Holloway mourns death of student - The Founder

16 The Founder | Monday 8 December 2008
E X T R A
1001 Books to Read Before You Die...
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami
Vikki Weston
When a friend of mine told me he’d
only read books by one author in
the last several years and offered to
lend me one to take a look at, I was
sceptical and definitely expecting
Dan Brown. Much to my surprise
he leant me an enormous volume of
fiction by a man called Haruki Murakami.
At this point you’re probably
thinking one of two things; either
a) why on earth hasn’t she read
Murakami already? Or b) Murawhat
now? I, of course, checked out
Haruki Murakami on my 1001 list
and, lo and behold, there he was.
‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ is a
600 page marvel of Japanese literature
relating the story of a Japanese
man named Toru Okada losing his
cat. Not to say that this is the entire
story-line, it’s just the start and it’s
pretty important but to tell you any
more would not only ruin the novel
but also take up my entire column
space. ‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’
is a confusing tale of interconnected
individuals revolving around
the narrator Toru. It is set predominantly
in Tokyo but also inside
Toru’s head and in war-time Manchuria.
Like I said, it’s confusing.
Murakami’s book could easily be
too bewildering to read coherently,
but his fluent and effortless writing
style coupled with, what I can only
assume to be, the dazzling translation
skills of Jay Rubin (who is the
only person to have translated a version
of ‘Wind-Up Bird’ for Western
publication) renders the volume
easy to read yet beautifully intricate.
Most good critics say that ‘Wind-
Up Bird’ is one of Murakami’s finest
works. It’s a quietly popular book.
It’s not in Richard and Judy’s book
club but whenever I was reading it
in public a complete stranger would
come over to tell me it was the best
book they’d ever read. In my, limited,
experience it is rare to find a work
of fiction that inspires a stranger to
let you know that they have such a
trivial thing in common with you,
particularly in Britain. People will
see you with this book and come
to talk to you; it’s not just a work of
fiction it’s a key social networking
tool. Murakami’s writing is overtly
surreal but also tenderly human.
‘The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’ is a
particularly good example of this;
contrasting characters such as the
other-worldly medium Malta Kano
and the matter-of-fact teenager May
Kasahara are demonstrations of the
bizarre variations of human nature
to be found within the bounds of
Murakami’s imagination.
If the size of a book is likely to put
you off then perhaps ‘The Wind-Up
Bird Chronicle’ isn’t for you, but
this doesn’t mean that you should
be steering clear of Murakami altogether.
He’s a literary gem; seriously,
he’s been compared to so many writers
of varying styles that it’s been
suggested that he must be an original.
If you’re not keen on lengthy
tomes then perhaps you should take
a look at ‘Norwegian Wood’ a smaller
and slightly less complex work or
‘The Elephant Vanishes’ which is a
collection of short stories (some of
which were adapted for the stage
“
In my, limited, experience
it is rare
to find a work of
fiction that inspires
a stranger to let
you know that they
have such a trivial
thing in common
with you
”
by Complicité Theatre Company,
for you theatre buffs out there). For
a true work of contemporary brilliance
that is neither typically Japanese
nor traditionally Western pick
up Haruki Murakami, any Haruki
Murakami and be enlightened, like
I was. If I’ve learnt anything from
Murakami’s book, other than the
geography of Tokyo, it’s not to judge
people by their reading habits; especially
if they offer to lend you ‘The
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle’.
And now for something different...
...Columnist Roz Carter delves into some interesting social activities
Good Morrow to you, readers of the
Founder, I trust you are well and
rested after the lengthy Christmas
holidays? Well, if you are, then you
are a lucky so and so as (and I’m
sure I’m not alone in thinking this) I
find that actually it drains time, energy
and of course MONEY! I had
a very nasty shock when I looked at
my balance and found that *oops*
I might have spent my rent money
on those shoes that I simply had to
have as they were half price (for all
the girls out there they were irregular
choice with miniature chocolates
on them… how could I not?)
But in the doom and gloom of January
I have uncovered a few entertaining
activities to take your mind
of impending doom and gloom of
January bank statements.
I am very fortunate in that my lit-
tle sister Danielle happens to love
the theatre as much as I do and so
I thought I would kill 2 birds with
one stone and take her to see a show
for her Christmas present: Cunning
I know. The show in question was
Potted Potter: A Parody by Dan and
Jeff and if I am completely honest
it was one of the funniest things I
have seen since John Cleese walked
in a room with a dead parrot. It is
all 7 Harry Potter books retold in 70
minutes by 2 men and various wigs.
With a minimal budget Dan and Jeff
manage to include a game of Quidditch,
a Hungarian Horntail and
even a powerpoint presentation on
book 3. Dan and Jeff ’s play uses the
time classic method of “dumb one”
and “smart one” to keep the audience
in stitches from the opening of
book one to Voldemort singing Gloria
Gaynor.
However if you can’t afford a trip
into our Capital then there is an
alternative that shouldn’t cost you
more then £5…Board Game Night.
Wait! Don’t throw down this paper
in disgust and let me explain why
this is actually a great night. I was
trying to seduce this guy and I was
trying to think of a situation were
we would be in close contact and not
in the Monkey’s Forehead. And then
it came to me… BOARD GAMES!
So I rounded up some of my good
friends and we hit the games, Harry
Potter Scene-It and Cranium to be
exact. Although very confusing,
playing Cranium proved to be hilarious
as there is nothing funnier
then watching your best friends
try and act out the phrase “full of
beans” As long as you are prepared
to accept that tempers and objects
may fly while playing these games it
is a great way to get your mates together
without spending a fortune. I
warn you though the phrase “You’re
S**t at life, You’re dumped” did get
screamed several times during the
evening.
Potted Potter has finished playing
but Dan and Jeff ’s new play Potted
Pirates is currently showing. www.
pottedpotter.com
How Much?: £20 a ticket
Why Go? Because it is pure comedy
genius!
Rating 5/5
Board Game Night:
How much?: Free if you have games
or pick some up cheap from Oxfam
Why? When trying to seduce men
nothing says “look, I’m actually a bit
bonkers” then the roll of the dice.
Rating 3/5