There was a
definite hushed awe over Murakami's rare appearance at a book festival. Twenty years ago he started the ‘Wind Up Bird
Chronicles’. He usually writes in the
first person narrative and he said he was uncomfortable with using the third
person - that he didn't want to look down at
people, but to rather stand on the same level as his characters; it was more
democratic he thought. He said his writing has been a long journey.
His first
novel appeared in 1979. He appeared
unassuming and reclusive - he said that he wished to be a quiet person and to live a quiet
life. He wrote about extraordinarily strange people and events though!.
He
appreciated strong interferences to push the story forward. He enjoyed irony he said and many of his stories
are terrifying and scary. He spoke of the bloody histories and the
collective memories of history and he thought
that everybody is cursed and poisoned by the past. The Manchurian history was important for his
writing.
The Well. He
spoke of his lifetime dream to be sitting at the bottom of the well where he
was super heavy. The water might be coming up. He wrote of nightmares and odd
unrealistic coincidences and he said that strange coincidences happened to him.
Questions.
He said that the translation of his books were good.
He said that his stories were not planned and that he had
no idea where the story was going. 'It is not fun to know the conclusions. I
like to think, what's going to happen today. I like to be spontaneous.
'Imagination
is an animal I keep alive.'
He said that
once a book is gone, it is gone.
Why were his
characters so sad? I didn't notice he replied, Everybody is sad.
He said he
liked to write to music that runs through the novel.' I need music to write on
- the harmony and rhythm is important to me to keep the readers reading. I need
music.'
I am always
looking for the right music to help to me write.,
Murakami is
a serene and humble man.
