What I Talk About When I Talk About Running [Paperback]

"There's a wandering, digressive, free-form quality to the writing - like improvised jazz - familiar to anyone who has read the novels, with their labyrinth plots, perplexed, solitary male protagonists, meaningful coincidences and dream-like sequences. The narrative voice here is as persuasive as in any of the novels, candid and jaunty, and you finish the book charmed by the simple, unaffected grace of Murakami"--The Observer

"Comical, charming and philosophical... an excellent memoir"--GQ

"[Murakami] says no-one can warm to a character like his, but when he talks like this, on the run, we keep pace and pay rapt attention"--The Times

"Murakami manages to set a course that takes in views of all literature, sport and the uphill journey of ageing, all with a modest fluency that covers the ground without raising a sweat"--The Independent

`comical, charming and philosophical...excellent memoir' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'...In its self-contained way, it's nothing less than an inspiration' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`there's a wandering, digressive, free-form quality to the writing - like improvised jazz...and you finish the book charmed...'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The first, fascinating insight into the life of this internationally bestselling writer

`takes in views of all literature, sport and the uphill journey of ageing, all with a modest fluency' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`[Murakami] says no-one can warm to a character like his, but ... we keep pace and pay rapt attention.'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`Likeable and often rewarding'
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

the reward is an utterly unique read
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

`It's quirky and wise' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and on his writing.

Equal parts travelogue, training log, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and settings ranging from Tokyo's Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston.

By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, this is a must-read for fans of this masterful yet private writer as well as for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running.

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, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and on his writing.

Equal parts travelogue, training log, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and settings ranging from Tokyo's Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston.

By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, this is a must-read for fans of this masterful yet private writer as well as for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running.

'Murakami manages to set a course that takes in views of all literature, sport and the uphill journey of ageing, all with a modest fluency that covers the ground without raising a sweat' Independent

'There can never have been a book quite like this memoir of running and writing before. In its self-contained way, it's nothing less than an inspiration' Evening Standard

'Hugely enjoyable... You don't have to have run a marathon to be captivated' Sunday Telegraph

'Comical, charming and philosophical...an excellent memoir' GQ

Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949 and now lives near Tokyo. He is the author of many novels as well as short stories and non-fiction. His works include Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, After Dark and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. His work has been translated into more than forty languages, and the most recent of his many international honours is the Jerusalem Prize, whose previous recipients include J.M. Coetzee, Milan Kundera, and V.S. Naipaul.