Description: Good. 0679420576 Ex library book with stickers and stampings. Overall good condition with clean text and good binding unless otherwise noted. Most items ship within 24 hours. read more
Description: Fair. 0679420576 Ex library book with stickers and stampings. Overall good condition with clean text and good binding unless otherwise noted. Pages stained and warped. Edges heavily soiled. Repaired binding. Most items ship within 24 hours. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Knopf
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780679420576ISBN:0679420576
Description: Good. This is a paperback. In unmarked condition, cover scuffed, binding tight. Your purchase benefits world-wide relief efforts of Mennonite Central Committee. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780679750536ISBN:0679750533
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Vintage Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780679750536ISBN:0679750533
Description: Good. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" Tall. With the same deadpan mania and genius for dislocation that he brought to his internationally acclaimed novels A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, Haruki Murakami makes this collection of stories a determined assault on the normal. A man sees his favorite elephant vanish into thin air; a newlywed couple suffers attacks of hunger that drive them to hold up a McDonald's in the middle of the night; and a young woman discovers that ... read more
Edition: First Edition Thus
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780679420576ISBN:0679420576
Description: Very Good. First US edition. Advance copy: Uncorrected Proof in grey printed wrappers [trade sized paperback format, but of the hardcover edition]. Review copy with review letter laid in. September 27, 1992 Book Review article stapled inside front cover, and missing page of text [page 165] stapled in place [as issued] by the publisher. 333 pages. Some light bumping to the spine head front corner else a Near Fine or better copy. read more
Edition: First
Binding: hardcover
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780679420576ISBN:0679420576
Description: First American edition. Translated from the Japanese by Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin. Fine in fine dustwrapper. From the Library of Bruce Kahn. read more
Edition: First edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, New York
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780679420576ISBN:0679420576
Description: Near Fine in as new jacket. Faintest spotting to the top page edge, else As New. Inscribed by the author in Japanese and English characters to the half-title page. The inscription, dated 1993, is to Gillian Jolis of Kodansha International, Murakami's first English language publisher. Murakami's first collection of short stories and his third book to be published in English. 8vo, 327pp. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover.
Publisher: Knopf, New York
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780679420576ISBN:0679420576
Description: Very fine in like dj. Stories. Signed by Murakami in Japanese & dated by him in 1994 on the title-page. Third book of Murakami's to appear here in English. Perhaps Japan's leading living fiction writer, Murakami has also translated Ray Carver, among others. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Jay Rubin. A somewhat uncommon title. 8vo boards & cloth. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Alfred a Knopf Inc, Westminister, Maryland, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780679420576ISBN:0679420576
Description: Fine in Fine jacket. Signed by Author First Edition / First Printing [with the necessary 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page] of "The Elephant Vanishes" Signed by Haruki Murakmi and Stamped by his wife (Yoko Takahashi) directly on the title page. I will also include a digital photo of the author that I took at the signing event, along with the brochures that advertised this event. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Date Published: 1994-06-28
ISBN-13:9780679750536ISBN:0679750533
Description: Good. Same ISBN, gray and white cover, 1993 printing, 328 pages. Cover has minimal edge wear and corners lightly rubbed. Pages are clean and free of any noticeable marks or highlighting! ! Pages are lightly tanned from age. FAST SHIPPING W/USPS TRACKING! ! ! read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Vintage Books
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780679750536ISBN:0679750533
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Covers creased, bottom corner bumped; pages clean and sharp. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 327 p. read more
"This was my first Murakami book and I loved it. Each of the stories are eloquent in bringing to the concious mind, facts hidden in the rececesses of our brains until someone points it out...in a story...told in a humorous way by Haruki Murakami! Whether its how our imposed conceptions blind us to a truth staring right in the face or how a simple question by a stranger can set you off on a depressing monologue that is surely funny to the everybody else but you..the writer is a real genious. My favourites were the last two stories in the book. 'The Elephant Vanishes' kind of beats aristotles "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.." I think, but I was sold on Murakami's point of view by then..Or maybe this one is for the discussion posts."
"* The feeling that the most important moment or character has been cut from the story, leaving you intentionally stranded. * A realization that the narrator has been hypnotized, but the author does not say by whom or for what purpose. * Something like deja-vu, where you are reminded of something significant from your childhood but can't remember it clearly. * The feeling of looking at a painting which evokes a powerful set of emotions with senseless patterns then trying to explain why you had that reaction. * The feeling that the space between human beings is enormous, and the narrator never understands why he or others do what they do. * Watching someone do a series of magic tricks, where you sense that the same underlying trick is used for all of them, but you can't quite tell what it is."
"after devouring his book of short stories, i can safely say that murakami is now one of my all-time favorite writers. his engaging voice immediately drew me in from the very first sentence: "i'm in the kitchen cooking spaghetti when the woman calls." interestingly, spaghetti makes a couple more appearances throughout the various short stories in this book, as does the name "noboru watanabe" (alternatively a cat, a future brother-in-law, and an old elephant caretaker), and careers, such as advertising and lawn mowing. most importantly, characters seem to recur again and again, in different situations, with different lives and names and of different genders. many of these characters find themselves stuck in monotony or routine, and are suddenly taken out of their everyday lives by a surreal, absurd turn of events. like a strange phone call. or sudden gusts of wind. or a nightmare that keeps the protagonist awake for days on end. in this case, the break in routine proves to be beneficial; the protagonist sees her life for what it is and tries to live it more freely. it's the interruption of balance and normality that is probably the most pervasive theme in this collection of stories. murakami's very deadpan, humorous writing style calls to mind writers such as carver (in the way simple everyday situations are approached, such as meeting women) and vonnegut (the subtle absurdism, the dry wit and humor).
perhaps my favorite story was also the shortest, and the saddest: "on seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful april morning". god, what a thing of beauty. again, exceedingly simply written--it's probably at a fourth-grade reading level. but this gem of a story epitomizes the meaning of the term "tragedy" in five short pages.
i don't know which i'm going to read next. but what i do know is this book is just one of those books. that wakes you up, rocks your world, and so on. as for murakami, i can't wait to read more of him, and best of all, he makes me want to write. i suppose that's the dream of all great writers, to inspire."
"The 2004(?) stage production of this was one of the most mind-blowing theater experiences of my life...but it maybe set me up for disappointment when I finally sat down and read the original. If I'd never seen the show, I'd probably be giving this another star or two today.
Pros: I love a taste of magic realism, especially when a touch of the impossible gets sprinkled over the incredibly dull and ordinary like they do in several of these stories. Loved TV People, for example. Thought it was hilarious.
Cons: These characters depressed me. Anybody else feel that way? Most of them are trying to find significance in their lives in such inconsequential ways. I feel like shaking them, like listing off for them all the fulfilling relationships and activities that are smack in front of them. Maybe that's a nice, tidy life lesson I should appreciate taking home after reading this...but it still depressed me. And I wasn't in the mood to be depressed.
Like other reviewers mention, the characters from one story to the next depict the same, small demographic: young Tokyo professional in a nondescript industry, occupied with thoughts of western cuisine (preferably spaghetti), sex, and their current classical FM station. They each seem remarkably normal, but most end up engaging in almost bizarre behavior or habits as they try carving some sort of meaning into their lives. Could almost read like a collection of case studies."
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