็นเอฟซีงานเขียนของเเกเเนวนี้มากกว่านิยายเยอะเลย
งานเขียนบรรยายของลุงมูให้ความรู้สึกเฉพาะที่ผมไม่ค่อยเห็นจากงานของคนอื่น คือ ความรู้ว่ามันเป็นการ "เล่า" มากกว่าจะเป็นการ "เขียน" ไม่รู้จะอธิบายยังไง เหมือนอ่านถอดเทปที่เรียบเรียงมาอย่างดีมากกว่าอ่านงานเขียน ทำให้อ่านงานบรรยายของลุงได้ไหลลื่นเเละไม่เคยเบื่อเลย
ที่ผ่านมางานเขียนของลุงจะเป็นงานที่ไม่ค่อยเป็นงานที่ส่วนตัวนัก เเม้จะมีงานที่เล่าถึงการเขียนของลุงเองเเต่ผมก็คิดว่าไม่น่ามีงานไหนที่ดูจะมีความเป็นส่วนตัวมาเท่างานเล็กๆชิ้นนี้ งานที่เล่าถึง พ่อของลุงเอง
ลุงกับพ่อเข้ากันได้ไม่ดีนัก (ตามที่ลุงเเกเล่าไว้ในเล่ม) เเต่ถึงอย่างนั้น สิ่งที่สร้างความเป็นตัวลุง ก็ปฏิเสธไม่ได้ว่ามาจากพ่อของลุงเเก ชีวิตเเละทัศนคติ ความหัวรั้น รวมถึงความรักในหนังสือที่ลุงได้รับมาจากพ่ออย่างท่วมถ้น สิ่งเหล่านี้หลั่งไหลเเละเเทรกซึมเข้าไปในชีวิตชองลุงมูอยู่ตลอด จนลุงเเกกลายมาเป็นนักเขียนอย่างที่เป็นในทุกวันนี้ เเต่ก็นั่นเเหละครับการที่เราได้รับอะไรจากใคร กับการชอบเเล้วเข้ากันได้กับคนๆนั้นมันคนละเรื่องกัน ความไม่อาจเข้ากันได้ของลุงมูกับพ่อเกิดขึ้นตั้งเเต่ลุงเริ่มการเป็นนักเขียนเเละยาวนานจนเกือบจะวาระสุดท้ายของพ่อเเก
ความเรียงสั้นๆเล่มนี้ เลยเป็นการทบทวนจัดเรียงความสัมพันธ์ของพ่อ เป็นคำพูดที่ลุงอยากบอกให้พ่อรับรู้ในวันเวลาที่ห่างเหินจากกัน มันไม่ได้ฟูมฟายหรือตัดสินการกระทำอะไร เป็นเพียงการเล่าถึงอีกครั้ง ช่วงเวลาในอดีตที่ทุกอย่างดูเลือนราง
สิ่งเดียวที่เเจ่มชัดคือผืนหลังของพ่อ
งานเขียนบรรยายของลุงมูให้ความรู้สึกเฉพาะที่ผมไม่ค่อยเห็นจากงานของคนอื่น คือ ความรู้ว่ามันเป็นการ "เล่า" มากกว่าจะเป็นการ "เขียน" ไม่รู้จะอธิบายยังไง เหมือนอ่านถอดเทปที่เรียบเรียงมาอย่างดีมากกว่าอ่านงานเขียน ทำให้อ่านงานบรรยายของลุงได้ไหลลื่นเเละไม่เคยเบื่อเลย
ที่ผ่านมางานเขียนของลุงจะเป็นงานที่ไม่ค่อยเป็นงานที่ส่วนตัวนัก เเม้จะมีงานที่เล่าถึงการเขียนของลุงเองเเต่ผมก็คิดว่าไม่น่ามีงานไหนที่ดูจะมีความเป็นส่วนตัวมาเท่างานเล็กๆชิ้นนี้ งานที่เล่าถึง พ่อของลุงเอง
ลุงกับพ่อเข้ากันได้ไม่ดีนัก (ตามที่ลุงเเกเล่าไว้ในเล่ม) เเต่ถึงอย่างนั้น สิ่งที่สร้างความเป็นตัวลุง ก็ปฏิเสธไม่ได้ว่ามาจากพ่อของลุงเเก ชีวิตเเละทัศนคติ ความหัวรั้น รวมถึงความรักในหนังสือที่ลุงได้รับมาจากพ่ออย่างท่วมถ้น สิ่งเหล่านี้หลั่งไหลเเละเเทรกซึมเข้าไปในชีวิตชองลุงมูอยู่ตลอด จนลุงเเกกลายมาเป็นนักเขียนอย่างที่เป็นในทุกวันนี้ เเต่ก็นั่นเเหละครับการที่เราได้รับอะไรจากใคร กับการชอบเเล้วเข้ากันได้กับคนๆนั้นมันคนละเรื่องกัน ความไม่อาจเข้ากันได้ของลุงมูกับพ่อเกิดขึ้นตั้งเเต่ลุงเริ่มการเป็นนักเขียนเเละยาวนานจนเกือบจะวาระสุดท้ายของพ่อเเก
ความเรียงสั้นๆเล่มนี้ เลยเป็นการทบทวนจัดเรียงความสัมพันธ์ของพ่อ เป็นคำพูดที่ลุงอยากบอกให้พ่อรับรู้ในวันเวลาที่ห่างเหินจากกัน มันไม่ได้ฟูมฟายหรือตัดสินการกระทำอะไร เป็นเพียงการเล่าถึงอีกครั้ง ช่วงเวลาในอดีตที่ทุกอย่างดูเลือนราง
สิ่งเดียวที่เเจ่มชัดคือผืนหลังของพ่อ
December 4, 2024
«È solo poco prima della sua morte, che mio padre e io ci siamo finalmente rivisti.
