Haruki Murakami (By Wakarimasita, Wikipedia, using Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0) What a strange little book! I guess it's not surprising that Haruki Murakami's notion of a memoir is not quite that of the rest of us. This is not because it has any of the, shall we call it, weirdness you find in his … Continue reading Haruki Murakami, What I talk about…
Author: Whispering Gums
Murakami on The Great Gatsby
I have nearly finished Haruki Murakami's slim memoir, What I talk about when I talk about running, but thought this little tidbit deserved its own post. As well as writing his works in Japanese which others translate for him, he also translates English language works into Japanese. Interesting eh? Anyhow, while he was writing this memoir, … Continue reading Murakami on The Great Gatsby
On growing old
I am currently reading Haruki Murakami's What I talk about when I talk about running. I will write more on it when I've finished it, but today I came across this statement which rather caught my attention: ...one of the privileges given to those who've avoided dying young is the blessed right to grow old. … Continue reading On growing old
The challenge of the biopic
I do love a biopic - essentially, a movie dramatisation of the life of a real person - but I also know that I must always keep in mind that it is a dramatisation. That is, it is not a biography but more like a biographical novel. The challenge with this is that when I … Continue reading The challenge of the biopic
J.M. Coetzee, Diary of a bad year
J.M. Coetzee is one of those rare novelists who pushes the boundaries of what a novel is. The progression from his mid-career novel, the spare but terrifying Disgrace (1999), through Elizabeth Costello (2003) to Diary of a bad year (2007) is so dramatic that there are those who question whether these last two are even … Continue reading J.M. Coetzee, Diary of a bad year
What I didn’t know about flamenco
Until tonight, if you'd asked me what flamenco was I probably would have said a Spanish dance accompanied by percussion and I might have said there's flamenco music too. After all, I have heard flamenco guitar! Tonight, though, we attended a performance by Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca, and I learnt more about flamenco in … Continue reading What I didn’t know about flamenco
Orhan Pamuk, Snow
One of my rules of reading is that when I have finished a book I go back and read the first chapter (or so) and any epigraphs the author may have included. These can often provide a real clue to meaning. This rule certainly applies to my latest read, Snow, by Nobel Prize winner, Orhan Pamuk. … Continue reading Orhan Pamuk, Snow
Jane Austen Regency Feast
I'm going to have my dinner after which I shan't be thinner (Jane Austen, Juvenilia) Last night was my local Jane Austen Society's eighth annual midwinter feast. We started off small in 2002 as a lunch for members only but, in the last few years, we have expanded it to a night event including members' … Continue reading Jane Austen Regency Feast
Seen today
As we were shopping at our local mall today, we saw a mum with her young daughter who was about 8 years old. This little girl was wearing a t-shirt that said: I'm too pretty to do homework. I'll say no more ... because, well, what can I say?
Too many books?
No, this is not one of those "too many books too little time" posts. This is way more serious! This is about something I read in the July issue of goodreading (why I read this magazine is beyond me really, but I do). What I read was this, from one Ken Duncan who is apparently … Continue reading Too many books?
Whispering Gums 