Description
Kafka on the Shore was published in Japanese in 2002 in English. The genre of this book is written in the form of magical realism, and the author has created a space with a parallel narrative structure by directing the characters of the book towards finding philosophical questions. The two stories are not seemingly related, and each is told separately but ultimately interconnected. It can not be said that the genre of this book is surreal because in the surreal genre, the story takes place in the subconscious or in the minds of the characters.
But in this book, it has a fantasy style story, in fact, its adventures enter the fantasy world of the characters from the outside world, and the audience does not know whether what they see in the course of the story is imaginary or not! At the same time as writing Kafka on the Shore, Murakami was also translating Salinger into the Japanese novel “Naturdasht” by the American author.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Do you think that one day you will be able to talk to cats? Or that inner inspiration tells you what to do now, where to go today, or what to expect? If you do these things, you will probably look strange to the rest of the person. But Nakata has found the ability to talk to cats in Kafka on the Beach or Kafka on the Shore, and with his inner inspirations in the parallel world created by the famous Japanese writer Haruki Murakami with a boy named Kafka. Live in another parallel world.
About Kafka on the Shore
Summary of Kafka’s story on the beach
Kafka’s book narrates two parallel stories that have nothing to do with each other but are intertwined at some point. Kafka Tamura and Saturo Nakata are the two main characters in the book, whose stories are told separately. Kafka Tamura (whose real name is unknown to the reader) is a 15-year-old reading boy who lives with his father in Tokyo. Kafka decides to run away from home due to a strange prediction, and this is the beginning of his adventures.
The individual chapters of the story are related to Kafka’s story, which is narrated in his own language. The couple chapters are related to the second story, the story of Nakata. The story of Nakata is narrated by the author in the form of a omniscient (third person). Nakata is a kind man who goes into a coma as a child in a strange accident and comes out of a coma a few weeks later, except that Nakata has lost his natural intelligence but has been able to talk to cats instead.
After this incident, he found other abilities that the reader gradually discovers in the course of the story. The turning point of the novel is the completion of these two stories at the point where the shadows of the two stories’ lives can be seen on top of each other. It seems that from the very beginning, these two stories were connected and even complementary. Murakami illustrates this connection and solidarity in Kafka’s book on the coast.

About Haruki Murakami, a world-renowned author
In today’s world of literature, Haruki Murakami is one of the most amazing and popular writers, publishers and singers around the world, especially in Iran. At present, it can be said that this Japanese author is one of the authors whose books are on the bestseller list in the world. His work has been translated into more than forty-two languages around the world, and the Franz Kafka Prize is one of the largest awards Murakami has ever received.
One of the points that has always been considered in literary circles is that he was one of the most deserving people to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, but he has not yet succeeded in receiving it. The book “Wild Sheep” by the same author has won the “Noma” literary award. Born in Kyoto in 1949, he began writing at the age of thirty. Murakami is known around the world for his novels and short stories.
He studied theater at university but started a jazz club because of his great interest in music. Interestingly, he named the club “Peter Kat” because of his great interest in cats. After leaving the club, Murakami began writing professionally at the age of 30 and became less professional. Murakami never agreed to have a radio or television interview. In addition to writing, he has also worked in the field of translation. His most famous stories include “Where Can I Find Him”, “Kafka on the Shore”, “What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Two”, “Norwegian Forest”, “Cookie Yearbook”, “After Dark”, ” “Dance Dance Dance”, “Land of Soulless Wonders and the End of the World”, “Elephant Disappears”, “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman”, “After the Earthquake” and “Underground”. The formation of his first novel, Listen to the Wind, came to him after watching a baseball game.
Who is Murakami’s audience?
It is safe to say that Murakami’s audience is not the audience of popular books, they are readers who find loneliness, true identity, stubbornness and liberation in the world of Murakami’s stories. Murakami’s books are not books that appeal to teenagers, but they are also stories that are very entertaining and enjoyable for the audience in addition to maintaining a mysterious state. Murakami’s stories are about the loneliness of people, the recognition of identity and the relationship crisis, and even the disappearance of human values.
The creation of special surreal and symbolic spaces in his stories and, of course, the postmodern style has caused him to have a wide audience all over the world. Adherence to Japanese culture and customs is frequently seen in his books. Murakami’s prose is a simple and fluent prose that all tastes enjoy reading. “He has two distinct styles: a strange and chaotic style on the one hand, and a highly controlled melancholy style on the other,” said Kazuo Ishiguro, a Japanese writer and Booker Prize-winning author and Nobel laureate in literature.
The best translation of Kafka on the coast
Mehdi Ghobraei is one of the leading and pioneering translators in Iran who has carefully and obsessively selected more than 60 books of the world’s great and well-known literary works into Persian. In the introduction to Kafka’s book on the shore, Mehdi Ghobraei points to the great theme of Murakami’s stories, “Lack.” Following the book’s introduction, the translator also translated a short interview with Murakami about Kafka’s story on the shore. Kafka on the Shore, translated by Mehdi Ghabraei, has reached its thirteenth edition by Niloufar Publications. The book, entitled Kafka on the Beach, has been published by other publishers.
Excerpts from Kafka’s book on the shore
– Listen … there is no war that will end all wars. War grows in war.
– If you remember me, it will no longer matter to me that others forget me.
– Life without reading Hamlet once is like living in a coal mine.
– When we test ourselves later, we realize that all the criteria we have lived by have risen to another level and the world has opened up unexpected ways for us.
We read excerpts from Kafka on the Shore
When a war breaks out, many are forced to enlist in the army. They take up arms and go to the front, forcing them to kill the soldiers on the other side. As much as they can. No one cares whether you like to kill others or not. It is something you have to do. Otherwise you will be killed. Johnny Walker pointed a finger at Nakata’s chest. “Bang!” He said. “Human history in one word.”
Closing your eyes does not change anything. Because you do not want to see what happens, nothing disappears. In fact, the next time you roll your eyes, things get worse. This is the world we live in, Mr. Nakata. Open your eyes. Only the coward closes his eyes. Blindfolding and sticking cotton in the ear does not stop time from moving.
Man does not choose his destiny. Fate chooses man. This is the basis of the worldview of Greek drama, and the meaning of tragedy – according to Aristotle – derives from the play of the times, not from the hero’s weakness, but from his good qualities. Do you know where I want to go? People are increasingly drawn to tragedy not by their own shortcomings, but by their own virtues. Oedipus Rex Sophocles is a prime example. Oedipus is drawn to tragedy not because of laziness and stupidity, but because of courage and honesty. So the inevitable result is bitter humor or the game of the day.
The library was like my second home. Maybe it was a more real home because I lived in it. As I went there every day, I met all the librarians who worked there. They knew my name and always said hello. However, I was very shy and rarely answered.
When building the library, the head of the family decided not to follow the simple and elegant style desired by Kyoto artists, and instead made the design more like a country house. However, as you can see, despite the rude structure of the building, the sofa, furniture and picture frame are elegant and luxurious. For example, the carvings of these wooden frames are very delicate. All the masters of Shikoku handicrafts gathered to work on the construction of this building.
1- Introducing the book on YouTube
2- Introducing the book in Aparat
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