 Zen running, Zen writing |
| Review Date: August 10, 2008 |
| Reviewer: emma who reads a lot, London |
Haruki Murakami has run for his entire writing life, taking it up when he realised that the sedentary existence of a novelist was making him fat; he has eventually tackled more than twenty-five marathons, half-marathons aplenty, and even one gruelling 100 kilometre "ultra-marathon" whose odd spiritual benefits are described here in satisfying detail.
His simple approach to running is set down on the page with great skill and grace. But is it a hobby? An obsession? A way to keep fit? Or something more spiritual and meaningful? You can't help plumping for the latter when you read this book, so evocative and powerful are his thoughts on the way in which running requires tenacity, persistence, and a willingness to make the mind and body do things they don't really want to do. Running becomes a way of talking about all the difficulties of life - self-discipline, lack of willpower, the need for consistency.
On the other hand, he's also fantastic on the joys and delights of running: a "very attractive" young Japanese runner who smiles at him everyday on his Tokyo circuit; the mists of the wintry Charles river in Boston; a quick turn around Central Park reservoir in the company of fellow novelist John Irving.
If you aren't even slightly interested in running the book still has something to offer. It goes into detail about his philosophy of life, and he gives his thoughts about being a writer, which is intriguing for anyone who's read his strange and delightful fiction. But in the end I kept thinking about Zen buddhism - not a subject he directly touches upon. But there is something Zen about the simplicity with which he is determined to live his life, eliminating people he doesn't really want to see, pursuing single-mindedly his time and distance goals as a running, admitting that he really prefers just being on his own. The book is charming, completely thought-provoking, and I think very profound. You might even put on your trainers and go for a run after you read it. I have to admit, I did. |
Fantastic Material for runner even non runners can benefit from it !! Very Inspiring !!
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| Review Date: September 10, 2008 |
| Reviewer: HuntersGold, London |
I found this book very inspiring and charming. When I started reading it, I found it hard to stop, literally read it from cover to cover ...not many books do that to me.
This book is very thought provoking, it makes you think about yourself, goals, its about achievement as well as doing something to live life to the fullest!! Its also about passion and lessons to be learned,and overcoming failure
I love running and this book has motivated me to keep going and set new goals not just in running but also helped drive my motivation to learn new skills and avoid procastination
He talks about how ''if something is worth doing, its worth giving it your best, even more than your best'' !!
I highly recommend this book to people who love running , and other sports. Even for the non-sporty, there is a lot to be learned from this book !! |
An examination of motivation; an honest and moving record of the highs and lows of long-distance running; ambitious; admirable..
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| Review Date: April 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: stevieby, UK |
I thoroughly enjoyed and admired this book - both the subject and how it was handled. Unlike Murakami's novels which get too lost in fantasy for my taste, this is based totally in real life and records his thoughts and observations as he trains for the New York marathon, along with reminisces of past races. Now in his sixties, these feats of endurance are a matter of trying to maintain past performances rather than winning or breaking any records, a question of pride. The struggle is as much mental as physical.
Murakami's lifestyle as a writer and his success offers him certain freedoms but he still has to balance the many demands on his time with the need to train if he is going to preserve his fitness and avoid injury. So, under the practicalities of his preparation, is a treatise on where his motivation, and indeed dedication, comes from. Popular sport today seems to be readily swallowed up in professionalism and celebrity, so I think it is fantastic that someone `normal' can relate their experiences - I mean someone who is not a `winner' in the conventional sense but yet who emerges as a strong and healthy individual as a result of his own efforts.
Not that Murakami is trying to glorify his sport either - he does not gloss over the grinding effort involved in an almost daily basis, nor the sheer pain which races bring. This is a personal choice, there is no suggestion it is for everyone! Refreshing too, is the honesty when Murakami talks about his own personality, even to the point of saying he is not a very likable person! (Such disarming candour defeats some of my criticism for his novels - that they are too nerdy and pedantic.)
By turning storytelling conventions on their head Murakami is being brave and ambitious - here is the writing superstar pounding down the road every day at a very average speed... Gosh! - He is not a God, not a superhero, just a human being!
This is not as polished as most of Murakami's books, the build-up to the race and the tensions of the big events are broken as he jumps to past or future, or lapses into descriptions of clouds reflected in the river.... but I think this adds to the impression of being set in the real world.
Anyone who participates in endurance sports can easily relate to this book, they know there are no shortcuts, they know what reality does to plans and dreams!
Glad I read it!
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what I talk about when i talk about books
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| Review Date: April 4, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Dr. Susan Steele, Ireland |
I'm a great belieiver that there are certain books that you read at certain times in your life that change your life! I remember some from my childhood. There is no doubt in my mind that this book is a book that has changed my life. I started running marathons at 33 and attributed it to a mid life crisis. This book makes sense of the running. Haruki murakami has a gift to be able to describe the sensations, thoughts and experience of this running as well as his self awareness in his motivations. Even if I was not a runner, this book would have profound implications for me.
To anyone struggling to make sense of middle age and of running or of writing, this book is revelationary and I higly reccomend it. |
Wisdom for the short-distance reader
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| Review Date: May 12, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Light Reader, UK |
This is deeply personal exploration of the author's life, or at least the last 25 years in which he has been both a successful writer and runner. It weaves between accounts of running marathons, his need to run in his daily life and insights from his personal philosophy in the most wonderful way, shifting organically between writing and running, as if they were two sides of a coin. Indeed, he claims, the qualities he needs for writing are those he's learnt from running.
There are detailed descriptions of the physical trials he's voluntarily undertaken, and the narrative jumps around in a natural, contemplative "stream of life" way. It is written over a couple of years, as he looks backwards to understand the meaning of running in his life, and forwards as he comes to terms with ageing and decline of his abilities.
I found this an enjoyable, intriguing and thought-provoking little read. It is open, honest and full of self-accepting maturity and humble enquiry. It strikes right at the heart of how we organise our lives around what we value, or fail to. I've not had much chance, in my life, to speak to mature, insightful individuals who have been successful at what they pursued. So I found this immensely quenching for thirst I'm not sure I knew I had: wisdom on running a life. |
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