Among contemporary Japanese writers, Haruki Murakami is indeed an extraordinary existence, a literary star.In just over ten years, his works became popular in Dongliu Islands.The publishing house has published a special collection for him, the magazine has a special issue, and the bookstore has set up a special counter. Every time a book is published, the sales volume ranges from 100,000 to over a million copies.Among them, the upper and lower volumes in 1987 sold more than 7 million copies (statistics in 1996).The population of Japan is one tenth of that of our country, which means that almost every 15 people owns one copy of this book.As far as pure literary novels are concerned, this is definitely not an ordinary figure.Among the previous sales records of novels in Japan, Sima Liao Dalang's historical novel "Xiang Yu and Liu Bang" was the highest with 2.3 million copies; followed by Junichi Watanabe's popular novels with 1.47 million copies.It far surpassed this record, causing unprecedented repercussions among the majority of readers, mainly young people, and even the "Haruki Murakami Phenomenon."Many literary critics, university professors and academic journals have written or published monographs on Murakami's research.According to the statistics of the "Chinese Literature" magazine, as of March 1995, there have been 9 monographs on Murakami research, 5 magazine special collections, and 111 papers, plus those scattered in newspapers and new research results in the past two years (such as 1997). More than 20 papers were collected in "Group Portraits of Japanese Writers: Twenty-Six Haruki Murakami" in May Shogakukan and the monograph "The Transformation of Haruki Murakami" by Haruki Yoshida in December 1997), of course there are more than that.

Moreover, the influence of Haruki Murakami is not limited to Japan.The United States has translated and released ,,, short story collections "The Disappearance of the Elephant" and "South of the Border · West of the Sun", which almost include his main works.The New Yorker, the leading literary publication in the United States in terms of quality and circulation ("New Yorker") also published English translations of several of its short stories. According to Hosea Hirata, a professor of East Asian Studies at Princeton University, "There is no such thing as Murakami. A modern Japanese writer like Haruki whose works have been translated into English so thoroughly”, the Nobel Prize winners Yasunari Kawabata and Kenzaburo Oe can only look up to him from afar.

German translated two novels and six or seven short stories such as "The Disappearance of the Elephant" and "The Bakery Again", which aroused a good response, and all major newspapers issued book reviews to appreciate it.Jurgen Staalph of the Institute of Japanese Studies in Germany believes that the reason is that "Haruki Murakami provided something completely different in nature from the Japan that the Germans knew before." It pours down, and sometimes rises slowly at a gentle and depressing speed. It is extremely imaginative, but the tone is so calm, dripping and swaying the sparks of wisdom that come and go without a trace. From time to time, it makes people dumbfounded Fresh metaphors weave extremely colorful colors."

In South Korea, most of Murakami's major works have been translated and published, among which more than one publishing house and more than one publication.Kim Sunja, an associate professor at Tankook University in Seoul, wrote that Haruki Murakami is currently the most popular writer in Korea.Regarding the reasons, "one is because it is more fascinating than Kenzaburo Oe's works, the other is that the sense of 'Japanese novels' is weak", "the third is that the rippling sense of emptiness and loss in Haruki Murakami's works resonates with readers". As recently as my country's Hong Kong and Taiwan regions, "Murakami Fever" is still heating up.In Taiwan, almost all of Murakami's novels and novels were translated and published successively by Urban and Rural Publishing House in Taipei, Taipei Times Cultural Publishing Company and Kezhu Bookstore. Both "China Times" and "United Daily News" have published long book reviews.Some characteristics of Murakami's works, such as "materialization tendency (fetishism), virtual prophecies, and department store-style contemporary life scenes", have been followed and imitated by Taiwanese writers.The local publisher believes that Murakami will always be "the best box office in the book market" because "his mysterious power seems to normalize the boring sense of time and space in which readers are now. be clear". ("China Reading News", November 1996) The enthusiasm of mainland readers is also extraordinary. Published by Lijiang Publishing House in 1989, several printings were quickly sold out. The recently published five-volume collection of Haruki Murakami's anthology, as well as the one released by Yilin Publishing House, are steadily gaining readers' favor.As a translator, the author has received hundreds of letters from readers.Some readers said that they read it no less than 10 times, and "every time is not disappointing". "People's Daily", "Wenhui Po", "Wenhui Reading Weekly", "Xinmin Evening News", "China Reading News", "China Reading Business Daily" and other newspapers have successively published book reviews, "Foreign Literature Review", "World Literature", "Foreign Literature", "Foreign Literature and Art", "Japanese Literature", "Yilin", and other publications have also published review articles, regarding Haruki Murakami as a unique contemporary Japanese writer, and giving positive comments to his works.As far as Japanese literature and even contemporary foreign literary works are concerned, it may be extremely rare in my country to receive such a response in recent years.

So, what is the reason why Haruki Murakami and his works are so popular?This article wants to focus on analyzing it from the perspective of its artistic strength.Before that, I think it is necessary to invite readers to enter the world of Murakami's novels, take a look at the scenery inside, and feel its atmosphere. Haruki Murakami started his literary creation with the novella (hereinafter referred to as "Wind"). The plot of "The Wind" is not very complicated. "I" was drinking in a bar, and when I went to the bathroom, I saw a girl drunk on the ground, so I escorted her home, and stayed with her overnight for fear of accidents.The next morning, the girl found herself naked and scolded "I" for insulting her, and "I" couldn't explain it.A chance encounter a few days later made the two start dating and gradually became intimate.When "I" was about to return to Beijing at the end of the university summer vacation, the two came to the beach together, and fell silent from time to time during the conversation. "By the time I noticed, she was already crying. I touched her tearful cheeks with my hands, and put my arms around her shoulders." So "I" suddenly felt warm and comfortable, "The fragrance of the sea tide, the distant siren , the feeling of the girl's body, the smell of shampoo, the evening breeze, the ethereal longing, and the summer dream..." Unexpectedly, when "I" came back from the winter vacation, the girl was nowhere to be found, so she had to sit alone It turned out that the place where the two had sat was looking at the sea wistfully.

