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petroniaFor lack of Mirage of Blaze I am reading Murakami Haruki. Hear the Wind Sing (「風の歌を聞け」), which is his debut novel and doesn't seem to be available in English. It's such a tiny book, 150 pages of bunko - almost a chapbook - that holding it in one's hand does the soul good. I'm about a quarter of the way in. When I'm done I hope to know what it's about. XD
Regarding Writing etc., so far in the book (am translating because I cannot translate for shit, how's that for a koan):
完璧な文章などといったものは存在しない。完璧な絶望が存在しないようにね。
"There doesn't exist anything you can call a perfect text. Just like perfect despair doesn't exist."
「文章を書くという作業は、とりもなおさず自分と自分をとりまく事物との距離を確認することである。必要なものは感性ではなく、ものさしだ。」 （「気分が良くて何が悪い？」 １９３６年）
"The work of writing is a process of determining the distance between oneself and the things that fence one in, without even getting one's breath back to grapple anew [???]. The necessary thing is not feeling but a scale by which to measure."
--Derek Heartfield, What's Bad About Feeling Good?, 1936
(In the afterword Murakami writes about visiting Derek Heartfield's grave in America, but it isLIES ALL LIES pure literature as Heartfield does not, in fact, exist. Even if his bibliography is at the back of the novel.)
もしあなたが芸術や文学を求めているのならギリシャ人の書いたものを読めばいい。真の芸術が生み出されるためには奴隷制度が必要不可欠だからだ。[...] 夜中の３時に寝静まった台所の冷蔵庫を漁るような人間には、それだけの文章しか書くことはできない。
"If by any chance you're looking for art or literature, read what the Ancient Greeks wrote. For real art to be born, institutional slavery is an inescapable necessity. [...] Someone who has to raid the fridge in a silent kitchen at 3AM can only produce a text like this."
鼠の小説には優れた点が二つある。まずセックス・シーンの無いことと、それから一人も人が死なないことだ。放って置いても人は死ぬし、女と寝る。そういうものだ。
"Rat's novel has two good points. First, there are no sex scenes; second, not a single person dies. People will die and get laid even if you just leave them there. That's what they are."
Regarding Writing etc., so far in the book (am translating because I cannot translate for shit, how's that for a koan):
完璧な文章などといったものは存在しない。完璧な絶望が存在しないようにね。
"There doesn't exist anything you can call a perfect text. Just like perfect despair doesn't exist."
「文章を書くという作業は、とりもなおさず自分と自分をとりまく事物との距離を確認することである。必要なものは感性ではなく、ものさしだ。」 （「気分が良くて何が悪い？」 １９３６年）
"The work of writing is a process of determining the distance between oneself and the things that fence one in, without even getting one's breath back to grapple anew [???]. The necessary thing is not feeling but a scale by which to measure."
--Derek Heartfield, What's Bad About Feeling Good?, 1936
(In the afterword Murakami writes about visiting Derek Heartfield's grave in America, but it is
もしあなたが芸術や文学を求めているのならギリシャ人の書いたものを読めばいい。真の芸術が生み出されるためには奴隷制度が必要不可欠だからだ。[...] 夜中の３時に寝静まった台所の冷蔵庫を漁るような人間には、それだけの文章しか書くことはできない。
"If by any chance you're looking for art or literature, read what the Ancient Greeks wrote. For real art to be born, institutional slavery is an inescapable necessity. [...] Someone who has to raid the fridge in a silent kitchen at 3AM can only produce a text like this."
鼠の小説には優れた点が二つある。まずセックス・シーンの無いことと、それから一人も人が死なないことだ。放って置いても人は死ぬし、女と寝る。そういうものだ。
"Rat's novel has two good points. First, there are no sex scenes; second, not a single person dies. People will die and get laid even if you just leave them there. That's what they are."
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Date: 2005-01-19 05:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-19 05:42 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-19 05:08 am (UTC)http://www.network54.com/Forum/message?forumid=15537&messageid=1001080046
And it implied Alfred Birnbaum translated it. Heh.
-Ced
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Date: 2005-01-19 05:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-19 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-19 05:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-22 11:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-01-24 05:25 pm (UTC)