Interesting article here:
http://quarterlyconversation.com/haruki-murakami-sputnik-sweetheart
Where they dissect Murakami, and the way he approaches the surreal in his fiction. Of course, this seems to be written by someone who reads primarily realistic fiction (because he keeps saying things like of course they are metaphors…but I think the concept of a metaphor doesn’t apply to what Murakami does…esp since in the context of the story, it’s actuality, it’s truth, it’s things that happen…instead I think of it more of an emotional realism portrayed through a surrealistic lens…which is kind of what he says, but not…more like what he says is surface and ignoring what’s beneath)
It’s magical realism. A person who doesn’t “get” magical realism won’t “get” Murakami. There’s nothing wrong with that; it’s not for everyone. But it prevents one from enjoying some important aspects of theMurakami’s work.
I’m skipping the article because I haven’t read Sputnik Sweatheart yet. Perhaps I’ll revisit the article after I do so, and see how much the author really does understand.
I’m not sure if magical realism is the correct term- I think he’s doing something different than Marquez and the others did, and something different then even the German version of Magical Realism. And I don’t think surrealism is right either, because the modes and concepts for surrealism was shock and confusion and provoking people. While Murakami seems to be doing something else, something closer to what Kafka was doing…but less focused on revelation of absurdity…