This novella was written at the kitchen table while the author was running a jazz bar. It won the 22nd Group Portrait Newcomer Award (1979). The judges of the award, Yoshiyuki Junnosuke, said: "There is a pair of introverted eyes under the refreshing and light feeling. ...Each line is light, but each line has a subtle interest." Saiichi Marutani, another jury member, commented: "The talent is amazing anyway. What's especially outstanding is that the flow of the novel has no flow. The heavy place." This is also Murakami's famous work, which has sold more than 1.4 million copies in Japan.In this collection of essays, it was included in "The Disappearance of the Elephant".

(hereinafter referred to as "Sheep") is Murakami's first novel of sufficient scale.The protagonist "I" and my partner run an advertising company in partnership.After the wife leaves the house with the words "I can't get anywhere with you", "I" is with a girl who is a proofreader for a publishing house, a call girl, and an ear model--the ears are "destroyingly beautiful". acquaintance.Less than 30 minutes after meeting for the first time, the girl declared, "We'd better be friends", and then came to live together in the "I" dormitory from time to time.Not long after, the secretary of a right-wing tycoon gave "me" a month to find a sheep with a star on its back.But there are so many sheep in Japan, it is not easy to find a sheep!But the girlfriend with beautiful ears insisted that the matter would go well, and urged "I" to leave quickly.So "I" and my girlfriend started the "Adventure of Chasing Sheep" with only a photo sent by a friend nicknamed Mouse as a clue.Meet Dr. Yang at the Sapporo Dolphin Hotel.Dr. Yang was a senior business bureaucrat of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the time. He became a "sheep shell" with a strange personality because he was once entered into the body by a sheep and then left.Later, Yang entered the body of a right-wing leader, "Mr.", and made him build a powerful kingdom of power that secretly manipulated the entire Japan.Thanks to Dr. Yang's guidance, "I" and my girlfriend found the pasture where the sheep appeared.It turns out that there is a villa of Mouse's father in this ranch, but Mouse has disappeared. "I" questioned the sheep man a few times - a person who looks like a sheep - but I didn't know.Finally, "I" met the mouse in the dark.The Rat said that he decided to kill himself to avoid the sheep's manipulation because the sheep entered his body.When I finished the task and went down the mountain to take the train, there was an explosion on the mountain, and a black smoke rose. "Sheep" was published in 1982, and it is a trilogy with "Wind".According to the author's own introduction, after writing, he faced two choices in creation, one was to continue to pursue the language style, and the other was to create the storyline, that is, how to write interestingly, and finally chose the latter.After writing it, I think it is a successful work, "I firmly believe that the writing will go smoothly, and it will go smoothly until the end, and I will stop writing at the right time." ("Literary World", August 1985 issue) When someone asked what the world and the sheep symbolized, he said that he didn't know, and the reason for the success of the novel was precisely here. "Sheep" sold nearly 2 million copies in Japan.

Published in 1985, hereinafter referred to as "World", it can be described as unique in form and content. It can be seen from the catalog that the story is spread forward along two lines.One is "Hard boiled Wonderland"—roughly in a modern metropolis with Tokyo as the stage, the protagonist accepts a special data calculation task assigned by an old doctor, and must complete it on the third day.When he was done, the old doctor gave him a unicorn skull.For this reason, when I went to the library to borrow materials, I was able to meet and have a blind date with a good-looking female librarian with an "expanded stomach".One day, two "background" robbers, one tall and one short, broke into the door, forcing him to hand over animal bones and data, and slashed his belly open.While recuperating, the old doctor's young granddaughter came to inform her grandfather that he was in danger and asked him to go to the rescue.Then the two sneaked into the underground where the "night ghost" haunted, and the journey was full of dangers and frightening.In the end, he himself faced the fate of dying 24 hours later.Frustrated, I spend a few hours of excitement and emptiness with the female librarian, and then drive to the deserted beach, waiting for the arrival of death.The other line is "The End of the World", which is a completely different scene here.The mountains and rivers are lonely, the streets are orderly, and the residents live in peace.It's a pity that people have no figure, no memory, and no heart.Men and women can date but cannot love each other.Love must have a heart, and the heart has been embedded in countless unicorn skulls and turned into an "ancient dream".So "I" faced the skull and "continued dreams" every day.

This is indeed a fantastic work.The novel skillfully blends extremely absurd ideas with extremely serious issues.Containing grandeur in harmony, the virtual and the real coexist, the scenes are peculiar, magnificent, thought-provoking, and enlightening. It can be called a wonderful microcosm of the deformed capitalist world and people's mentality.This work won the 21st Tanizaki Junichiro Award (1985).Jury member Saiichi Marutani made this comment: This novel “constructs an elegant and lyrical world almost seamlessly. . Seeking the meaning of life". "World" sold more than 1 million copies in Japan.

(hereinafter referred to as "No") is the representative work of Murakami most familiar to Chinese readers. "Norwegian Wood" (NORWEGIAN WOOD) is a "quiet, sad, and inexplicably intoxicating" song by The Beatles (The Beatles, also translated as Hard Beatles or The Beatles) in the 1960s ("The Complete Works of Haruki Murakami") "Monthly 6"), Naoko, the protagonist's former lover, never tires of listening to it. 18 years later. "I" heard this song again from the in-flight radio on the Boeing 747 flying to Hamburg.This is the beginning of the novel.Then the protagonist of the novel, Watanabe, unfolds his love entanglements with the two girls in the first person.Watanabe's first lover, Naoko, was the girlfriend of his high school friend, Xueyue, who later committed suicide.A year later, Watanabe and Naoko met unexpectedly and started dating.At this time, Naoko has become quiet and shy, with an elusive shadow flashing across her beautiful, crystal-clear eyes from time to time.The two just walked aimlessly in the streets of Tokyo with falling leaves day after day, forward or backward or side by side.

