Interview with Haruki Murakami

A rare longish article on/interview with Murakami feature here, on The Age. While it covers all the usual ground such as Murakami's bar, Peter Cat, his estrangement from the Japanese literary establishment, the predilection for pop culture, the quasi-real nature of his novels, the obsession with loneliness and so on and so forth, it also features some interesting quotes from the man himself. On his original fiction versus translation work for instance, "Writing fiction, you get egotistical. You have to have confidence. But translating, you have to respect the text, so your ego shrinks to normal size. It's good for your mental health."

Or - on his isolation from Japan's literary establishment, "I have no models in Japanese literature. I created my own style, my own way. They don't appreciate this." He almost sounds like one of his heroes...

Be warned though, the article is either too long, or strictly for Murakami fans only!