Metamorphosis and Other Stories (Franz Kafka)
'Metamorphosis' is one of those famous stories that everyone knows of,
but has it actually been read? Well, I hadn't read it. But now I have. Packaged
with other shorts and musings, this is a mixed collection of writings, with,
for me, moments of brilliance juxtaposed with moments less entertaining.
This collection starts with 'Contemplation', an interesting set of
short moments that seem to link together in the life of the narrator,
developing as they go along. 'The Rejection' is a good moment of comedy and
works as one of the stronger works in this collection.
'Metamorphosis' itself is an interesting tale of changing, possibly
inspired by Kafka's own burden on his family, and shows a sense of isolation
that his change brings him. Wanting to still be part of his family and continue
as normal, despite his now being a different creature, Gregor Samsa is instead
shut away by his family as he has to come to terms with his new position in the
changing family.
The other works here are mixed in the level of entertainment they gave
me. Some are strong works, while others are ones that I simply did not get into
and was quite happy to complete. Perhaps the timing of reading this didn't help
having completed other short stories recently and characters and situations
ever changing leading me to struggle to care for some.
The work is a classic and adds to the sense of Kafka's writing of
change and man's struggle against systems that hold them.
Days to read: 17
Days per book: 15.2
Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki and his Years of Pilgrimage (Haruki Murakami)
You can say that I came to Murakami late, reading my first of his
works, 'Dance, Dance, Dance', after most of what he's written had already been
translated and released in English. Most of my reading of his books, therefore,
has been playing catch-up, gradually making my way through them over a period
of a few years.
Having made my way through all of them, 1Q84 was the first of his
novels that I actually anticipated being released, and bought pretty much on
the day of release, all three of them! And now his next, new, long-winded
titled novel is one that I anticipated, pre-ordered and read, almost instantly.
But whereas before I read his books for pure pleasure, now they arrive with the
expectation to at least match what came before - something which rarely
happens.
Character-wise, the man of the title is classic Murakami: a
self-conscious single man, unsure of his place in the world, experiencing the
odd sexual encounter here and there. Now approaching middle age, looking back
on his teenage years and his tight-knit group of friends - all whose names
feature a colour - the woman he is currently dating suggests he searches to
discover why the group suddenly excluded him...if he wants some more nookie,
anyway. With some quicker than lightning research, she locates the four other
members of the high school group and thus starts his journey of discovery, or
pilgrimage, if you will.
To start, I was quite disappointed. I'm not sure if it was due to other
recent reads, but I initially found Philip Gabriel's translation just a little
simplified, feeling like it was written by Dan Brown. While I've always liked
how Murakami is an easy read, it made me wonder if increasing popularity
brought with it a steady dumbing-down of content. But sticking with it, this
became less noticeable as the book went on, and it flowed nicely.
It's fair to say that this isn't his best book, probably not even up
there among his best. Despite the anticipation, it's a solid effort, like the
ones read casually on holiday while working my way through his bibliography. Perhaps
it's best just to read as you find it,
skipping the anticipation part altogether. Though this one did come with some
'adult' stickers, which made me feel very grown up. And no doubt, I'll be
pre-ordering my copy of 'The Strange Library' when released later this year...I
never learn.
Days to read: 16
Days per book: 15.2
Japanese Rules (Sebastian Moffett)
This is a book written to be read by me. Let's just look at the full
title in a little more detail: 'Japanese Rules (oooh, Japanese): Why the
Japanese needed football (oooh, football) and how they got it (oooh,
sociological)'. Bought for me by my fiancée as a birthday present (awwww), I
almost immediately started reading this and was 'into it' from the kick-off (a
football-based joke there).
While it goes back a little further to set a context, the book focuses
on 1993-2002, perhaps the most important ten years in Japanese football's
history, or indeed, Japanese history (that's a socio-political joke). With the
advent of the J-League in 1993, bringing with it the likes of world renowned
toe enthusiast Gary Linekar, Sebastian Moffett charts the rise, fall and
subsequent rise of the beautiful game in the Land of the Rising Sun.
But more than just a chronological piece about which fading stars
arrived to end their careers on a big pay-day as the MLS now does (it does do
this), it tries - as my Masters dissertation failed - to explore how football
in Japan was a sign of social change in the country, representing a new Japan
ready for the new millennium...and hosting a World Cup.
Football teams were small, and far behind that if baseball in terms of
popularity and funds in the 'bubble period' of Japan. The one thing they had in
common, however, was that teams were company-owned, taking their names and made
up of 'amateur' players masquerading as kaishain, or company employees. Loyalty
was to the company, and you did as you were told. With the advent of the
J-League in 1993, the premise was a move away from the post-war Japan of
loyalty to the company, wanting teams to be named after their locale,
supporting their fan bases and having fans show a wild side.
The big name signings, endless company money piled into the League and
novelty saw large attendances to start and fans bases built. But in a culture
of not questioning superiors, uniformity and following procedures, football
didn't really work. Foreign players and coaches alike found team mates unable
to make quick, spare-of-the-moment decisions or think for themselves in a sport
that loves individual style and flare. The lack of any successful national team
saw football's popularity gradually decline, as foreign players and coaches
alike struggled to gain any real success.
But 1998 and World Cup qualification in France, alongside a previously
unthinkable co-hosting with South Korea planned for 2002, saw something to
shout about, and with more teams formed, more experience gained and greater
football professionalism, fan bases became established and club identities formed,
culminating in Nakata Hidetoshi dyeing his hair.
Football fandom was something new to Japan: being individual, loud and
brash, doing outrageous things in public - largely getting naked. Foreign
influenced was large, shown in team names and fan styles, with unique atmospheres
created, as I have experienced myself. Like football in Japan, this isn't the
greatest book ever written, but I love it in my own unique way.
C'mon Verdy!
Days to read: 13
Days per book: 15.1
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