1q84

A central characteristic of Murakami's 1q84 lies in its place and time. The book begins with Aomame exiting 1984 Tokyo and entering 1q84 Tokyo, though she does not realize the transition immediately since the new universe is only infinitesimally different than the Japan of 1984. Aomame and Tengo alternately narrate each chapter and the connection between the two of them is gradually revealed.  Morality does not restrain Murakami characters. This is a mythic novel (as is Kafka on the Shore) in which nothing can be taken as first presented. Sex is not merely sex, but can serve other purposes, personally and in society. Family may or may not even be family.

Aomame does notice that police are wearing semi-automatic pistols instead of revolvers and thinks that she has simply missed the news. For the reader, this change signifies a more militaristic Japan than that in the world Aomame came from. Later, when Aomame acquires a gun, she is advised that "'According to Chekhov...once a gun appears in a story, it has to be fired.'" Interestingly Murakami does not obey this precept, which he puts into a character's mouth. Neither Aomame's gun, nor the police guns are used, which demonstrates that Chekhov is incorrect. Perhaps Murakami just wanted to demonstrate that Chekhov could be wrong, or perhaps show that reality is more complicated than a Chekhov play. Chekhov is mentioned prior to this, when an excerpt about the Gilyaks from Sakhalin Island is read aloud. It is an ethnographic description of a way of life, and Gilyak interaction with Russian explorers/colonizers. 

One note about the English translation - the title is 1Q84. When it would look better as a lower case q - 1q84. That looks more like 1984, which would be more fitting.

"The Wizard of The Crow"

Written by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o is both a cleverly written political critique and a quick-paced tale about Kamiti, who arrives in a large city friendless and alone.

The city to which Kamiti has come is "Abruria" (since Thiong'o is from Kenya, one can assume Nairobi or Mombasa is the intended city). Kamiti has just finished his college education in India and has come home to find work. However, he soon discovers that finding work is not so easy despite his qualifications. Kamiti soon meets Grace, an educated and gainfully employed young woman with whom he falls in love.

Abruria is the capital from where "the Ruler," governs. He has been in power as long as anyone can remember. He has recently been thwarted by the "Global bank" which will not fund his "Marching to heaven - tower of Babel" project. The thinly veiled references to development projects and political machinations are hilarious. Unfortunately the Ruler and his wife fall sick with a wasting illness - "white ache," which as its name implies, makes them wish to be white people.

Kamiti discovers that to protect himself it is necessary to disguise himself as "the Wizard of the Crow" and in so doing complicates his life. Eventually this assumed role becomes less of a shield and more of a magnet for attention as Kamiti's healing skills become known throughout Abruria.

This is a suspenseful, magical tale where the identities of the characters are constantly evolving. It will make you laugh, but not cry.

magical aphorisms

In the magical realism tradition of Milan Kundera, and Gabriel García Márquez, Milorad Pavić's writing is absurd, amusing, and fantastical. It is also poetical and aphoristic, “Some women cannot manage a house and theirs are always in disarray. Others cannot manage their own souls and these are in disarray. Things have to be straightened up at the right time; afterward is too late. Because any similarity between the house and the soul ceases in that afterward. Vitacha obviously did not know that” (p. 164). Vitacha, the heroine of Landscape Painted with Tea, has a very tumultuous life in East Central Europe. The stories of Vitacha and her second husband Atanas Svilar, later Atanas Razin, form the backbone of this book. But what is most engaging for the reader about this , and perhaps all of Pavić's writing is the format. Book One is a mostly continuous story. Book Two is “A Novel for Crossword Fans.” Two small crossword puzzles are given with clues. Each of the following chapters are entitled by number and direction according to the crossword puzzle. The solution to the crossword puzzle corresponds to the words composing the index (reordered of course). Due to the structure of the novel the reader is free to read in a variety of orders, and as with choose your own adventure stories, the ending is entirely dependent on the reader!

First published in Serbian in 1990, Landscape Painted with Tea, was translated into English the same year. For an author interested in exploring the potentials of storytelling, the internet is an amazing system and Pavić's latest work is published online: D A M A S C E N E: A Tale for Computer and Compasses.