The two had sex on the night of Naoko's 20th birthday, but Naoko disappeared the next day.A few months later, Naoko wrote to say that she was admitted to a mental nursing home far away in the mountains.When Watanabe went to visit, he found that Naoko began to have the plumpness and beauty of a mature woman.Although the two were in the same room at night, Watanabe restrained himself and said before breaking up that he would always wait for Naoko. Not long after returning to school, due to a chance encounter, Watanabe began to associate with the lower grade Midori.Midori is the complete opposite of the introverted Naoko, "it's like a deer jumping into the world in the morning light of spring." During this period, Watanabe was very depressed and hesitant.On the one hand, he can't forget Naoko's lingering illness and tenderness, on the other hand, he can't resist Midori's bold confession and charming vitality.Not long after the bad news of Naoko's suicide came, Watanabe went hiking around in a daze.Finally, with the encouragement of Naoko's roommate Reiko, she began to explore her future life. It can be said that the plot of the novel is flat, the style of writing is slow, and the tone is light, but there is an irresistible shock wave surging between the lines, which arouses readers' strong spiritual tremor and resonance.What does the novel want to tell us, life and death?Death and sex?sex and love?Candor and sincerity?It was difficult to answer for a while.After reading the cover book, I just feel that my whole body and mind are soaked in the boundless ice water, and I feel like I feel the silence after the storm, and the collapse after waking up from drunk... In the second year after writing No, that is, in 1988, Murakami published another novel (hereinafter referred to as "Dance"). "Dance" is about a 34-year-old divorced man who, after experiencing an adventure in a hotel in Hokkaido, meets Gotanda, a high school classmate who has become a super movie star.Gotanda called two girls (high-end call girls) after dinner.The girl is Mimi, who is graceful, elegant and elegant enough to "evoke the boy's eternal dream." Unexpectedly, Mimi was strangled to death with stockings in a high-end hotel a few days later."I" was called to the police because "I" had my business card in my wallet. "I" insisted that I knew nothing in order to protect Gotanda.Later, "I" asked Gotanda if he had killed Xixi, and Gotanda replied that he was thinking about it: "Did I kill Xixi, or did I not kill him?" The next day's daily newspaper reported that the big star Gotanda drove a "Benz" car into the sea and committed suicide.So I left Tokyo and returned to the hotel in Hokkaido to find a sequel to my previous adventure. Compared with the previous works, most of which were set in the 1970s, "Dance" moved the time background to the 1980s.As a plot, I personally prefer the part in the police station.The calm, cold and bitter sense of humor shown in it is rarely seen in Japanese literature, and it can be called an exquisite smile without laughing.As a character, the protagonist "I" is very charming.Yes, his life is very helpless and boring, he has neither lofty ambitions nor special abilities, but he is sincere and rarely prejudices against people or things.From time to time, he expresses his sarcasm and sarcasm to the "highly developed capitalist society" with the "sophisticated" sensibility and intellectual and rational humorous speech unique to urbanites.As for friends, treat them with sincerity and tolerance, full of affectionate care and human understanding, so as to bring a trickle of warmth to this hopelessly cold world and drop a few drops of nectar to people's dry hearts. "Dance" sold nearly 2 million copies in Japan. Published from 1994 to 1995 (the literal translation should be "The Chronicle of the Wind-up Bird"), the outline is roughly like this: the 31-year-old "I" who used to work in a law firm lost his job—or rather, "I" worked on my own Leaving away——Because his wife has a job, she temporarily enjoys herself at home and "substitutes her husband for her wife".The story begins with the loss of a cat I had when we got married 6 years ago.After the cat was lost, strange things followed. "I" first received a call from a strange girl who claimed to know "me" and asked "me" whether she should be naked or put on something (such as briefs with black lace); then a 16-year-old high school girl The doctor asked him how he would feel if the girl he liked had six fingers and four breasts; The loss was just the beginning of everything; then Ghana Malta's sister, Ghana Keri, told him how she lost all pain after a car accident, how she changed from a physical whore to a "conscious whore"; A deep well on the Mongolian border and skinned Boris years ago... What made him even more puzzled was that his wife did not return after a day of work (he clearly remembered that he had pulled the zipper on the back of the dress for his