Novelist as a Vocation
 | |
| Author | Haruki Murakami |
|---|---|
| Original title | 職業としての小説家 Shokugyō to shite no Shōsetsuka |
| Translator | Philip Gabriel Ted Goossen |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genre | Essay |
| Published |
|
| Publication place | Japan |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 224 (US Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0-451-49464-1 |
Novelist as a Vocation (職業としての小説家, Shokugyō to shite no Shōsetsuka) is an essay collection written by Haruki Murakami published by Switch Publishing on 10 September 2015. An English translation by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen was released on 8 November 2022 by Alfred A. Knopf in the US,[1] by Harvill Secker in the UK[2] and by Doubleday Canada in Canada.[3]
Summary
[edit]Novelist as a Vocation is a collection of essays. The first chapter of the book is "Are Novelists Broad-minded?". In the book there is an essay about Haruki Murakami with the title “How I Became a Novelist”.[4]
Critical reception
[edit]The book received mixed reviews from critics, receiving praise for its insight into Murakami's life and career,[5][4][6] as well as criticism for its loose structure and advice to novelists. According to Book Marks, the book received "positive" reviews based on 13 critic reviews with 2 being "rave" and 5 being "positive" and 5 being "mixed" and 1 being "panned".[7]
Charles Finch of The New York Times described the book as "assured, candid and often [...] deeply irritating."[8]
Huda Awan of The Irish Times and Philip Hensher of The Daily Telegraph wrote that some of Murakami's writing advice seemed "bizarre," with Hensher commenting that it contains "startlingly banal observations on the writer's world."[9][10]
Sean O'Hagan of The Guardian and Mini Kapoor of The Hindu both praised the book for its exploration of Murakami's mind and writing process.[11][12]
The book was reviewed by Chris Rutledge of Washington Independent Review of Books,[13] Karthik Keramalu of Firstpost,[14] Brendan Daly of Business Post,[15] Thu-Huong Ha of The Japan Times,[16] Nick Duerden of The i[17] and Paul Perry of Sunday Independent of Ireland.[18]
Books Kinokuniya brought 90 percent of first print run of the book.[19]
References
[edit]- ^ Murakami, Haruki (2022-11-08). Novelist as a Vocation. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-451-49464-1.
- ^ Murakami, Haruki (2022-11-08). Novelist as a Vocation. Harvill Secker. ISBN 978-1-911-21538-7.
- ^ Murakami, Haruki (2022-11-08). Novelist as a Vocation. Doubleday Canada. ISBN 978-0-385-68947-2.
- ^ a b Gilman, Priscilla. "Inside the mind of Haruki Murakami". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Hughes, Kathryn (2022-11-09). "Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami review – lessons in simplicity". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Atherton, Cassandra (2022-11-25). "Cassandra Atherton reviews 'Novelist as a Vocation' by Haruki Murakami, translated by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen". Australian Book Review. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ "Novelist as a Vocation". Book Marks. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ Finch, Charles (2022-11-08). "Haruki Murakami Has Never Found Writing Painful". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Awan, Huda. "Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami: For one thing, the book doesn't seem to know what it is". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Hensher, Philip (2022-10-22). "'Once a writer puts on fat, it's all over': Murakami's bizarre advice to novelists". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Kapoor, Mini (2022-11-18). "Haruki Murakami on how to be a novelist". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ O'Hagan, Sean (2022-11-06). "Novelist As a Vocation by Haruki Murakami review – the secrets behind the literary phenomenon". The Guardian. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Rutledge, Chris. "Novelist as a Vocation". Washington Independent Review of Books. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Keramadu, Karthik (2022-11-30). "Book Review| In 'Novelist as a Vocation,' Haruki Murakami explores his own psyche". Firstpost. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Daly, Brendan. "Novelist as a Vocation: Compelling look at mysteries of the novel from a master of the art". Business Post. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Ha, Thu-Huong (2022-11-16). "Do you have what it takes to be a novelist? Let Haruki Murakami decide". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Duerden, Nick (2022-11-10). "Novelist As a Vocation by Haruki Murakami is so vanilla, you wonder why he bothered writing it". The i. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Perry, Paul (20 November 2022). "Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami review : A Japanese literary master on writing and all that jazz". Sunday Independent of Ireland. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
- ^ Schaub, Michael (2015-08-26). "Japanese bookstore Kinokuniya snaps up almost all copies of Haruki Murakami's new book". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-21.