Ha, thanks Lou. Precisely why I enjoy your writing. Which Murakami title or titles would you recommend as a next turn of the crank to someone who has only read Kafka?
Oh man. How deep do you want to go? The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles is where a lot of people will go next and I think it’s well worth it — also feels stylistically like Kafka. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the world is my favorite — but it’s weird. Wild Sheep Chase is very good, too. You should probably read Norwegian Wood, just because everyone does, but I think it’s a little overrated. His newer novels all have kind of blended for me — and a lot of them feel like continuations of older works — and I haven’t read his newest yet.
You could also do short stories. Elephant Vanishes is my favorite collection, but they’re all good.
Really, I’d say if you liked Kafka you’ll probably like most of his work, so just pick somewhere to start and dive in!
I’ve been that English major friend who’s recommended Murakami more times than I care to count. Really great stuff in here.
Ha, thanks Lou. Precisely why I enjoy your writing. Which Murakami title or titles would you recommend as a next turn of the crank to someone who has only read Kafka?
Oh man. How deep do you want to go? The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles is where a lot of people will go next and I think it’s well worth it — also feels stylistically like Kafka. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the world is my favorite — but it’s weird. Wild Sheep Chase is very good, too. You should probably read Norwegian Wood, just because everyone does, but I think it’s a little overrated. His newer novels all have kind of blended for me — and a lot of them feel like continuations of older works — and I haven’t read his newest yet.
You could also do short stories. Elephant Vanishes is my favorite collection, but they’re all good.
Really, I’d say if you liked Kafka you’ll probably like most of his work, so just pick somewhere to start and dive in!
Awesome. Thanks! Appreciate your recs.