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)

interesting and thoughtful

I found this essay interesting and thoughtful; it is probably more interesting if you are a runner, or have read some of Murakami's other novels. Some of his phrases are quite beautiful and I found most of the book interesting.

Fascinating peek into the mind of Murakami

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend this to anyone with a passing interest in writing or running. This is essentially an exploration into one man's methods behind both, binding them together in two like-minded experiences. Having already been a long-time fan of Murakami's novels, as well as a long-time running enthusiast, I couldn't believe the luck of having two personal interests so thoroughly combined. Absolutely satisfying.

Poor choice for narrator...

The book is a slight but interesting meditation on running and life. If I could do it over though, I'd read it in print. The narrator has a flat american accent that seems entirely wrong for this author's work and distracts from the content.

A Great Read for a Runner

This is the first Murakami book I read, and as a fellow runner I enjoyed his narrative. I also enjoyed his writing style so much that I have purchased some of his fiction, which I also have enjoyed.

perfect ratio of running and writing

I bought this book to listen to with my husband, since we are both lapsed runners. I thought it would be interesting to hear the personal history of a long-distance runner - who's been running for 25+ years. And it was interesting.

It wasn't a dry training record, listing races and times and training regime. Though the book was peppered with bits of that, in enough detail for the listener to get a really good (honest) insight into his caliber as a runner. Murikami did call a spade a spade, if he had a bad race he owned it.

But Murikami is more than a runner, he's also a writer, and someone who thinks about things. I really enjoyed how he wove stories about his writing, his lifestyle, his marriage into the memoir. He also shared a lot of personal philosophy - which is also something I've always liked to read, from any writer.

When the book ended I felt that I had a nice insight into Murikami as a person - a runner, and a writer. Without the writing he'd not have become a runner, and without the running he'd not have been a writer of the caliber he is.

Must-read for creators

In this book, Murakami talks about his creative process. This is a must-read for creators by a Nobel prize nominee!

Honest but...

His later chapters captivated me more. I was a runner so could relate to much of it. The swimming/breathing chapter was most interesting for me. Like a race though, I’m glad I finished it.

Nice read

Short, sweet, and nice. An older book than I realized, so it was fun to hear perspectives on tech, travel, and athletic celebrity given how they're changed over the past ~15 years.

inspiring

the reading sounds bit monotonous at times but author has good insight and the story was appealing to me.

An excellent bio on why this writer runs

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir on running. Murakami clearly explains his motivation for running and how it helps him to write. He colors each chapter with different places, seasons, elements he has encountered that challenged him. Each marathon posed new challenges, some expected, some not expected. Finally, this memoir taught me that no matter how strong, how well conceived a plan, we are human and sometimes things just happen. There is no fault, to err is human. It is our ability to change with the elements, to stay strong and achieve the goals we have set for ourselves that is important. Our ability to cope and transform our pain is what will get us through to the finish line. I understand now that "pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." Thank you, Haruki, for another great book.