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First Person Singular

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First Person Singular

By: Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel - translator
Narrated by: Kotaro Watanabe
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BEST SELLER

A GUARDIAN AND SUNDAY TIMES 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICK

A mindbending new collection of short stories from the unique, internationally acclaimed author of Norwegian Wood and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle.

The eight masterly stories in this new collection are all told in the first person by a classic Murakami narrator. From nostalgic memories of youth, meditations on music and an ardent love of baseball to dreamlike scenarios, an encounter with a talking monkey and invented jazz albums, together these stories challenge the boundaries between our minds and the exterior world. Occasionally, a narrator who may or may not be Murakami himself is present. Is it memoir or fiction? The listener decides.

Philosophical and mysterious, the stories in First Person Singular all touch beautifully on love and solitude, childhood and memory...all with a signature Murakami twist.

©2021 Haruki Murakami (P)2021 Penguin Audio Anthologies & Short Stories Fiction Historical Fiction Science Fiction Short Stories World Literature
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I found this a chore to finish. I love Murakami’s work and have read all his novels. But this, along with his first two stories (Wind/Pinball) are his weakest works by far.
There’s some good moments, like in the stories Cream, Charlie Parker and Shinagawa Monkey. But over half the stories were forgettable.
I’d suggest trying some of his many other brilliant works instead. I’d only get this if you’ve already read all his other novels and story collections first and still want more.

For mega fans only

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Probably, you need to be a fan and I admit to that..
These short stories are easy to listen to, even seemingly low key stories and play with the reality of Muraki's memories but really the reality of all of our memories. Did Charlie Psrker plays Bossa Nova really exist? You can decide. Murakami is a playful, witty storyteller and he likes to play with the reader.
i really enjoyed the nuanced performance in Japanese English, it added to the way the stories are personal memories.

What is real and what is not?

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Absolutely love Murakami's work as always, his surreal yet everyday stories work really well in this first person format.
Kotaro Watanabe did a great job telling the story. While he didn't quite have the voice and inflections that I've projected onto Murakami while reading his other books, I can't fault the performance.

More mesmerising Murakami short stories

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