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Murakami to publish first short story collection in 9 years

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Murakami's gutless decision to change the name of the small Japanese town only proves that on a personal level he's as lacking in artistic integrity as the mediocre work he turns out.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

@jpn_guy

Is the name of the town so crucial to the artistic integrity of a story...?

The fact that you ask such a question shows how little you know about writing, the creative process AND artistic integrity. Writing fiction is not a communal art form, such as screenplays. It is fiercely independent and solitary, which means that the writer is responsible for every single word he chooses to use. Every "a" and "in" and "of," etc. A writer of integrity would have blown off that silly complaint about lit cigs and stuck to his original instinct to include it. But Murakami caved because a handful of townies objected. What utter nonsense.

I actually like Murakami's nonfiction much more than his fiction.

Mediocre means mediocre . . . what needs to be explained? His vision is stunted; his plots are poorly constructed; his execution is clumsy; his characters are shallow; his dialogue is stilted . . . anything else? To mention his name in the same breath as Nobel laureates like Gunter Grass, Toni Morrison, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Isaac Singer, Saul Bellow, et al is as cruel an insult to these truly visionary writers as possible.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

@jpn_guy

So if Macondo becomes Tacondo all beauty and integrity is lost?

Never said a word about "beauty," so I don't know what's on your mind. And yes, even as slight a change from Macondo to Tacondo is, after all, a change to placate others, not what the author originally intended, so there is definitely a loss of integrity. Artists don't bend, whether to the silly whims of a bunch of small town reactionaries, or to something higher. Take a look at the Nobel-worthy Salman Rushie and what he went through to maintain his artistic integrity, and take a look at the depth and scope of his books, and maybe you'll see why Murakami is still in the minor leagues, at best.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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