Today I’m talking about a 600-page novel involving a man reaching another world by sitting at the bottom of a well with a baseball bat.
Yes, it’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami.
In this new video I discuss why this may be Murakami’s greatest work, and how he managed to research the book whilst following his 'no planning' process.
I also look at the presence of metaphysical evil in the novel, and how Murakami blends the incredibly brutal war scenes with the domestic suburban setting and his trademark surrealism.
His books are very difficult to explain or discuss, and these videos don’t do as well as my more controversial stuff on things like the publishing industry. So naturally I have decided to read every single Murakami novel and make a video on each one.
In a bold ‘meta’ strategy, that is just the kind of bizarre and ostensibly futile task a Murakami protagonist might embark upon.
The video is below, and hopefully you will enjoy it whether you have read the book or not.
Thanks,
Nick