ISABEL, PROFESORA DE INGLÉS, RECOMÉNDANOS ESTE LIBRO. PRONTO ESTARÁ NA BIBLIOTECA !!

In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing full time, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he’d completed a solo race from Athens to Marathon, and in his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence running has had on his life and—even more importantly—on his writing.

One of Japan's most beloved fiction writers doesn't go running every day to find inspiration for story ideas, or to mentally develop his characters and plot lines—he actually does the opposite. He runs for the sheer pleasure of turning off his thoughts, entering "the void" as he calls it in the book, and mindlessly listening to the same old albums over and over again on an old MiniDisc player.

As someone who absolutely loves running and relates very profoundly to that enormous pleasure, and privilege I’d say, that running is, I very much enjoyed this book.

 

I enjoy to approach writers through the road less travelled and explore a different side to them other than their works of fiction. Running and writing share a complementary bond, and this mysterious link is the focus of his book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Having read and enjoyed his fiction in the past, I was curious what he had to say about the sport we both absolutely love.

 

If you're not familiar with Murakami, he writes in the magical realism style (a style or genre of fiction and art that presents a realistic view of the world while incorporating magical elements, often blurring the lines between speculation and reality). His words have a knack for making the mundane feel engaging. He keeps you comfortable with plainspoken prose, yet often surprises you with beautiful, surreal turns of phrase. With this little book, I found myself looking forward to getting lost in his musings on inspiration, routine, discipline, motivation, the logistics of his job, the physical pain sometimes experienced during long-distance running, or the runner’s blues after completing a marathon.

 

One way this work is different from other Murakami books is that it's a memoir. It reads like a thoughtful journal, or a detailed training log with barely any technical information but lots of heart. I feel that might appeal to non-runners, as it is not a training log about the mileage he puts in, but about how his heart and mind approach running on a daily basis, in preparation for each yearly marathon he runs, and especially how running intertwines with his profession.

 

Would I recommend this book to everyone? Yes, why not? Do bear in mind, though, that you will connect on a different level with it if you run yourself, and you know what running entails and what it can bring to your life.

 

I love running. Having read this book in Spanish for the first time about 20 years ago, I must admit I enjoyed it so much more this time in English. Maybe because I’ve been running more or less consistently for over 20 years, I related to so much he reflected upon. It was fascinating to hear someone articulate so many of the things you ask yourself and you tell yourself when running in such an eloquent, sharp yet ethereal and elegant way at the same time. Murakami writes ‘For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor’, and I think that summarises part of what you will find in this book beautifully.

I would say it’s an easy or, at the very least, accessible read for B2 students upwards. There will be the occasional phrases and idioms that you might need to look up but that is to be expected. Other than that, this book is written in a conversational style addressing the reader that makes it particularly engaging. Maybe due to my emotional connection with running I found it particularly soothing, cathartic at times; therefore you might want to give it a try and see what you feel.