| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Book Description
Product Description
What will you get for your birthday this year? A chance to see into the future? Or a reminder of the imperfect past?
In this enviable gathering, Haruki Murakami has chosen for his party some of the very best short story writers of recent years, each with their own birthday experiences, each story a snapshot of life on a single day. Including stories by Russell Banks, Ethan Canin, Raymond Carver, David Foster Wallace, Denis Johnson, Claire Keegan, Andrea Lee, Daniel Lyons, Lewis Robinson, Lynda Sexson, Paul Theroux, William Trevor and Haruki Murakami, this anthology captures a range of emotions evoked by advancing age and the passing of time, from events fondly recalled to the impact of appalling tragedy.
Previously published in a Japanese translation by Haruki Murakami, this English edition contains a specially written introduction.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Although there's only one story by Murakami, all the stories feel a little bit Murakami. There's a substantial introduction to the anthology as a whole, along with a short introduction to each author by Murakami. This made it feel like the stories were being read to you by Murakami. I'll certainly be hunting down books by the authors introduced to me by this book.
One of the best Birthday presents I've had!
All good stuff, and all highly recommended.
Sure, there's 2 new books out simultaneously (the other being Vintage Murakami, which appears to be a 'greatest chapters' collection), but both of them only contain one new short story each.
A considerable amount of time has passed since his last full English collection (After The Quake), and last novel (Sputnik Sweetheart - which along with his other books have been cruelly repackaged in very-unapt Mills & Boon type jackets), but I guess the wait for another substantial body shall have to continue. Still, Haruki is someone worth waiting for. I can't believe I'm a fan of five years now!
The good news thoigh, is that Birthday Stories is a great collection. Preceded by an introduction for the English specific audience, 12 stories, presumably to cover 12 months are presented here. One of them is Murakami's own, while the other 11 will be more than welcomed by Murakami's fans, if not more so than Murakami himself, as they all share a common thread.
As you'd expect, these stories aren't twee fairly tales. In true Murakami tradition, an ordinarity blooms into the entertaining. Highlights are down to personal taste, but I highly rate the selections from William Trevor, David Foster Wallace and Ethan Canin.
Murakami's own Birthday Girl reads familiarly. It's almost like a concentrated self-pastiche. The brief emphasis on a strange room, and an earlobe, remind of Dance, Dance, Dance and A Wild Sheep Chase. Murakami's words seems to have been overshadowed his own selections, but all in all, all 12 stories compliment eachother to create a fine body.
It is an enjoyable book which will definetly satisfy Murakami's eager fans, and even make non-fans burrow through any of the back catalogues of authors featured here. Recommended!
Now, when's that next novel coming out, hmm?
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
