I was browsing through the Paris Review website - some interesting articles, plus the fact that Simone de Beauvoir's birthday was yesterday - when I came across their "Interviews" page. After scrolling through the most recent interviews (I realized, in doing so, that I had no idea who any of those writers were, thus solidifying the fact that I have been living under a rock for far too long) I decided to make my way to the 'M' section, in hopes that perhaps I could find an interview with Haruki Murakami. And lo and behold, I found it!
Now, I cannot say that I am his greatest fan. I have purchased only one of his books (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle) and have actually not finished it. I was reading during the springtime and found myself to be in a state-of-mind far too unstable to continue reading - blame it on the stress of classes and life itself - so I had to put the book down, even though I was more than halfway done with it. But nevertheless, I found the text to be extremely riveting! The style is like none of the other books I have read, and the dream-like state of the narrative made me stop every once in a while and send me into my own world of fantasy. I wanted to enjoy the book, and not just consume it in a matter of days without so much as understanding and appreciating it. Also, the book is a completely different genre from the books I was more accustomed to reading.
As a teenager, I was not all that interested in reading books that weren't under the "Teen Fiction" label, and all other books were read solely for classroom purposes. Romance was - and perhaps in certain of my tastes today, is - imperative if I was to enjoy a book. However, in college, during a semester in an Existentialism class, I found that I could thoroughly enjoy actual novels (no offense to teen fiction writers and readers). And I found Murakami to be extremely resounding in me, and although I am not an expert and only own one of his novels, I already consider myself a fan. So here is a bit of his interview, and although it is lengthy, I believe it is interesting and worth reading. Plus it might help you find another author's interview with the Paris Review:
INTERVIEWER
You wrote a significant portion of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle in the U.S. Did living there have any clear effect on your writing process or on the text itself?
MURAKAMI
During the four years of writing The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, I was living in the U.S. as a stranger. That “strangeness” was always following me like a shadow and it did the same to the protagonist of the novel. Come to think of it, if I wrote it in Japan, it might have become a very different book.
My strangeness while living in the U.S. differed from the strangeness I feel while in Japan. It was more obvious and direct in the U.S. and that gave me a much clearer recognition of myself. The process of writing this novel was a process similar to making myself naked, in a way.
If you haven't already, I definitely suggest checking out his books. He has short story collections, which I am most certainly going to find once I have finished with the Wind-up Bird Chronicle. If you have read any of his other works, feel free to suggest them! Reading the interview also helped me realize one thing: Although I may look up to Murakami - as one looks up to authors, artists, or even friends and family - I also realize the difference in our opinions and our tastes, and although his favorites my have been authors like Fitzgerald, it did not mean that he had to write in the same style. Thus reinforcing for me the idea that we can have our heroes, our guides and mentors, but we must ultimately carve out our own style and opinions. It does not mean that the relationship has to be any less meaningful or profound, and in fact accepting the differences allows for a deeper connection. The moment we can come to terms with our self, then we can really start creating something far more personal.