From the Original Japanese

So, I've started on the first book of the triple trilogy recommended to me by my loyal readers.

With a double-blind random selection I am now toting around The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. This novel is translated from Japanese which means it is not eligible to be the great American novel. I wonder if that makes it sad?

It got me thinking. I've read lots of translated masterpieces. Camus. Sartre. Homer. Dante. I tried to read all but Dante in their original language. Even as one who was pretty good at speaking French and understanding spoken French I was horrible in the area of reading French. I was a functionally French illiterate.

Now I'm working on this novel. Honestly, I'm not sure I've ever read anything translated from Japanese before. But, I will admit, even just two chapters in I am hooked. And I think part of it is the translation. Part of it is the rave reviews. But the novel has a nice flow to it and I can tell that I will enjoy it. I also have no idea where it is really heading. Also good to get me hooked.

If it had been up to me I would've probably started with a shorter novel. This one's 607 pages. But I think it will go quickly.

If the wind and rain continues tonight like it did last night I'll make some real headway on this novel. It was impossible to get any real sleep during Sunday night as the weather was severe enough to shake, rattle and roll right outside my window. Unreal amounts of water.

B!