These quotes by acclaimed author Haruki Murakami will pierce your soul – Hindustan Times

Haruki Murakami, is an extremely popular Japanese author whose knack of stringing words together in a beautiful melody touches the deepest corners of our heart and soul. For a huge fan of Murakamis novels and short stories like myself, his writing evokes a long sigh born out of a feeling of peace after a consistent duration of a storm (something he too has spoken about in Kafka On The Shore in the voice of the boy named Crow). Ugh...

The authors masterstroke is his ease of prose and the way he creates this bridge between fantasy and reality, containing elements of both surrealism and nihilism.

From talking cats to fish that fall from the sky, to lonely characters in search for themselves, a Murakami story will have it all and then some. This is probably also the reason why the author has found a dedicated fan following amongst younger people and not because his stories are centred around protagonists struggling with adulting or dealing with the issues that youth might face or even bring upon itself. His writing speaks to those parts within our being that were all trying to figure out in one way or another and until then, everything seems like a large question mark, playing on loop like your favourite song or a GIF you love.

The Japanese author is considered an important figure in postmodern literature. Murakami is known to have a deep interest in music and thats reflected in his writing or the references he cites. Take the first few pages of Norwegian Wood for example, a title he chose because of the famous Beatles song. Once the plane was on the ground, soft music began to flow from the ceiling speakers: a sweet orchestral cover version of the Beatles Norwegian Wood. The melody never failed to send a shudder through me, but this time it hit me harder than ever, reads a paragraph at the beginning of the novel.

Haruki Murakami, who turned 71 yesterday on January 12 2020, had never dreamt of becoming a famous writer, infact he never knew he possessed the skill too. He studied drama as a young person and went on to open a Jazz bar and a coffeehouse. Writing came to him like an epiphany while he was watching a baseball match, and thus he got the inspiration for his first novel, Hear The Wind Sing. He draws a lot of his inspiration from great writers like Ernest Hemingway and F.Scott Fitzgerald, along with his deep love for music.

In 2006, Murakami was awarded the international literary award, Franz Kafka Prize, and is today considered to be one of the worlds greatest living novelists.

Haruki Murakamis work is a series of quotable quotes, something you never get enough of or get exhausted of trying out. Here are some of his insightful quotes that will pierce through your soul:

If you remember me, then I dont care if everyone else forgets. Kafka on the Shore

Sometimes when I look at you, I feel Im gazing at a distant star. Its dazzling, but the light is from tens of thousands of years ago. Maybe the star doesnt even exist any more. Yet sometimes that light seems more real to me than anything. South of the Border, West of the Sun

Were both looking at the same moon, in the same world. Were connected to reality by the same line. All I have to do is quietly draw it towards me. Sputnik Sweetheart

I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of itto be fed so much love I couldnt take any more. Just once. Norwegian Wood

The most important thing we learn at school is the fact that the most important things cant be learned at school. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Most people are not looking for provable truths. As you said, truth is often accompanied by intense pain, and almost no one is looking for painful truths. What people need is beautiful, comforting stories that make them feel as if their lives have some meaning. Which is where religion comes from. 1Q84

I sometimes think that peoples hearts are like deep wells. Nobody knows whats at the bottom. All you can do is imagine by what comes floating to the surface every once in a while. Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Anyone who falls in love is searching for the missing pieces of themselves. So anyone whos in love gets sad when they think of their lover. Its like stepping back inside a room you have fond memories of, one you havent seen in a long time. Kafka on the Shore

I never trust people with no appetite. Its like theyre always holding something back on you. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Its not as if our lives are divided simply into light and dark. Theres shadowy middle ground. Recognizing and understanding the shadows is what a healthy intelligence does. And to acquire a healthy intelligence takes a certain amount of time and effort. After Dark

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These quotes by acclaimed author Haruki Murakami will pierce your soul - Hindustan Times