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С ЧЕГО НАЧИНАТЬ ЧИТАТЬ МУРАКАМИ... И ЗАЧЕМ ПРОДОЛЖАТЬ?

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Overview

Zhenya Lisitsna records a birthday-themed book talk, first addressing her “imaginary friends” and her Patreon supporters (“boosters”). She includes a cheeky disclaimer about “French penises,” which are apparently waffles.

She then turns personal: she discusses Haruki Murakami—why she believes his reputation was unfairly stained during “Murakami mania” in the 2000s/early 2010s, when some readers treated him like bland, meaningless, show-off philosophy. She argues that this bad aftertaste lingers, but insists Murakami is still genuinely wonderful—neither as scary nor as shallow as people claim.

Lisitsna also shares a motivation-for-writers detour: she edited the Russian translation of the nonfiction book Writer as a Profession by Horokimi/Haruki Murakami, recommending it as practical help for writers stuck by internal blocks and impostor syndrome.

Murakami’s Signature Vibe (and a Joke/Comparison)

Lisitsna describes what makes Murakami comforting yet strange: a cozy magical realism where characters treat absurd events as normal.

She offers a vivid TV-prank example from Russia: celebrities are staged to react dramatically, like Vyacheslav Butusov, but Butusov stays calm and grounded—delivering a deadpan line along the lines of “Yes, they are welders.” This mirrors Murakami’s heroes, who respond to surreal situations with everyday routines.

She also emphasizes Murakami’s lovingly detailed domestic life—cooking, coffee, jazz, books, and small chores—juxtaposed with genuinely mind-blowing events. Even recurring oddities (she jokes about the frequent presence of wells) feel atmospheric rather than like flashy plot devices.

Where to Start: Early vs. Late Murakami (Linked by a City, Not Required Together)

Lisitsna recommends reading an early Murakami first, then a late one—both connected to a similar mysterious setting, though she stresses they can be read independently.

1) Wonderland Without Brakes and the End of the World (1985)

  • Written as if two stories are fused together, mixing cyber/tech weirdness with fantasy.
  • One segment follows a “human flash drive” character involved with encryption-like operations and strange creatures in an underground lab.
  • The other segment centers on a mysterious city where:
    • unicorns roam,
    • people lose shadows,
    • daily life is governed by dreamlike rules.
  • The protagonist works with animal skulls and “reads dreams.”
  • Lisitsna praises Murakami’s endings as unexpected and difficult to “reverse-engineer” emotionally—because ordinary external actions conceal deeper, unique motivations in the characters’ minds.
  • She frames the book as a litmus test: it quickly reveals whether Murakami’s style works for you, especially if you’ve found him slow or boring elsewhere.

2) Late Works (1923)

  • Lisitsna notes it was not officially published in Russian (she mentions glossy editions and holographic features in English).
  • She describes it as mature Murakami growing out of early Murakami:
    • the same core city concept (unicorn-city, no shadows, shadow as a separate being),
    • but thicker and more complex.
  • It opens with a love story involving a girlfriend who insists she isn’t real—she’s a shadow left behind in the city.
  • The protagonist enters the city magically while retaining memory, tries to engage with his shadow as a “dream reader,” and searches for the original.
  • The second half shifts to a more adventurous, scenic setting (mountains, lakes) and includes:
    • a cozy library,
    • strange characters,
    • an old figure who explains his clothing in a quirky way,
    • investigations and “cozy suspense.”
  • Lisitsna says mature Murakami increases tempo and vividness, but also increases ambiguity—endings blur further and invite multiple interpretations.

Advice for Readers

  • If you dislike early Murakami for being too simple: try late/mature work instead.
  • If you’ve never read Murakami: she suggests starting with early novels (not his small stories), because short fiction doesn’t fully show how his novels operate.
  • She closes by encouraging viewers to move past outdated prejudice about Murakami—promising that even if she doesn’t love every novel, the ones she does love feel like “love.”

Personalities / Roles Appearing

  • Zhenya Lisitsna — narrator/host (bookish commentary, humor, birthday message)
  • Murakami Haruki (Haruki Murakami) — subject of the discussion (via works/ideas)
  • Vyacheslav Butusov — referenced in an anecdote about prank TV
  • Butusov’s daughter — referenced in the same anecdote
  • Patreon supporters (“boosters”) — referenced as the audience/community

Original video