Perpetually confused: Book Review: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Monday, October 28, 2013

Book Review: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

Discovering Murakami has been one of the most enigmatic literary experiences I have had recently. Early in the year while browsing through my brother’s books, I spotted a collection of short stories titled ‘After the Quake’ by the author. The appealing title and equally engaging description at the back of the book saw me reading it in no time. Two stories down, I realized that the narratives were not actually about the physical devastating earthquake but much more about the psychological tremors and emotional turbulences triggered by a natural calamity, stories giving an insight into the minds of people rather than in their lives.

Full review published here:
http://mujournal.mewaruniversity.in/JIR3/book%20review.pdf

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Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami

Story of three intense confused souls Sumire, K and Miu who are on their own lonely journeys yet feature in each others too in a meaningful manner. The book in Murakami’s typical mysterious style brings out the idea of lonliness, love and desire in a bold manner. Very much like his other works Murakami leaves it open ended and completely unresolved. The allusion to the ‘other’ world is often hinted at but it does not feature prominently so in the end one doesn’t know whether Sumire is calling from this world or she has managed to cross to the other side. Once you pick up the book it is ‘unputdownable’ for sure.

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Coming from my all time favorite author this book like his other better known ones leave an imprint on the soul with its wonderful deliberations on fact and fantasy. Story revolves around Louisa and Tom, both children of a wealthy autocratic man who have been brought up with severe discipline almost bordering on mania. While Louisa resigns to her fate sealed by her father and marries a man she abhors Tom grows into a corrupted crook who time and again plays with her emotions for his petty needs. In short it is a story about sister’s love, freedom, simplicity and self respect all wonderfully woven into a fictional account.

The First Man by Albert Camus

Being one of the last reflections on life and a nostalgic autobiographical rambling it is no wonder that the text has been left incomplete. Focusing on his childhood and youth Camus gives us a glimpse of his difficult Algerian childhood under his authoritarian grandmother. The philosophical discussions about the loss of a father and what it means to someone who hasn’t had the love of one is aptly brought out in various places. The anxiety of ‘doing well’, ‘being successful’ and their ultimate futility to is dealt with usual deftness seen in his other works.

Letter to D by Andre Gorz

This is an open letter of sorts by Andre Gorz to his dying wife Dorine whom he has immortalized in the world of literature. It is written simply without the usual melodrama expected out of a romantic work.Not only does it recall only the good times but it often reflects on trying years which would test their patience and love for each other. What makes this work a truly heart wrenching read is the fact that almost an year after the publication both Gorz and his terminally ill wife having committed suicide were found dead lying next to each other.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

After reading two collections of fascinating and deep short stories by the author I had to read a novel by him which turned out to be a greater literary experience. Murakami weaves magic in his words, a magic which will not let you put the book down once you are seriously into it. In narrating the mysterious stories of Kafka a fifteen year old boy who is running away from an Oedipal curse and Nakata an old man in his sixties who lost his basic abilities to learn at the young age the author has woven a surreal tale in which you have talking cats, fish falling from sky and the KFC guy yet none of it feels out of place.The apt reference to music maestros like Beethoven, Schubert and Haydn doubles the pleasure of reading this enigmatic book.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Russian literature especially by stalwarts like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov has always fascinated me a lot. This insight into a passionate young woman’s mind is one of the masterpieces by Tolstoy. Interestingly in telling Anna’s tale Tolstoy raises important questions about the feeling of emancipation and brings to life the Russian culture , society and politics subtly while narrating the story of Levin and his ideologies. Though it follows various trajectories and is full of difficult Russian names yet it is so engaging and engrossing that is easy to lose oneself in the narrative.

Our Moon has Blood Clots by Rahul Pandita

From 'Chinar in my Veins' to random writings on Kashmir posted on sanitysucks.blogspot.com to finally 'Our Moon has Blood Clots' dear friend Rahul Pandita has time and again given voice to his feelings about the permanent homelessness which haunts each one of us, Kashmiri Pandits This bold memoir goes beyond the personal feeling of loss and tries to see the problem in a much broader perspective from all possible angles. Seeing Kashmir issue as a major fall out of the changing political situations in Afghanistan and rise of Shia power in Iran his narrative contextualizes the problem in the relevant world affairs without losing one bit of its literary charm.