wife this morning).So he went down to a very deep dry well in the neighbor's yard and thought for three days and three nights.Climbed out of the well and went home to receive a long letter from his wife.The letter stated that she had been asking a man to sleep for nearly two months.And she doesn't love that man (sleep is purely out of a sudden sexual desire), she still loves her husband, and tells him not to look for her again.In such a daze, Ganakli invited him to an isolated island in Greece.Just as he was preparing to pack, his uncle came to give him the secret to success in his career: when in doubt, start from the simplest place, such as observing the faces of passers-by in a suitable place, and the answer comes naturally.He immediately followed suit.On the eleventh day of observation, I suddenly saw the face of a man I had seen in a bar before, "something touched my nerves", he immediately followed and beat the man to death in an abandoned dark room Half dead, but the other party sneered... (hereinafter referred to as) the time background is 1984, the creation time should be between 1993 and 1995.The author was living in the United States at the time.That is to say, the author is looking at the island country of Japan from afar on the land of America. "In short, Japan looks more like an inexplicable country swirling with violent swirls," a "distorted empty house," an "empty center." (Numano Mitsuyoshi, Literary World) October 1995 issue) This may provide some enlightenment for us to understand the works.The whole work won the 47th Yomiuri Literature Award.Literary critic Saiichi Marutani wrote an article on this in the "Yomiuri Shimbun" on February 1, 1996, praising "although the end is not without disorder, it is still very charming, and some small stories are not inferior even if the income is not inferior. A masterpiece of a genius", "give a new dream to our literature".Indeed, in the novel, the author has once again fully demonstrated his momentum and talent in weaving stories and controlling fiction and reality.If "The World" is a cold skyscraper and ice peak built on the flat ground in his youth, it is an all-out impact on the so-called literary limit after he entered middle age.Shortly after the novel was published, it was listed as one of the top ten bestsellers by the Asahi Shimbun for several weeks, and even topped the list. We have briefly browsed the scenery in the world of Murakami's novels above, and we are going to analyze in depth the main reason why it is so popular among readers—a considerable number of people have reached the point of obsession—or the artistic charm of Murakami's literature.I think it can be attributed to the following four aspects: First, it lies in the reality of his works, including the reality of non-reality.In the eyes of our Chinese readers, Murakami's works may not be without incomprehensibility, but for Japanese readers, especially young readers, many of them are things around them and things they are familiar with, and I feel that Murakami has said what he wants to say What I wrote, I even think that Murakami expresses the hazy distress at every stage of his life in the novel with appropriate language, and it is a "device" to reproduce his own life, which is very realistic. Its reality first comes from the realistic approach.The famous Japanese literary critic Takeo Okuno wrote in "Sankei Shimbun" in 1989: "This recently popular youth novel has no pretentiousness throughout, or there is no hypocritical writing style to please girls. I feel happy." The author himself has repeatedly emphasized that "No" is "a realistic novel, out-and-out realism." ("Eureka" temporary supplementary issue in 1989) He has long wanted to write a novel in a realistic style. A "100% love story" that is enough to make boys and girls all over the country shed red tears. ("Literary World" Temporary Supplementary Issue in April 1991) Regarding the specific method, the author said in an interview, "Put the author and the reader in a parallel position as much as possible", "And if the line of sight is from top to bottom, the work is absolutely not will be persuasive." "When I write, I always have a feeling of wanting to tell my private words to a friend somewhere, and those who understand will naturally understand." ("Literary World" August 1985 issue) Treat everyone with a completely equal attitude and keep a certain distance from them with a preaching attitude that has saved people. It is not difficult for us to detect when reading that there is not even a line in the work that treats people other than "I" psychologically. In the description, "I" seldom expresses myself, and I don't emphasize my own opinions hoarsely, let alone reprimand others harshly.The author never allows "I" to step into other people's spiritual territory and private life forbidden area.It can be said that one of the characteristics of Murakami's works is that the protagonist never emphasizes