For those of you who have been waiting anxiously for a new review from me (ie, my mom). This article in the New Republic may help explain why my critical pen, once so prolific and edifying, has fallen strangely silent of late – I can’t seem to figure out what to say about Haruki Murakami’s latest book of short stories, Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman.
That I need to say something is clear, I just can’t seem to come up with anything conclusive. Apparently, other reviewers have run into the same problems:
But stunning statistics and a cult-like following do not prove literary merit. Descriptions of Murakami’s writing rarely help to elucidate the evidence for or against his talent–too often they are either mired in admiration for his mysticism or frustrated by that same attribute.
October 18, 2006 at 7:02 pm
I still haven’t got around to reading any of his works. But after the Kafka prize, I’m definetly interested!