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

A thrilling narrative about supernatural experiences written in a sarcastic vein to bring out the evils set in the society. Two parallel stories, one taken from the life of Jesus and set in Jerusalem and other a love story set in contemporary Moscow are adeptly intertwined together to give us a picture of Russian regime under Stalin.The Satanic lures and occult practices usually considered as sinful and evil are seen here as the perfect shadows of our world. When Margarita enters into a contract with Satan himself, she is freed of a pretentious life and enjoys the kingdom of dead with her beloved. A novel which surely if nothing makes one think about stereotypical notions of evil, black cats, witches and so on..

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

After reading this book by Pamuk I have decided to transfer the title 'the story teller of our times' from Rushdie to Pamuk. As is evident I am smitten by latters ability to weave a narrative alongside with all rich historical and cultural data he furnishes in his books. While reading I felt an urge to see and study miniatures of Herat school and rediscovered the beauty of Behzad's paintings. A novel written from the point of view of various narrators, some non-living ones too, in its crisp and charming manner draws attention to the difference between East and West. Revolving around the lives of 17th CE Turkish master miniaturists, it opens up a world of lies, jealousy, religious dogma, love and lust before the final collapse of Ottoman dynasty.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Snow by Orhan Pamuk

‘Snow’, a brilliant work of fiction which does more than a formal report on Turkish politics and culture to both enlighten as well as fire the curiosity of the reader deals with myriad issues. It’s through Ka, a poet protagonist, virtually an alter-ego of the author himself that the novel is revealed. Like Pamuk, Ka hails from the Turkish middle class and is torn between tradition and westernization. The book talks about Post Ata-Turk Turkey, the ongoing battle between the Islamic and western cultures and most importantly the dilemma of the people caught between these two extremes. The rise of radical Islamic groups and their adherents forms an important subplot in this multifaceted novel. The story of headscarf girls who wore the scarf as an act of revolt against the westernized establishment and who got fired from various educational institutions is dealt with throughout the book, But mainly the book talks about human motives and emotions behind such movements. It talks of the Islamic high school boys who epitomize Kadife the leader of the headscarf girls and look upon her with great awe and respect while harboring secret passion for her. The novel beautifully brings out the difficulty of being a human as well as the dilemma of not believing completely in what one is doing. It is in the end that Kadife’s ulterior motives are divulged which is to win the affections of her sister’s secret lover, a radical Islamist. The cause is just a curtain behind which one gets to hide the real motives usually triggered by human instincts

Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac

Eugenie Grandet by Balzac narrates the tragic story of an innocent, simple and highly sought after daughter of a rich miserly businessman, who finds her life completely shaken with the feelings of love and passion on the arrival of her dandy cousin from Paris..A moving tale of a timid girl who displays terrific boldness and strength of character to counter the oppurtunists flocking her has a power to arouse melancholia in a manner akin to most of the excellent French literature produced in that era.

The Outsider: by Albert Camus

Here in this story Camus deliberates on how most of our actions are performed by us to get accepted in the society. The protagonist, a young man failing to show emotions on his mother’s death and who accidently murders a man but feels no remorse is judged by the people as evil not because of the crime he commited but because his behavior does not fit the code of conduct meant for criminals. He is outcasted at once as he evokes no sympathy and is a compete Outsider to this world which is essentially based on pretence.

The Name of the Rose: by Umberto Eco

Eco known for his command on mediaeval aesthetics and his extremely engaging articles on the said period comes up with a nail biting mystery about an abbey somewhere in Italy. Following the trail of murdered monks a senior monk reveals a world of deceit , dishonesty and jealousy among the sacred community. Story unfolds in layers and narrates the story of seven days in which the mystery is solved at the cost of destruction of the entire abbey. The description of artworks and discussions of philosophy further engage the reader. Surely an interesting read if one is conversant about the mediaeval European history.

The moon and six pence: by W. Somerset Maugham

Zorba the Greek By Nikos Kazantzakis, trans by Carl Wildman

Istanbul, Memories of a city by Orhan Pamuk, trans by Maureen Freely

Though I am not very fond of memoirs and autobiographical works which usually border on narcissism I just loved this work.Apart from being a personal memoir it paints the beautiful and sad city of Istanbul,torn between westernization and tradition in front of your eyes..thanks to the love and understanding of visual arts of the author. Rather than becoming a lamentation or nostalgic rambling it holds on its own by alluding constantly to history,arthistory, literature and current events. In short a beautiful read by an artistic story teller.

