What I Talk about When I Talk about Running

A Memoir

By: Haruki Murakami

Narrated by: Ray Porter

Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

From the best-selling author of Kafka on the Shore comes this rich and revelatory memoir about writing and running, and the integral impact both have made on his life. Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers Murakami's four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon.

Settings range from Tokyo, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston, among young women who outpace him.

Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a cornucopia of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after age 50, of having seen his race times improve and then fall back.

Translated by Philip Gabriel.

©2007 Haruki Murakami (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Murakami crafts a charming little volume notable for its good-natured and intimate tone....An early section recounting Murakami's transition from nightclub owner to novelist offers a particularly vivid picture of an artist soaring into flight for the first time." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A brilliant meditation on how his running and writing nurture and sustain each other....With sparse, engaging prose....Murakami shares his runner's high." ( Sports Illustrated)
"Provides a fascinating portrait of Murakami's working mind and how he works his magic on the page." ( The Plain Dealer)

An entertaining book.

He has an excellent sense of humor and does not take himself too seriously. It is a good story about his journey.

Personal, but a bit short

As said in the fore- and afterword, it’s kind of a collection of themed essays. Personally I would like it to go longer and deeper.

Enjoyable

Nice short stories all about running and writing and life. A motivating listen while you’re working out.

Genuine and vulnerable

I’ve been reading Murakami’s fictions for the past 15 years, and this book, like how he titled it as “a memoir,” is nothing like all the other fictional work he has done, yet the ultimate Murakami book to read.
Being picky about the audio output I receive, I think it is worth noting that the translation is done well and the narrator did a great job conveying the authenticity with his reading.

Goodbye, friend

Completing this audiobook felt like saying goodbye to an old friend, whom you've just spent the evening sharing a lengthy, wholsome, and much needed conversation with.

Always a book to return

I’ve read this book three times and this is the second time I finished listening. The narrator is simply wonderful. He catches the emotions underneath the writing as if the writer himself is talking. A calming book indeed.

Inspirational, If You're a Runner Who Writes

I was completely enthralled, but I am a runner and a writer. Even though I could relate at that level, there were times when the detail on the process of running and/or writing and/or triathalon training got to be a little too much. Overall, I was very intrigued and thought some of the lessons he applies, and the way he looks at life, if this memoir to be stunning and universal, so I couldn't stop listening...like I can't stop running...like I can't stop writing.

Excellent narrative

Yes, I am a runner so this book might resonate with me more than non- runners. Well told tales.

Brilliant

What did you love best about What I Talk about When I Talk about Running?

This is a must for any runner. Murakami's insight is brilliant and incredibly accessible. He has a knack for explaining complex feelings that I can only dream of replicating one day. The narrator beautifully relays Murakami's dry sense of humor.

Great Book. Well read

I really enjoyed listening to this book while I did my weekly long run. I will check more of his works.