Anche se non andavamo d'accordo su tante cose ho sentito nascere dentro di me la sensazione certa di un legame tra noi, un legame che mi dava forza.
Ad esempio, c'era stata quell'esperienza bellissima, e al contempo enigmatica, che avevamo condiviso: quel giorno d'estate in cui eravamo andati in bicicletta fino alla spiaggia di Köroen per abbandonare la gatta, e il fatto che la gatta fosse tornata a casa prima di noi. Ricordo ancora come se fosse oggi il rumore delle onde sul bagnasciuga, il profumo del vento che soffiava fra i pini.
È l'accumularsi di queste piccole cose che mi ha formato, che mi ha reso la persona che sono ora».
4 ⭐️ in questo libro, oltretutto illustrato così bene da Emiliano Ponzi, Murakami scrive per la prima volta di suo padre, del rapporto con lui, della guerra che suo padre ha combattuto e di come grazie anche ad una serie di eventi lui è potuto nascere
Anche se non andavamo d'accordo su tante cose ho sentito nascere dentro di me la sensazione certa di un legame tra noi, un legame che mi dava forza.
Ad esempio, c'era stata quell'esperienza bellissima, e al contempo enigmatica, che avevamo condiviso: quel giorno d'estate in cui eravamo andati in bicicletta fino alla spiaggia di Köroen per abbandonare la gatta, e il fatto che la gatta fosse tornata a casa prima di noi. Ricordo ancora come se fosse oggi il rumore delle onde sul bagnasciuga, il profumo del vento che soffiava fra i pini.
È l'accumularsi di queste piccole cose che mi ha formato, che mi ha reso la persona che sono ora».
4 ⭐️ in questo libro, oltretutto illustrato così bene da Emiliano Ponzi, Murakami scrive per la prima volta di suo padre, del rapporto con lui, della guerra che suo padre ha combattuto e di come grazie anche ad una serie di eventi lui è potuto nascere
July 31, 2022
"Porzucenie kota. Wspomnienie o ojcu" to pożegnanie z bliskim, którego już nie ma. Haruki Murakami za sprawą krótkiego eseju rozlicza się z przeszłością. Autor nawiązuje do trudnej i skomplikowanej relacji z tatą a także prezentuje swoje myśli i rozważania.
Jak dla mnie to wszystko było zbyt osobiste, abym potrafiła odnaleźć w tym samą siebie. Książkę uważam za dobrze napisaną i to tyle. Nie dostarczyła mi ona zbyt wielu emocji, choć w sumie o emocjach opowiadała. Czy była zła? Oczywiście, że nie! Najbardziej spodoba się pewnie wszystkim wielbicielom twórczości Murakamiego, którzy będą mogli odkryć w niej kawałek życia autora. Mnie ogromnie podobało się nawiązanie do tytułowego kota. Przyznam nawet, że nieco mnie rozczuliło.
Książka na jeden wieczór.
Jak dla mnie to wszystko było zbyt osobiste, abym potrafiła odnaleźć w tym samą siebie. Książkę uważam za dobrze napisaną i to tyle. Nie dostarczyła mi ona zbyt wielu emocji, choć w sumie o emocjach opowiadała. Czy była zła? Oczywiście, że nie! Najbardziej spodoba się pewnie wszystkim wielbicielom twórczości Murakamiego, którzy będą mogli odkryć w niej kawałek życia autora. Mnie ogromnie podobało się nawiązanie do tytułowego kota. Przyznam nawet, że nieco mnie rozczuliło.
Książka na jeden wieczór.
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