What I Talk about When I Talk about Running

A Memoir

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)

just what I needed

Thanks to this, I kickstarted my running habit after 3 years of set back.
thank you

You can't judge a book by it's title either...

Although the title was misleading, the book wasn't that bad. I enjoyed the narrator's voice. The book did give me motivation to be active as it will lead to an active mind. At times, I felt like the author discussed writing more than running but I didn't mind as one of my resolutions is to start writing again.

what a reading!

The narrator was amazing. I felt that he genuinely reflected the attitude of the author. I could be wrong. but it was a memorable reading and read.
I was recommended this book and will do the same for others. great read.
Thanks for writing it sir.

Had higher expectations

A must if you like running, found boring segments, listed twice. Definitely not my favorite but a good book

Touching, and So Familiar

One of my favorites, I listen to a couple times a year. Such a contrast to his novels, Murakami comes across as someone I might run with and call my buddy.