What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel

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English

Vintage
01 June 2009

Biography; Memoirs; Marathon & cross-country running

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

'Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional'

A compelling meditation on the power of running and a fascinating insight into the life of this internationally bestselling writer.

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's new book Novelist as a Vocation is available now
*

'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

By: Haruki Murakami
Translated by: Philip Gabriel
Imprint: Vintage
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 12mm
Weight: 138g
ISBN: 9780099526155
ISBN 10: 0099526158
Pages: 192
Publication Date: 01 June 2009
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949 and now lives near Tokyo. His work has been translated into forty-two languages. The most recent of his many honours is the Franz Kafka Prize.

Reviews for What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Murakami gives me a reason. It might seem romantic, but it's true. I had to run...but I didn't enjoy running. I do enjoy, however, running with Murakami. -- Ioan Marc Jones Huffington Post UK Hugely enjoyable... You don't have to have run a marathon to be captivated Sunday Telegraph Comical, charming and philosophical...an excellent memoir GQ 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, taken together, before. In its self-contained way, it's nothing less than an inspiration Evening Standard