Literature/Books Writers' Lounge

Haruki Murakami – What Makes this Author So Great

Some people live their lives to become great, or rather, admired by many for the work they do. Whether they are geniuses who discovered various ways of using electricity or people who used paint to make the most amazing artworks, they have shared their lives with us, and many will. 

From inventors who helped create the internet to those who invented gambling promo codes, like this Mr Bit Promo Code, to authors who create new worlds or recreate our own world from their perspective, people can be amazing.

Haruki Murakami is one of those people, an amazing author, a modern-day living genius. His novels are particularly interesting but one must wonder, what really makes him that great? Here are a couple of reasons.

A Deep Otherworldly Connection

One of the recurring themes in the world of Murakami’s books is a connection to another world. This seems natural in Japan, for people to cross into another world, an unrealistic world. He sees that in Japan, that comes naturally to people and that they do not question and bother themselves with the idea of realistic and unrealistic.

On the other hand, the Western reader finds it difficult, more often than not, to go into the unrealistic and it always seems in some ways, strange. For Murakami, the realistic and unrealistic do not really matter, it is a way of exploring and living in our world so that reflects in his works, something we could all benefit from, a focused and interesting way of living.

Common, Familiar Themes

There is nothing like finding references to the things we love and enjoy. Murakami is a fan of Western culture, particularly its art and music. References to popular artists, authors, and music can be found in all of his works, such as the Beatles, George Orwell, Balzac, Conrad, Kafka, and many more.

Similarly to popular culture, he always tackles the topic of love, which is universal and known to everybody. These things can easily make a reader engaged. Everybody likes to find something they know in a book, something they can relate to. Love is a topic we can easily relate to.

Magical Realism – It is Amazing

There have been plenty of magical realists, Marquez to name one. Murakami uses magical realism in a very lovely way, to blend our two worlds, the real one and the one we often dwell in, an imaginary world, which tends to take place in everyone’s head at some point.

During these trips, his characters often discover interesting things about life, themselves, and the world around them. This can be used to reflect upon our own lives because Murakami urges us to do so. To question what we love, know, and learn, the things that drive us. Magical realism is amazing, but when put to use in a meaningful way, it becomes even better.

Memories – The Use of One’s Life Experience

Murakami lived a vivid life and is still living one. Having been an owner of a jazz club and having had many interesting and life-threatening experiences, he has lots of things to share with us. All of his experiences trickle down into books, mixed with his thoughts, ideas, and philosophy.

These things are seamlessly woven into works of art, with such ease that most readers do not even notice them until they have already been read, multiple times, even. With such a natural flow and a plethora of real-life stories, Murakami rarely fails to impress.

Some artists are born great while others work their entire lives and at some point all of their work becomes amazing, everything coming together just right. The key things are work and experience, both of which Murakami has had and done.