A Merry-Go-Round Draw

In a collection of Murakami’s stories, life is compared to a carousel from which it’s impossible to get off: we don’t overtake anyone, and nobody overtakes us—yet the spinning feels to us like a furious clash with imaginary enemies. “I myself like what I write. I’m looking forward to what I’ll come up with next time.” — Haruki Murakami, an absolute master of words and a legend of modern literature. These stories simply want to be told! “I only tried to set down on paper the stories I’ve heard, without—if possible—destroying their atmosphere.” “A fact can look strangely unnatural in one situation or another.” The search for and purchase of lederhosen leads to a sudden decision to get divorced; in an Athens taxi you encounter a man from a picture that has hung in your house for years; you meet a young person by the pool who is preparing for a turning point in life at age 35; and what a wonderful thing a little flame is—how beautiful and warm those tiny lights are, watching the night earth from an airplane window. Short stories, but within them—someone’s life, experience, and mood.