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What I Talk about When I Talk about Running

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What I Talk about When I Talk about Running Cover

ISBN13: 9780307389831
ISBN10: 0307389839
Condition: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

From the bestselling author of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle comes an intimate look at writing, running, and the incredible way they intersect.

Equal parts travelogue and literary reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers Haruki Murakami’s intertwined obsession with running and writing and his preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon. From Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him, Murakami creates a vivid tapestry of memories and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory.

Review:

"Murakami's latest is a nonfiction work mostly concerned with his thoughts on the long-distance running he has engaged in for much of his adult life. Through a mix of adapted diary entries, old essays, reminiscences, and life advice, Murakami crafts a charming little volume notable for its good-natured and intimate tone. While the subject matter is radically different from the fabulous and surreal fiction that Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) most often produces, longtime readers will recognize the source of the isolated, journeying protagonists of the author's novels in the formative running experiences recounted. Murakami's insistence on focusing almost exclusively on running can grow somewhat tedious over the course of the book, but discrete, absorbing episodes, such as a will-breaking 62-mile "ultramarathon" and a solo re-creation of the historic first marathon in Greece serve as dynamic and well-rendered highlights. Murakami offers precious little insight into much of his life as a writer, but what he does provide should be of value to those trying to understand the author's long and fruitful career. An early section recounting Murakami's transition from nightclub owner to novelist offers a particularly vivid picture of an artist soaring into flight for the first time." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information Inc.)

Review:

"Highly recommended...Practical philosophy from a man whose insight into his own character, and how running both suits and shapes that character, is revelatory and can provide tools for readers to examine and improve their own lives." Library Journal

Review:

“A fascinating portrait of Murakami’s working mind and how he works his magic on the page.” The Plain Dealer

Review:

"In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, [Murakami] has turned something seemingly mundane – his running journals – into a brilliant meditation on how his running and writing nurture and sustain each other...With spare, engaging prose...Murakami shares his runner's high." Sports Illustrated

Review:

"A genuine memoir, filled with gentle minutiae that truly communicates the rhythm of Murakami's daily life and work...Murakami actually offers himself whole." Paste Magazine

Review:

"A felicitous, casual series of reflections and anecdotes...[Murakami] has a Warholian way of tinting the mundane with mystery and restrained humor...Do still waters run deep? This paean to a runner's life keeps us, pleasurably, wondering." The Tennessean

Review:

"Beautifully written and full of great running aphorisms...Anyone who knows perseverance can appreciate this work." San Antonio Express-News

Synopsis:

By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, this memoir is both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes that finds similar satisfaction in distance running.

Synopsis:

An intimate look at writing, running, and the incredible way they intersect, from the incomparable, bestselling author Haruki Murakami.While simply training for New York City Marathon would be enough for most people, Haruki Murakami's decided to write about it as well. The result is a beautiful memoir about his intertwined obsessions with running and writing, full of vivid memories and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in athletic pursuit.
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About the Author

Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949 and now lives near Tokyo. His work has been translated into thirty-four languages, and the most recent of his many honors is the Yomiuri Literary Prize, whose previous recipients include Yukio Mishima, Kenzaburo Oe, and Kobo Abe.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
marathongirl, December 1, 2012 (view all comments by marathongirl)
I'm a runner and as I read this memoir I recognized bits of myself in Mr. Murakami. Like him, no one has asked me or ordered me to ever run, but, yet, I do. And, as he mentions, maybe it's a rather pointless act (nothing tangible is created) but the effort, the pain, the attainment of goals becomes the point. I run because it gives me more pleasure, more sanity then pain. And therein is a very compelling point.
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alyssa reed, January 2, 2011 (view all comments by alyssa reed)
Reading this book rejuvenated my faith in writing and helped me start running. Murakami's simple, charming prose makes enchanting creative nonfiction.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780307389831
Author:
Murakami, Haruki
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Translator:
Gabriel, Philip
Subject:
Personal Memoirs
Subject:
Running & Jogging
Subject:
Asian - General
Subject:
Marathon running
Subject:
Murakami, Haruki
Subject:
Literary
Subject:
Biography - General
Copyright:
2009
Edition Description:
Trade paper
Series:
Vintage International
Publication Date:
20090831
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
192
Dimensions:
8.00x5.20x.56 in. .43 lbs.
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Related Subjects

Biography » General
Biography » Literary
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Sports and Outdoors » Sports and Fitness » Running » General

What I Talk about When I Talk about Running Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$10.50 In Stock
Product details 192 pages Vintage Books USA - English 9780307389831 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Murakami's latest is a nonfiction work mostly concerned with his thoughts on the long-distance running he has engaged in for much of his adult life. Through a mix of adapted diary entries, old essays, reminiscences, and life advice, Murakami crafts a charming little volume notable for its good-natured and intimate tone. While the subject matter is radically different from the fabulous and surreal fiction that Murakami (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) most often produces, longtime readers will recognize the source of the isolated, journeying protagonists of the author's novels in the formative running experiences recounted. Murakami's insistence on focusing almost exclusively on running can grow somewhat tedious over the course of the book, but discrete, absorbing episodes, such as a will-breaking 62-mile "ultramarathon" and a solo re-creation of the historic first marathon in Greece serve as dynamic and well-rendered highlights. Murakami offers precious little insight into much of his life as a writer, but what he does provide should be of value to those trying to understand the author's long and fruitful career. An early section recounting Murakami's transition from nightclub owner to novelist offers a particularly vivid picture of an artist soaring into flight for the first time." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information Inc.)
"Review" by , "Highly recommended...Practical philosophy from a man whose insight into his own character, and how running both suits and shapes that character, is revelatory and can provide tools for readers to examine and improve their own lives."
"Review" by , “A fascinating portrait of Murakami’s working mind and how he works his magic on the page.”
"Review" by , "In What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, [Murakami] has turned something seemingly mundane – his running journals – into a brilliant meditation on how his running and writing nurture and sustain each other...With spare, engaging prose...Murakami shares his runner's high."
"Review" by , "A genuine memoir, filled with gentle minutiae that truly communicates the rhythm of Murakami's daily life and work...Murakami actually offers himself whole."
"Review" by , "A felicitous, casual series of reflections and anecdotes...[Murakami] has a Warholian way of tinting the mundane with mystery and restrained humor...Do still waters run deep? This paean to a runner's life keeps us, pleasurably, wondering."
"Review" by , "Beautifully written and full of great running aphorisms...Anyone who knows perseverance can appreciate this work."
"Synopsis" by , By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, this memoir is both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes that finds similar satisfaction in distance running.
"Synopsis" by , An intimate look at writing, running, and the incredible way they intersect, from the incomparable, bestselling author Haruki Murakami.While simply training for New York City Marathon would be enough for most people, Haruki Murakami's decided to write about it as well. The result is a beautiful memoir about his intertwined obsessions with running and writing, full of vivid memories and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in athletic pursuit.
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