And listen to the wind chant

Author: Haruki Murakami
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-08-01
Features: Haruki Murakami's first novel, the first part of the "Youth Trilogy" – everything is born of chance: "I" accidentally picked up a drunken girl in a bar and later saw her working as a sales clerk in a record store. No need to ask more: we walked to the seaside together, smelled the fresh sea breeze, listened to the distant train whistle, indulged in the evening breeze, and recalled summer dreams. With this, what more could one ask for in youth? Of course, in the end, everything is irretrievable: upon returning from winter vacation, she had vanished, leaving only me sitting alone in the old place, gazing at the sea in longing. The melancholic tone not only fills this small book but also runs through all of Murakami's literature... Haruki Murakami began his literary career with the novella "Kara no Tsubasa" (And the Wind Will Carry Us). The plot of "Kara no Tsubasa" is not very complex. "I" was drinking in a bar when I went to the bathroom and found a drunken girl lying on the floor. I took her home and the next day, she discovered she was completely naked and accused me of humiliating her. I had no defense. But a few days later, the two of us grew closer. Unbeknownst to me, when I returned for winter vacation, she had vanished. I could only sit alone at the place where we used to sit, gazing sadly at the sea. "Kara no Tsubasa" won the 22nd Shincho New Writers' Award. One judge remarked, "Every line is not overly elaborate, yet every line carries a subtle charm!" This was Murakami's breakthrough work, which has sold over 1.4 million copies in Japan.