is the first book by Haruki Murakami that I read. I wanted to read the author’s book, but the text-packed book was over 500 pages long and the amount of print was too much for me, who at the time only read martial arts novels, fantasy novels, and self-help books.
Above all, the cover design, which seemed a bit old, was so similar to the ‘Complete Korean Short Stories’ that I studied before my high school placement test that I felt like I was looking at a test textbook. (Is this too weak an excuse for not reading the book?) Is this why? was not selected by me and has been sleeping on my bookshelf for over 10 years.
While reading the book, I felt like I was reading a very ordinary story about ourselves. When a great writer like Haruki shared the same concerns and feelings, our concerns were so similar that we felt a sense of kinship. Is that why? I liked every part of the book.
Like most problems in life, this pain came suddenly and without any sign.
On the morning of October 17th, as I was going down the stairs to my apartment, my right knee suddenly felt numb. -p194
I also put as much passion into badminton as the author put into the marathon. 10 years! This was the period when I played badminton. Many of the author’s thoughts while running a marathon resonated with me at the time and I thought, ‘That’s right! I couldn’t help but think, ‘I used to do that too!’ For example, I was anxious that I might have to miss the race due to a knee injury before the marathon (I also had to withdraw from the race due to a torn muscle in the marathon), or when I had to withdraw from the swim due to hyperventilation in a triathlon race (I did not withdraw, but I had to withdraw from the race). (I’ve never been able to show off my skills due to nervousness), or when I fall into a state of flow after running a certain distance (this happens to most people who exercise).
The author in the book how to write a novel Also talk about. Needless to say, the most important quality for a novelist is talentThe next most important quality for a novelist after talent is concentrationam. The next thing you need after concentration is vitalityam. It is said that concentration and persistence are thankfully different from talent; they can be acquired through training and can be improved upon. So if you don’t have talent constant trainingIt is advised to develop concentration and improve persistence. (p120~122)
There’s very little reason to keep running, but if there’s a reason to stop running, it’s because there are a lot of big trucks. All we can do is to carefully train those ‘very few reasons’ one by one. Train diligently and thoroughly whenever you have time. – p116
This may not be limited to running. When we start something new, we always think of why it won’t work. So some people give up on running. There was no difference between us and a great writer like Haruki. He also had as many reasons not to do it as a large truck. It’s just that he trains himself thoroughly. But why don’t we train thoroughly?
There is a thought that often comes to mind when reading books by foreign authors. Especially when I enjoyed reading a work, I thought, “Would it really be this fun if I read it in the original language?” I’m always curious. I wonder if we are so impressed because the Korean translator’s translation skills are excellent! The reason I didn’t give up even though I was having a hard time studying English was because I wanted to read my favorite books in English one day. I became curious while reading. Would you still feel this emotion even if you read it in Japanese? I wonder if I should study Japanese too.
While reading the book, I understood why people like author Haruki. Who wouldn’t be moved by such an honest story from a world-renowned writer? His values expressed in can be seen in other books he wrote besides this book. Lastly, the author writes down the phrase he would like to include in his tombstone. This shows that he considered individual records, rankings, appearances, and how others evaluated them all as secondary, and tried his best to learn even the smallest things.
Haruki Murakami
Writer (and Runner)
1949~20**
At least I didn’t walk all the way
# Dreaming of growing old gracefully
# Today’s experiences create tomorrow’s me
2025-01-01 00:31:00