Ann Levin April 05, 2021 - 11:34 AM
âFirst Person Singular,â by Haruki Murakami (Alfred A. Knopf)
Haruki Murakami has a new collection of stories told in the first person by an unnamed older man obsessed with baseball, music, and the porous borders between memory, reality and dreams.
He may describe himself as a âbland, run-of-the-mill guy,â as in the story âCreamâ â about a young manâs encounter with an aging mystic â but Murakami Man is more like a walking encyclopedia who has a problem with women â mainly, that he canât seem to get past their physical appearance.
Thus, in âOn a Stone Pillow,â we have his memories of a melancholy poet and her âshapely round breastsâ; in âWith the Beatles,â a first girlfriend with âsmall yet full lipsâ and a wire bra. (Both, by the way, are suicidal.) In âCarnaval,â the one story where a woman has agency, we are
Eight Ways of Looking at Haruki Murakami
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Review: A new collection of stories by Haruki Murakami
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Review: A new collection of stories by Haruki Murakami
ANN LEVIN, The Associated Press
April 5, 2021
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This cover image released by Knopf shows First Person Singular by Haruki Murakami. (Knopf via AP)AP
“First Person Singular,” by Haruki Murakami (Alfred A. Knopf)
Haruki Murakami has a new collection of stories told in the first person by an unnamed older man obsessed with baseball, music, and the porous borders between memory, reality and dreams.
He may describe himself as a “bland, run-of-the-mill guy,” as in the story “Cream” about a young man’s encounter with an aging mystic but Murakami Man is more like a walking encyclopedia who has a problem with women mainly, that he can’t seem to get past their physical appearance.