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Lately, I’ve reading novels by different Japanese authors; but two authors that have resonate in me are Haruki Murakami and Yoko Ogawa. While their styles are very different, there’s something dreamy and whimsical about them…
They both have the ability to evoke images of incredible beauty. Take for example:
“The surface of the river was covered with tiny fragments of…something…in an indescribable array of hues- reds, pinks, and whites… I knelt down and plunged my hands in to scoop up the water. When I held them in front of me, my palms were covered in rose petals.” (Yoko Ogawa, The Memory Police)
We can see the bright colors; we can feel the smooth surface of the petals; we see roses anew.
Take another example; this one from Murakami’s A Wild Sheep’s Chase:
“I looked into her face a while, then I gazed at both her ears. A soft afternoon glow enveloped her body as in an old still life.”
The light emphasizes and exalts the woman; we stop for a second a imagine her ears; the light plays a crucial role here. This woman seems ethereal, and we’re reminded of the yellow light that we often see in still lifes. The comparison makes the momentary image last, last like the objects in a still life…
I really recommend these authors because of their unique way of making us see things from another angle. My top four from the past two months are:
1) Minna’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa
2) A Wild’s Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
3) Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami
4) The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
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