What I talk about when i talk about running - Haruki Murakami

"What I talk about when i talk about running" is Kind of a memoir ( thats exactly what he uses in the book in many places). It is about running, not like how to be a marathon runner or something like a 10 step guide. No! It is a very hard to put it, Its like the author's thought's on running a marathon and how he relates running to his life.




Murakami Started running at the age of 33 and ever since his has done many Marathons and Triathlons. Though many might not know about this habit of the author he considers it rather seriously. The book starts with a prologue - "Suffering is optional". It has a very good meaning for running as well as writing for Murakami. In  the course o the book he says that writing is one of the unhealthy profession and he blatantly puts it out that it is ver had labour to write. Running is one of the very hard habits to form, not only is it tiring physically, there is no motivation as such. Long distance running is worse. For a person like me who also like to run ( I am really an amateur, not in the likes of the Author but just to compare!), I could really get what he was trying to say about running and writing.

There is a quote in the start of the Book - " behind every shave lies a philosophy", Its truely brilliant how the author turns even the mundane things into very interesting. he even goes on to say that once the habit is formed even the most banal things becomes mediative in a kind of way.

The book as such is not any literary genius, Many repetitive use of words and not hard words, Its actually very easy to read. But the book really interesting to read, It makes you wanna run too at the end. Though Murakami does not achieve any impossible task during his marathon runs, what is really interesting is his thoughts or what can i say his motivation to run. He says that there is nothing as such to motivate him, It is just sheer habit. there are some philosophical things which he packs in his writings, There is chapter quite near the ending of the book " Nobody pounded the table any more, Nobody threw cups" which is about the 62 mile race, where he tells about how devastating the whole event was and how he managed it. At the end when he reaches the end of the race, he makes a reference to the end markers of the race to that of life , " just because there is an end, doesn't mean that existence has a meaning" he says that every race is just a metaphor to the fleeting nature of life, Very philosophical( I could partially get what he was trying to say".

Verdict:

"WITAWITAR" is a both philosophical and autobiographical at the same time. It is more like reading some one's diary. The way he talk about how he feels of running and how he never wants to quit it really inspiring to read it. Overall a very good memoir from the very famous author. Worth a read!