When the wind sings

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When the wind sings ( Japanese 風 の 歌 を 聴 け Kaze no Uta o Kike ) is a novel by Haruki Murakami . It first appeared in Japanese in 1979. The author distanced himself for a long time from this novel, which was his first work, and prevented translations. It was not until 2015 that a German translation was published by DuMont Buchverlag .

content

In August 1970, the narrator spends time with a fellow student named Rat . They both often go to music bars, drink beer and listen to music from contemporary bands. The narrator also witnesses the rat crashing his car. Rat, who reads little at first, decides to become a writer. One learns that Ratte is the son of a rich businessman who has worked his way up from a poor background and now owns a chemical factory. The narrator is also acquainted with several friends. A student acquaintance calls NEB radio with the request that they play California Girl from the Beach Boys for the narrator. He recognizes the caller and is rewarded with a T-shirt from the broadcaster.

The narrative ends with an excursus about the (fictional) US author Derek Hartfield and his influence on the narrator to start writing himself.

criticism

“The plot of both novels [Note: When the wind is playing and Pinball 1973 ] is told quickly: It's about self-discovery, about flirting. Because, as is well known, only love tastes better than beer. Murakami reduces his story to the essentials as well as his language. "

- Sebastian Hammelehle in: Spiegel.de

literature

  • Haruki Murakami: When the Wind Sings Pinball 1973. Two novels. Translated from the Japanese by Ursula Gräfe. btb, Munich 2018, ISBN 978-3-442-74900-3 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Sebastian Hammelehle, Maren Keller: "When the Wind Sings / Pinball 1973" by Haruki Murakami: Should I read that? In: Spiegel Online . June 1, 2015, accessed May 15, 2020 .