A Doll's house and Oher Plays by Henrik Ibsen trans by Peter Watts

These three plays talk about Ibsen’s(heralded as the father of modern drama) literary brilliance ,modern sensibilities and his ability to twist and turn the plots in the most ingenious manner. ‘A Doll's House’ the most famous of his works is about Nora, a sensitive woman caught in a role of a dumb and frivolous housewife to please her overbearing husband. ‘The Lady from the sea’ is about a woman who craves for freedom of choice to make her decisions. ‘The League of Youth’ talks about the absurdity of having high political ambitions sans enough cunning to identify the truth

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky trans by Constance Garnett

The picture of Dorain Gray by Oscar Wilde

Rereading ‘Picture of Dorian Gray’ after a long period reminds me of fascination I felt on reading it for the first time..your character is reflected on your face and your face is the mirror reflecting your deeds…your sins are explicitly seen as they leave indelible marks on your face…but Dorian's face inspite of commiting heinous crimes remains pure and handsome and he keeps fooling people by his innocent looks and it is his picture painted in the prime of his youth which bears the brunt of his evil deeds and almost represents a monster..

The unbearable lightness of being by Milan Kundera

The Unbearable Lightness of Being’ though published some years back continues to be read and pondered upon for its philosophical speculations on post World war II anxieties in Eastern Europe. The book though a work of fiction underlines the absurdities of life and gives us a clear cut glimpse in the life of the author himself. What is extremely fascinating about Kundera is his belief that a person can write only about himself, hence making all his books his different autobiographies
to read a short review log on to http://www.artconcerns.net/2007May/html/bookReview_milanKundera.htm

Dom Casmurro by J M Machado de Assis trans by John Gledson

I have never read anything as charming as this book. Written in such lighthearted vein yet so well articulated and presented. Though it’s a translation I read but the essential charm has been very well maintained and no where the actual idea or the thought is compromised.A simple work set in a town in Brazil with hardly any big words or big events. The author manages to floor the reader by simple and mundane events treated in a beautiful manner. The average chapter consists of just one page and the narrative style is so communicative that you almost feel the presence of the author..right there ..whispering the story in your ears…the sudden turn of events in the last part of the book though comes as a surprise adds to the entire charm…a must and refreshing read for those who are fed up of reading repeated stuff on identity crisis, religious politics and caste wars

The Enchantress of Florence

Recently read this wonderful book by The Story Teller of our time..Salman Rushdie. The book is about a part ficticious daring woman of the Moghul family who dares to defy her so called destiny for a totally unknown world. The parallel drawn between the Moghul court and the Florentine one is simply marverlous and speaks of the terrific understanding of history and intrigues of these courts. I for one enjoyed reading about Medicis and 'il machias'

His sense of humor is simply fabulous..here is one of my favorite sentences,

"We are the Emperor of India, Bhakti Ram Jain
but we can't write our own damn name"

Polo Khoresh: A collection of persian short stories by Hoshang Moradi Kermani

When i saw this book for the first time i thought its a cookery book as both the title and coverpage picture suggest. Hence didn't bother to give it a second look. I was surprised when the stall owner looking at the books i had selected picked this book and asked me to definitely buy it.
And he wasn't wrong. Stories narrated here are simple but yet so profound..many a times open ended too..leaving lot of scope for interpretation. The subtle sense of humour and sensitive handling of the emotions is refreshingly fresh. Though i love all the stories 'thokhm-e-morgh' tends to remain my favorite...will surely look for more stuff by the author

One Hundred Years of Solitude........last line

"....Before reaching the final line, however, he had already understood that he would never leave that room, for it was foreseen that the city of mirrors (or mirages) would be wiped out by the wind and exiled from the memory of men at the precise moment when Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchmemts, and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to one hundred years of solitude did not have a second oppurtunity on earth." IF THE TRANSLATION HAS SUCH AN IMPACT WONDER HOW IT WOULD FEEL TO READ THE ORIGINAL