that he is different, but always talks about how "ordinary" he is-born in an ordinary family, went to an ordinary school, lived an ordinary life, and made ordinary friends. Girls (Of course the protagonists are all extraordinary, but the extraordinary is said through other people's mouths, it is extraordinary in the eyes of others).As a result, this natural and elegant gentleman-like and friend-like attitude successfully made readers accept the lonely and sincere heart beating in the novel with tolerance and forgetfulness, making countless young men and women unknowingly blend into the uniqueness of the book. The atmosphere, triggering a subtle but deep trembling in their hearts.This attitude of the author is especially manifested in the treatment of women in the book.Generally speaking, Japanese literature has a tendency to treat women inappropriately or even despise women, and many works are difficult for women to read and accept calmly.Not so with Murakami's work. There is neither intentional or unintentional discrimination against women, nor is there any wishful thinking about women.Women are independent entities in the works, rather than treating them as objects for appreciation, not "flavors" and appendages.An appropriate distance is maintained between men and women, and there is no sticky and long-winded relationship that is common in Japanese literature. Even in terms of sex, women are independent and calm, and are not controlled by men.And this is basically in line with the feelings of Japanese women in real life today, and it is easy for them to accept. Murakami's works are especially favored by women, and this is probably a reason that cannot be ignored. In addition, Murakami pays great attention to the truth of details, and pays attention to using small objects "small situations" to reflect the reality of modern society. Such as the name of the product in the supermarket, the name of the food in the refrigerator, the name of the record, the name of foreign wine and beverages, how many centimeters the corners of the mouth grin when you smile, how many centimeters are left in the glass, how many coins are there in your pocket, look at beer I looked at the pull tab for a few minutes, thought about the problem for a few seconds... Or how to describe a character without describing the appearance of the five palaces, but it must be pointed out that a little finger is missing or there is a 2 cm long scar on the face... and so on. .In a sense, it can even be regarded as the history of social customs and the history of commodity popularity.Just as Murakami said in "Dance" through the mouth of the protagonist: "His almost morbid detailed and objective narrative must be helpful to researchers-the life of a 34-year-old single man in the city is vividly experienced in front of his eyes. It emerges. Although it is not representative, it is a product of the times after all.” It can be said that it is not easy to find a second one among contemporary Japanese writers who pay so much attention to details.The author himself said: "I really like the insignificant details of the landscape in daily life, I really like to observe how various people relate to the world through these details, and how these insignificant trifles are established. , I am very interested in it....and a person's condition must emerge naturally in these small life scenes." ("Literary World" August 1985 issue) Such details are portrayed in a subtle way, which further makes the work obtain reality.At the same time, it is not difficult to see a reality or a point of view of the author: In today's world, apart from details, what else can we have and what can we do? The reality is of course heavy, but the author is not willing to throw this heavy directly on the readers, but uses such details as well as small objects and proper nouns in the details to dilute and tease them, so that readers can temporarily enjoy life. Freed from the burden of reality, he lived comfortably in the small bar built by Murakami. Of course, the novel also realistically writes about nudity and sex, and some of them are quite specific. This is not surprising in foreign novels (not to mention love novels like "No").The author himself once answered a reporter like this: "I want to write it purely. Whether it is genitals or sexual behavior, the more realistic the writing, the less fishy." ("Literary World" temporary supplementary issue in April 1991) Indeed, most of these descriptions in the book do not give people a vulgar and sensational feeling, but often have a natural romantic atmosphere or a youthful sentimentality with a childlike innocence.The writing quality actually started from "No", and it is mainly manifested in "No". "Wind", "Sheep" and "Shi" before "No" are rarely involved. The "Dance" and "Dance" after "No" do not take up much space. It may be pointed out that realism is not the same as realism.Except for "No", Murakami himself did not emphasize