What I Talk About When I Talk About Running (English, Paperback, Murakami Haruki)

What I Talk about When I Talk about Running, by Haruki Murakami, is a novel that documents the way of life of the author and its effect on his literary career.

Summary of the Book

What I Talk about When I Talk about Running chronicles the key events in Murakami’s running career. It is not a memoir, as it doesn’t talk about any of his personal details about Murakami, except his life as a runner. He became a full-time writer after experiencing a decent amount of success from his initial books. He also talks about the time he was the owner of a nightclub and how he eventually became a novelist. The initial part of the novel documents Murakami’s preparation for the New York Marathon in the year 2005. He says that he hasn’t been able to maintain a normal diary habitually, but has been religiously updating his runner’s journal. Murakami also recounts particular events like the 62-mile ultra-marathon in Japan, and a solo run in Greece. He also explains why he became an author and a runner, narrating the key role that both the activities play in his life. Murakami asserts that if he hadn’t turned to long-distance running before becoming an author, his books would have been completely different. He also doesn’t hesitate to talk about the physical limitations he has experienced due to aging.

About Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer whose works have been translated into several languages across the world. He has been awarded the World Fantasy Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Jerusalem Prize, and the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award among several others. Some of his most notable works are Norwegian Wood, Sputnik Sweetheart, Kafka on the Shore, A Wild Sheep Chase, and Hear the Wind Sing.