What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Murakami: Inspiration and perspiration

Of course it was Thomas Edison who famously said that genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration - or something like that. Murakami, one of my favorite novelists, writes a book that shares his dual passions of writing and running (with focus on the latter). What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami is a candid memoir that shows how perspiration can be inspiration; running and writing goes side by side to drive the narrator to the success.

But the memoir is no Zen manual or inspirational memoir -- indeed there are no profound lines about reaching the finish line or stuff like that. The slim volume, like Murakami's novels, uses down-to-earth language, the same witty lines, and a very honest take on running, writing, and life in general. Here Murakami is not that masterful writer behind the scenes, putting dialogue on such unforgetable characters like Toru Watanabe of Norweigian Wood and Toru Okada. Instead, he is himself -- a shy person who gets apprehensive before a marathon, a writer who shares his , and someone truly

The determination of Murakami is impressive -- yet once again, instead of overthinking it, he doesn't search for meaning too much. He run because he simply wanted it; he just didn't seem to fit baseball and tennis. It is good that he applied the same passion and determination to writing. Thanks to that, we have the benefit of his books. This recent volume is one of them, and because of it I am inspired to run those miles as well!

Going back to Edison, inspiration and perspiration are those things that go hand in hand. Whether as athletes or artists, we need both. Whether 1% or 99%, the proportion doesn't matter. Ask Murakami and he probably will say the same thing. What matters is you do what you want and you follow through till the finish line.

Norweigian Wood by Haruki Murakami: The essence of youthful wandering

One of favorite books is Norweigian Wood by Haruki Murakami. I bought my copy in Tokyo - in a two-book format that's very convenient for the Japanese who hate idle moments and read books whenever they're riding subway trains.

Just like many of his works, the title of the book is named after a song (in this case, by the Beatles) and it is written in the first-person perspective by a young man, in this case a teeanger named Toru Watanabe.

It is essentially a coming-of-age novel but it is worlds apart from Holden Caulfield of Catcher in the Rye or other similar American novels; the rebelliousness and pessimism of youth is there but so are uniquely Japanese themes such as loneliness, coming to terms with loss (so common in the nation with the highest suicide rates in the world), and a sort of sexuality that may actually seem perverted to some but is narrated in a casual, non-erotic way in the novel.

The plot is not really exceptional. His best friend kills himself at a young age, leaving him and his best friend's girlfriend Naoko emotionally attached to each other. The experience drives Naoko crazy. Meanwhile, Toru meets another girl Midori with a character quite different from Naoko, and in the end they wind up together.

Yet it is the heartfelt, nostalgic tone and the wit that makes the novel a great read. It conjures up the most vivid descriptions of student life and creates unforgettable characters that will make you laugh and cry. Finally, the character is not presented in any other way but as who he is: a frail human being longing for someone to hold on to (just like the rest of us). In the end he holds on to the symbolic telephone line - connected to someone.