which one is a realistic work.It might be better to say that unrealism and the unrealistic world are more obvious in his works.For example, most of the short stories such as "The World", "The Sheep" and "The Sheep Man" in "Dance", a series of scenes in "The Disappearance of the Elephant" and "The TV Man" belong to the non-real world or the fictional world. "Because I think it is necessary to clarify the reality around us with the unreality that has not been contaminated by the world." This sentence from the author of the temporary supplementary issue of "Eureka" in 1989 pointedly put forward the relationship between reality and unreality. relation.The author further mentioned: "The real is unreal, and the unreal is real at the same time - I want to build such a world." Indeed, the unrealistic world and unrealistic characters described by the author are all in essence. It has a wonderful reality, thus symbolically and allegorically conveying the essential reality of the current era and society. Second, the charm of Murakami's works lies in the author's ingenious language, language style or style.Many letters from readers have mentioned that they are attracted by the author's language, saying that compared with the Japanese novels they have read before, Murakami's language style is indeed refreshing.Some readers even think that it can be compared with a few literary masters in the world. In fact, what the author emphasizes most is language. "The most important thing is language. If there is language, there will be stories. If there are stories without language, the story will be impossible to talk about. So style is everything.... I don't understand why everyone Such contempt for style." ("Literary World" temporary supplementary issue in April 1991) The poet Akito Shuri even believes that "novel mechanics" no longer works in the author's recent works, and only language works. "It is the search for intensity after the extreme loss of intensity, and the For this reason the wandering of language slowly unfolds". (Japanese "Scholar's Weekly" May 20, 1994) Critic Kawamoto Saburo wrote: "For Haruki Murakami, an ordinary member of the city, the reality of symbols and language is easier than the reality of the world. Grasp. I am attracted to Haruki Murakami's novels because of this." ("Group Portraits of Japanese Writers Volume 26 Haruki Murakami", Xiao Xue Guan, May 1997 edition) So, what are the characteristics of the author's language style? One, I think, is humor—bitter humor, depressive ridicule, deliberate chic, and intellectual metaphors. When reading, a smile is often drawn for its novel and unique sense of humor, and the smile immediately reveals a touch of sourness. , miserable and desolate.Some metaphors are really humorous and playful.Such as: My room is as clean as a mortuary / The Hichimaru flag looks like the hem of a senator’s robe, hanging dejectedly on the flagpole and motionless / Interrupted speech, floating in the air like something that has been twisted / Naoko is slightly open Lips, staring blankly into my eyes, like a machine suddenly unplugged / (Midori's father's body) like a dilapidated house - one with all furniture removed and doors and windows just waiting to be demolished House / "How much do I like it?" Midori asked. "The tigers in the forests of the whole world are all melted into butter" / Midori was silent on the other end of the phone, and remained silent for a long time, like all the drizzle in the world falling on all the lawns in the world ("No" above) / In our endless empty stomach like the Sinai peninsula seen from the sky / Time is as dark and heavy as a weight swallowed in the belly of a fish / With the eyes of tourists watching the Inca well... Attack on the Bakery")/Look into my eyes as if watching a crack in the sky ("The Dance"). Generally speaking, a metaphor is to connect two similar or related things together, but Murakami's metaphor is a lot unconventional, and he insists on connecting things that are basically irrelevant. "These metaphors are not based on the imagination based on the reader's experience, it is better to say that they rely on the imaginative arousal of the sentence itself" (Nakano Shouyu, "Eureka" 1989 temporary supplementary issue) and an interesting Murakami novel The point is precisely here.This kind of style in which metaphors with a Western flavor play a considerable role is quite rare in Japanese literature, so it is indeed pleasing to the eye, novel and refined, which is an obvious feature of its language style.No wonder the author conceited that he said that "No" was written in a modern language, and the "long-eroded language" of the past was obviously not up to the task.After all, literature is the art of language. Some people say that the Japanese nation is a nation lacking a sense of humor, whether this is the case, it is inconvenient to assert.However, as far as its literary tradition is concerned, its works are