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What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

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Author: Haruki Murakami
Creator: Philip Gabriel
Publisher: Knopf
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$21.00~~
Buy New: $11.84
You Save: $9.16 (44%)

New (39) Used (11) from $9.07

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

23 reviews
Sales Rank: 817

Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 175
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 1

ISBN: 0307269191
Dewey Decimal Number: 895.635
EAN: 9780307269195
ASIN: 0307269191

Publication Date: July 29, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new item. Over 3.5 million customers served. Order now. Selling online since 1995. Order with confidence. Code: B20081006210455T

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he’d completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and—even more important—on his writing.

Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and takes us to places ranging from Tokyo’s Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him. Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a panorama of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after fifty, of seeing his race times improve and then fall back.

By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in running.

Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Inspirational October 6, 2008
I enjoyed Murakami's previous fiction work. I never realized he was a runner. So to my surprise, when I saw this book I was excited. It's a great read and inspiring - for both runners and not-so physically active readers...

1 out of 5 stars

One big autobiographic disappointment October 3, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

Like many people I love Murakami. I don't have 1 favorite. It can be Windup chronicles, Kafka on the shore, Dance dance dance or even Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world. Yet, if you do like Murakami like me and don't want to be disappointed. I strongly suggest you avoid this book. It's autobiographic and has nothing of that magic of his fictional books. The only reason to read this book is when you run like he runs. If you want to read about other people preparing for a marathon this book has some insights you want to know about. If you don't run long distances and just like literature in general and/or specifically Murakami avoid this book. Don't spoil your feelings/associations/recollections by reading this book. Preserve Murakami as you know him!

5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant, Beautiful September 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I did not know Murakami's work at all before I purchased this book. I saw it in the running section at a bookstore and decided to give it a read. As I was purchasing the book the sales staff got very excited- turns out they were all huge fans. One person had even done her M.A. Dissertation on Murakami!

I was expecting some running inspiration. What was amazing is that I found an honest exploration into why someone does what they do, written in a way that was simple, moving, and eloquent. It had been so long that I cried when a book was over because it was so good, until I read this.

If you are a fan of Murakami, then the details of his life will be interesting, and are outlined very nicely by other reviewers here. If you are like me and not familiar with his celebrity, then what you will find is a moving memoir that is humble, insightful, and through its simplicities, leaves you changed. Even if you cannot relate to his perspective, you come to understand him and feel a sense of empathy.

If you are a runner, you will love this book, as Murakami speaks of his running rituals and motivations as metaphor for larger life lessons. If you are a writer, you will love this book, as Murakami illustrates some of the insights he has into himself as a writer and his writing process. If you just want a nice, easy read that is entertaining and touches the heart, you will love this book, because it does just that.

5 out of 5 stars

Author and Runner September 30, 2008
Murakami-san books tend to be surreal and the endings could leave you in suspense. Hence, this non-fiction gives you an insight to him as a person and what goes through his mind as he runs the original marathon in reverse, his attempts in ultra-marathons and triathlon. Very interesting reading and his coming to terms that he can no longer improve on his timing and injuries resonates with runners around the world.

5 out of 5 stars

Great for Murakami Fans, Runners and Triathletes September 20, 2008
I'm an enormous fan of Murakami's work, and I'm also a long distance runner and a budding triathlete, so this book was almost tailor made for me. I think if you fall into any one of those three buckets you will find this book compelling and enjoyable.

Murakami's insights into the significance of running in the lives of runners is perfect -- it's a very hard thing to articulate to the majority of people who think you are crazy for running and would never do so voluntarily.

Also, the autobiographical tidbits are a joy for Murakami fans: they feel like clues to some of the mysteries in his novels.

I'm not sure if I would take any training advice from Murakami, but I loved the book!

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