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What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

  • Book
  • Oct 15, 2007
  • #Memory
Haruki Murakami
@harukimurakami_
(Author)
www.goodreads.com
Hardcover
4.5/5 2.6k ratings
Hardcover Kindle Audiobook
See on Goodreads
3.86/5 97.4k ratings
2 Recommenders
2 Mentions
2 Collections
In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, afte... Show More

In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, not to mention triathlons and a dozen critically acclaimed books, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and--even more important--on his writing. Equal parts training log, travelogue, and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and takes us to places ranging from Tokyo's Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston among young women who outpace him. Through this marvelous lens of sport emerges a panorama of memories and insights: the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer, his greatest triumphs and disappointments, his passion for vintage LPs, and the experience, after fifty, of seeing his race times improve and then fall back. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is rich and revelatory, both for fans of this masterful yet guardedly private writer and for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running.

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Number of Pages: 188

ISBN: 0307269191

ISBN-13: 9780307269195

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Alex Wieckowski @AlexAndBooks_ · Sep 26, 2021
  • Curated in 20 hidden gems
Nikki VanRy @NikkiVanRy · Jul 28, 2017
  • Curated in 100 Must-read, Best Books on Writing and the Writer’s Life
“While simply training for New York City Marathon would be enough for most people, Haruki Murakami’s decided to write about it as well. The result is a beautiful memoir about his intertwined obsessions with running and writing, full of vivid memories and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer.”
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  • Alex Wieckowski
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    20 hidden gems
    20 curations
  • Nikki VanRy
    • Collection
    100 Must-read, Best Books on Writing and the Writer’s Life
    100 curations
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