mostly reserved and euphemistic, beautiful and delicate, less thoughtful, witty, laughing and scolding. It is an indisputable fact.And Murakami's works can be said to be full of witty and witty sense of humor, which has blown a new wind into the literary world, and fits people's nature of longing for humor after all. Second, the writing is full of lead, and the city is clear.Japanese is an agglutinative and affectionate language. Compared with Chinese, which is concise and lively as its main style, sometimes it will inevitably give people a sense of sloppiness.Murakami, on the other hand, refuses to use stale phrases that have been played out to pieces.He said that his approach is like "washing away all kinds of excesses that stick to the language...washing away the sweat spots, washing off the dirt, making them naked, and then arranging them and throwing them out".He said that one of his starting points is to "cleanse the language and then combine it". ("Literary World" August 1985 issue) Someone in Japan commented that Murakami is a writer who "continuously describes people full of sense of loss in a transparent style". The word "transparent" probably refers to this point.Some people also criticized him for being too deeply influenced by contemporary American writers, and his style has a translation accent, and the author does not deny this (in fact, the author has also translated many contemporary American literary works). This aspect is more obvious in the dialogue in the novel.The reason why the dialogue is bright, vivid and fascinating is mainly because it is concise, a kind of technical refinement that is not without bookishness, and it does not have the wet and sticky unpleasantness of Japanese private novels at all. , and some are no less than famous lines in movies and dramas. Here are a few examples: "Like loneliness?" "How can anyone like loneliness! It's just that they don't make friends randomly..." ("No"). "What shall we do, lunch?" Rain turned to the poet. "I remember we were making thin noodles about an hour ago." The poet replied slowly, "An hour ago was 12:15, and ordinary people probably called it lunch, generally speaking." "Really?" Rain looked dazed. "Yes." the poet asserted. "The acceptance speech was made in front of the King of Sweden," Gotanda said. "Ladies and gentlemen, the only person I want to sleep with is my wife. The wave of emotions comes and goes. The snow clouds clear and the sun shines." "The glaciers melt and the pirates surrender , the mermaid sings". ("Dance" above) Japanese literary critics believe that this style of dialogue is very close to the daily language of contemporary Japanese youth, which is what they are or hope to be.Some Murakami fans raved about the dialogue, saying the dialogue was "really cute," "witty," "fun," "fantastic," and "Murakami just has a good head."看来，文学作品就是要新意迭出，要给人意外惊喜，要让人浮想联翩。若驾轻就熟地搬弄老套数，自然少人问津。 第三，行文流畅传神，富于文采。一些读者来信说村上行文犹如山间清亮亮的小溪淙淙流过心田，不时溅起晶莹的浪花。笔者也有同感。文学终归是文学，用的是形象语言，离开传神离开文采，感染力和美学气息也就无从谈起，沦为一堆堆文字而非文学。 村上对此确实苦心经营，从《挪》中试举几例：而我，仿佛依然置身于那片草地之中，呼吸着草的芬芳，感受着风的轻柔，谛听着乌的鸣啭。那是1969年的秋天，我快满20岁的时候。她朝我转过脸，甜甜地一笑，微微地低头，轻轻地启齿，定定地看着我的双眼，仿佛在一泓清澈的泉水里寻觅稍纵即逝的小鱼的行踪/（玲子）仿佛确认乐器音质似的缓缓弹起巴赫的赋格曲。细微之处她刻意求工，或悠扬婉转，或神采飞扬，或一掷千钧，或愁肠百结。她不胜依依地侧耳倾听各种音质效果。弹奏巴赫时的玲子，看上去仿佛正在欣赏一件爱不释手的时装的妙龄少女，两眼闪闪生辉，双唇紧紧合拢，时而漾出微微的笑意。 我们不能不佩服这几段确乎是相当出色的文字，优美清丽，抒情传神，自然流畅，一泻而下。读之，全无磕磕碰碰、坑坑洼洼的滞重感和摩擦感，而有一种御风行舟般生理上的快慰，享受到阅读时特有的美妙和幸福。当代日本作家中像村上春树这样刻意经营文字拘泥文体的作家确不多见。他甚至认为每部作品的语言文体都各所不一。读者是否也有同样感受另当别论，但有一点可以断定，他的确对文体进行了独出机抒的尝试。 如《挪》与《世》的语言风格显然有所不同。纵使在同一《世》里，“世界尽头”同“冷酷仙境”两部分所用笔调也有区别，前者压抑徐缓，后者腾挪有致。创作中，村上始终把语言和文体放在首位，“文体就是一切”。而社会反响也的确没有令他失望。 第三个原因，亦即最根本原因，恐怕在于作者敏感、准确而又含蓄地传递出了时代氛围，扫描出了80年代日本青年尤其是城市单身青年倾斜失重的精神世界，凸现出了特定社会环境中生态的真实和“感性”的真实。读来，我们每每感受到生活在现代繁华都市里的青年男女那无可救药的孤独、无可排遣的空虚、无可言喻的无奈和怅惘。孤独、空虚、无奈和怅惘，即置身于“高度发达的资本主义社会”（作者原话）中都市年轻人充满失落感的心绪，应该是村上一以贯之的创作主线。 《挪》中的直子和她最初的恋人木月所以自行中断生命的流程，无非由于两人“就像在无人岛上长大的光屁股孩子”，无法同日益变化的外界相沟通相适应，说得极端一点，即患有现代人特有的“精神隔断症”或日“自我封闭症”。纵使活泼好动得如一头春天的小鹿的绿子，也在家庭和学校（特别是中学6年时间）两个长住空间被丢弃在孤独的荒原，不止一次诉说“孤单得要命”。甚至那般春风得意所向披靡的永泽，也同样背负着他的人生十字架“在阴暗的泥沼中孤独地挣扎”。而主人公渡边，心里更是始终怀抱巨大的空洞匍匐在人生途中。小说最后，绿子问他在哪里。 “我现在哪里？我拿着听筒扬起脸，飞快地环顾电话亭四周。我现在哪里？我不知道这里是哪里，全然摸不着头脑。目力所及，无不是不知走去哪里的男男女女，我是在哪里也不是的场所连连呼唤绿子。”失去直子的渡边自然无法返回己然过往的岁月，却又不知现在置身何处，现在亦无立足之地。于是我们便只有同主人公一道咀嚼孤独无奈的涩果。 这种孤独、无奈、失落之感在《舞》中展现得更为入木三分： “人们崇拜资本所具有的勃勃生机，崇拜其神话色彩，崇拜东京地价，崇拜'奔弛'汽车闪闪发光的标志。除此之外，这个世界再不存在任何神话。这就是所谓高度发达的资本主义社会。我们高兴也罢不高兴也罢，都要在这样的社会里生活。……这便是现在。网无所不在，网外有网，无处可去。若扔石块，免不了转弯落回自家头上。……时代如流沙一般流动不止，我们所站立的位置又不是我们站立的位置。” 在这里，村上对时代对社会己彻底绝望，剩下的惟有挥之不去的失重感失落感幻灭感，惟有无可奈何的孤寂与悲凉。然而毕竟“无处可去”，只能在这个世道生存下去。 而要生存下去，便只能“不停地跳舞！不要考虑为什么跳，不要去考虑意义不意义，意义那玩艺儿本来就没有的”——这也正是（Dance·Dance·Dance）的寓意所在。 在另一部长篇《世》中，作者通过两个极富寓言和象征色彩的平行发展的故事形象地告诉人们：在现代高科技和政治体制等强大的外在力量面前，人成了被抽去人之所以为人的实体的空壳，成了历史长河中茫然四顾的傀儡物种，成了附在都市这一疯狂运转的庞大机器的一颗尘埃。他们——尤其生活在社会基层的小人物——整个身心都浸泡在孤独、空虚和无奈的夜幕下无边的冰水中。作者在构筑“虚实莫辨的'冒险谭'时用的是淡淡的笔调，而其结局却那样令人绝望。这似乎既是作家个人的世界观，又是我们这个时代共通的感性。主人公总是在寻求什么，但其所寻求的一开始便在某处失落，因而无论怎样挣扎都无法填充其失落感”。（岛森路子语，《每日新闻》1995年1月9日）作者以那种近乎洞幽烛微的智者的平静、安详和感悟，超然而又切近地谛视这个竞相奔走物欲横流的丑恶而富足的世界，以其富有个性但又与人相通的视角洗印着时代的氛围图和众生的“心电图。” 这点在中得到了进一步展示：一切都那么莫名其妙，那么怪诞荒唐。Lonely.空虚。have no choice.desolate.存在感的稀释。主体性的迷失。社会连带意识的分崩离析。 其中尤以下到井底苦思三天三夜的“我”具有象征意味，点化了现代人特别是现代年轻人的“精神断绝”（dis communication）：他们渴望与人沟通，渴望观赏外面的风光，渴望得到关爱与慰藉，然而走不出自己封闭的心之堡垒。因而只能在孤独中彷徨，在彷徨中求索：人是什么，我是什么？“是我又不是我，是现实又非现实，是虚构又非虚构，精神视野中有而现存世界中无却又与生活在现代的我们每一个人息息相通——村上春树一直在写这样的东西，这样的现实神话。”（岛森路子语，同上） 这里有两点需要注意。其一，真正的悲哀还不在于精神的失落，而在于对失落精神的寻找即希求返璞归真的努力。因为这样努力势必同世俗现实发生冲撞，而有可能酿成致命的悲剧。这点集中体现在《舞》中电影明星五反田身上。他“力图在这勾心斗角的世界上直率地生存下去，但这种生存方式本身就似乎是一种滑稽”。结果只能以驱车投海而告终。因为这并非某个人的精神失落，而是整个社会的精神失落以至堕落。物欲扬起的谩天灰尘，早已笼罩住了人性的光辉。作者在此之所以力图用非理性来表现理性，用荒诞表现正常，用滑稽表现严肃，从根本上说，无非因为这个社会并无理性可言，荒诞便是正常，滑稽即乃严肃，用《挪》中“我”的话来说，“把病员（精神病患者）同职员全部对换位置还差不多”。 其二，主人公的孤独和空虚并不等同于消极和懦弱。不错，小说中的主人公（多是三十几岁的离婚男子）极为关注日常生活中似乎毫无意义可言的小事，甚至可以独对一个烟灰缸或酱油壶看上30分钟到1个小时，但作者并不认为这点当真无聊至极，莫如说大多时候是以肯定的态度对待一般人持否定态度的现象，并赋予其相应的意义。主人公甚至颇为欣赏自己的孤独与空虚。也就是说，他们都很善于确认自己、满足自己、经营自己，很善于在自己的小天地中从琐事中寻找乐趣（也是因为对于大天地里的大事他们奈何不得吧），从而得以肯定自我，保持自己赖以区别于人的个性。他们不伤害别人，但当自己受到伤害的时候，也并不退缩，并不忍气吞声。事实上村上笔下的主人公也都是颇有本事的、老辣的、不好欺负的——可以说，这是当今日本相当一部分青年的价值观和精神架构。村上春树恰恰敏锐地、先觉性地捕捉到了这一信息，这是村L走红的一个根本性“秘密”。 最后，村上作品的受欢迎似乎还有一个原因，也是其另一魅力所在。 细心的读者想必记得《挪》第九章关于初美的那段文字：渡边用出租车送初美回宿舍途中，目睹初美的风度情态，强烈感到她身上有一股尽管柔弱却能打动人心的作用力，便一直“思索她在我心中激起的这种感情震颤究竟是什么”。而直到十二三年后才在异国圣菲城那气势逼人的暮色中，恍然领悟到“她给我带来的心灵震颤究竟是什么东西——它类似一种少年时代的憧憬，一种从来不曾实现也永远不可能实现的憧憬。这种直欲燃烧般的天真烂漫的憧憬，很早以前就己遗忘在什么地方了，甚至在很长时间里我连它曾在我心中存在过都未曾记起。而初美所摇撼的恰恰就是我身上长眠未醒的'我自身的一部分'。当我恍然大悟时，一时悲怆至极，凡欲涕零”。 同样，《挪》之所以能同时吸引住恐怕并不年轻的读者，奥妙之一大约就是因为它唤醒了他们深层意识那部分沉睡未醒的憧憬，那便是男儿揉合着田园情结的永恒的青春之梦。 “即使在经历过十八载沧桑的今天，我仍可真切地记起那片草地的风景。连日温馨的罪罪细雨，将夏日的尘埃冲洗无余。片片山坡叠青泻翠，抽穗的荒草在10月金风的吹拂下蜿蜒起伏，透迄的薄云仿佛冻僵似的紧贴着湛蓝的天壁。”（《挪》） 小说一开始便将我们带进一片宁静平和的草地风光——在某种意义上，这也就是田园风光。对于农耕民族来说，田园永远是令人一次次神往和激动的字眼。如今居住在城里的人们原本也来自某块田野。因此在感觉中我们永远走不出故乡夕阳满树的村舍，排遣不掉如袅袅炊烟的乡愁。而更妙的是，在草地上与自己相伴而行的还是一位年轻漂亮清纯姻静的姑娘。美丽的田园，美丽的姑娘——什外还需求什么呢？小说就是这样轻轻撩拔着我们潜意识中的田园情结（或者说故乡情结）和男儿永远做不够的梦，为在城里活得好苦好累好闷的人提供了借以放松神经缓释乡愁的一方净上、一支牧歌。这点在村上处女作《风》中也见异曲同工之妙。“海潮的清香，遥远的汽笛，女孩肌体的感触，洗发香波的气味，傍晚的和风，缥缈的憧憬，以及夏日的梦境。”——每读至此，无不令人产生莫可言喻的心旌摇颤。 这种感受于少男少女大概也不例外。当然，他们倾心的想必更是主人公本身。直子（《舞》中的由美吉亦然）和绿子——前者娴淑典雅，多愁善感，透露出小鸟依人的风韵；后者生机蓬勃，神采飞扬，完全一副不无野味和挑逗性而又不失纯情的现代女郎气派。二者大约都属于时常闯入男孩梦乡的少女形象。对于年轻女性来说，冷静但不冷漠、孤僻但无怪痹、情有不专但远非薄情之辈、我行我素但不损人利己的《挪》中的渡边，虽然算不得标准的“白马王子”，但也绝非令人生厌的角色。《舞》中的“我”、《世》中的“我”和中的“我”，也都基本属此类型。说得俗一点就是：人有点怪，但并不坏。 作为作者，较之属于现在和未来的活着的绿子，村上似乎更钟情于属于过去的死去的直子；较之现今“高度发达的资本主义社会”，更向往尚可偶闻牧歌余韵的60年代；较之灯红酒绿的高楼大厦，更眷恋家乡往日那片海滩。 即使在《羊》中也可隐约感觉他的这一情思。小说主人公“我”投给现实的目光绝对不含有任何赞叹和期许，而始终透露出幻灭和悲凉。他不多的激情早已留在家乡散发着海潮清香的沙滩。当他许多年后回乡目睹那片风景已彼毁坏殆尽时，他感到一股无尽的惆怅和悲哀。作者自己也说道：“我对失去的东西怀有非常强烈的共鸣或者说同情感（Sympathy）。……对于我，现实是凑合性而不是绝对性的。……这大概最接近这样一种感觉，即不存在的存在感和存在的不存在感”。（《文学界》1985年8月号）的确，在村上笔下，即便世界第一大都会东京也不见五光十色的繁华不闻车流人涌的喧嚣不觉扑面的活力，而是那样呆板那样沉寂那样虚幻那样莫名其妙了无情趣，如虚拟物，如死的世界；然而已然逝去的人、事和景物，却那般历历在目栩栩如生那般可感可触可视可闻那般温情脉脉。尤其家乡那片海滩是那样令他念念不忘梦绕魂萦，那是他心中的“原生风景”（PrimaIscene），是他永远一往情深的精神家园，是对往昔岁月的安抚和生命的咏叹。惟其如此，其作品才得以唤起人们的田园情结，唤起一缕乡愁，给人以由身人心的深度抚慰，撩拨人们潜意识中的原真因子，同时使作品获得了深层次的艺术魅力。 以上从四个方面剖析了村上春树小说受欢迎的主要原因或者说艺术魅力。下面顺便提一下未能概括进去的大小几个特点。 ⑴村上的小说大多是板块式结构，一章章明快地切分开来。在推进过程中不断花样翻新，不断给人以意外之感。或者说构思不落俗套，视角新颖独特，卓然自成一家。细细品读，往往令人觉得“悠然心会，妙处难与君说”。虽然总的说来，村上的小说并不以情节取胜，但作者还是很善于编织故事的。《挪》的一气流注，笔底生风；《舞》的峰回路转，一波三折；《风》的空灵剔透，如烟似雾；《羊》的朴朔迷离，悬念迭出；《世》的想落天外，妙趣横生；的纵横捭阖，进退自如，无不显示这位当代日本作家编织故事的高超能力与才华。这也是他的一个艺术魅力，一个深受读者喜欢的原因。限于篇幅，未能在上面展开。 ⑵同时，作者又喜欢用两条平行线推进故事，且往往一动一静，一实一虚，一阳一阴，一个“此侧世界”，一个“彼侧世界”。《挪》中的绿子与直子，《世》中的世界尽头与冷酷仙境，《羊》中的“我”与羊男等等，莫不如此。 ⑶富有寓言色彩。如《舞》中的羊男，中的拧发条鸟，《象的失踪》中的象，而在《羊》与《世》中几乎相伴始终。作者自己曾表示过这样的见解：“小说这东西说到底就是寓言，就是使寓言变得富有现实性。”《Eureka》1989年6月号。 ⑷主人公大多无父母无兄弟姐妹无妻子（有也必定离异）儿女，没有上司没有下属，同事之交也适可而止。作者说他讨厌日本传统小说特别是“私小说”中那种乱糟糟潮乎乎的家庭关系、亲戚关系以及人事关系。这当然也是出于他要把主人公塑造成高度消费社会里的个人主义象征的需要。 ⑸另一方面，男主人公颇得女性喜欢，同女性打交道颇多，很多时候是通过女性或为了女性而同男性打交道，故而在相当程度上主人公是由女性支撑的，女性作用非同一般。作者还特别善于写女性谈话。 ⑹哭泣颇多，看上去活得不无洒脱的城市人会突如其来地泪流满面，如《风》中的“我”的无小指女友，《挪》最后一章中的“我”以及《舞》中的雪等。他（她）往往通过哭来确认自己在世界上的位置并由此走向新生，哭乃其人生旅途中一个并非可有可无的驿站。 ⑺数字格外具体。例如：大约看了10秒钟/杯底剩有3厘米高的威士忌/她侧过脸，5秒钟静止未动/唱片华丽无比，16年前买的，1967年，听了16年，百听不厌。相反，主人公置身的大环境如整个城市以至日本社会，却是空洞的虚幻的无可捉摸的，即使如《羊》中的“先生”和中的渡边升等“恶”的暴力的代表，也很难加以具体把握。其用意应该不难明白。 ⑻商品名、唱片名、乐队名层出不穷。不过这些“小道具”并非虚设，更不是作者卖弄，而大多具有美学符号的妙用。试想，如果把这些固有名词全部丢掉，气氛恐怕就相当不同。 说来有趣，村上春树虽是土生土长的日本作家，但据本人说却几乎从来不看日本文学作品，认为没有看头，而大多看美国当代小说。他所推崇和尊敬的美国当代作家有司各特·菲茨杰拉德（Scott Fitzgerald）、莱蒙德·坎德拉（Raymond Chandler）、杜鲁门·卡波蒂（Truman Capote）。还有库特·冯尼格特（Kurt Vonnegut）、保罗·瑟罗斯（Paul Theroux）、理查德·布罗提根（Richard Brautigan）、盖·泰勒斯（Gay Talese）、雷蒙德·卡佛（Raymond Carver）、蒂姆·奥布莱恩（Tim O'Brien）、史蒂芬·金（Stephen King）等。尤其崇敬菲茨杰拉德，有两个短篇竟各看了20遍，称之为“我的老师我的大学我的文学同事”。（《文学界》1991年4月临时增刊号）同时翻译了不少这些作家的作品（村上还是一位很不错的翻译家）。当然，无论在构思、文体还是“感受性”上给他创作以深刻影响的也就是这些美国作家。 最后，在即将结束这篇序言的时候，还请允许我啰嗦几句也许是题外的话。 文集中的是最先翻译出版的。距第一版问世，已倏忽过去十来年时间。这期间最使我愉快和感动的，莫过于有幸得到许多读者来信。有的来自太平洋彼岸，有的来自毗邻的香港，更多的自然来自内地的青年朋友。 对我这个译者来说，夜晚在台灯柔和的光环中细细品读这些来信，不仅是一天中最为恰然自得的美妙时刻，也是我迄今人生旅途中至为难得的精神享受。想到远处有一颗心正在为自己并不成熟的译作发生共振，想到有一位不曾谋面的朋友正对自己、对自己手中的译笔投来期盼的目光，一股纯粹的幸福感便从心底缓缓涌起。同时也使我受到实实在在的鼓舞和激励：毕竟有人在认真读书认真思考认真感受社会和人生。他（她）们无疑是我们这个不无沙漠化危险的土地上永远的清泉和绿洲。部分读者来鸿甚至飞进了我在日本执教期间那座独门独院的木屋，化解了三载异国晨昏几许孤寂与怅惘。也正是由于这许许多多的朋友来信，我才为交涉版权——为在我国正式加入世界版权公约后这套书仍能光明正大地送到读者手中付出了可谓相当执拗的努力。 译海独航，长夜孤灯，几多寂寞，几多辛劳，在最后掷笔于案的此刻，都化为深深的感激和谢忱。除了感谢一向富有眼光和胆识的漓江出版社，感谢亲爱的读者朋友们，还必须感谢我们伟大祖先留下这无数出神入化的辉煌文字，使得我颤抖的手终于摸到了译海的彼岸。 还是留下我的通讯处：广州市石牌暨南大学外语系（邮政编码510632），期待诸位读者给予批评指教，以使译文中的错误及时得到订正。