Читать книгу Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami - David Karashima - Страница 9

Preface

A writer friend once said to me that if non-Japanese readers know anything about Japan, they usually know just two things: manga and Murakami. But what—or who—is it that these non-Japanese readers of Murakami know? While Murakami’s books have now been published in more than fifty languages and have sold millions of copies globally, it is easy to forget that the works that a great many of his readers—devotees, fans, critics, and detractors alike—have come to know are also creations of his translators, editors, and publishers around the world. This book explores the Murakami phenomenon from a very particular angle, traveling back in time to tell the stories of the colorful cast of characters who first contributed to publishing Murakami’s work in English, which in turn laid the foundation for the author’s subsequent global reach.

In the early stages of my research I had a pretty good sense of what I wanted to say. The more people I got to talk to and the more documents I managed to excavate, however, the more convinced I became that any point I was hoping to make might be best communicated through the voices of the many people who played key roles in the making of the author we know as Haruki Murakami. So this book—which is an adaptation of a book first published in Japanese in 2018—has come to be largely about their efforts and recollections. It seems somehow fitting that I am able to share this tale about translation with readers of English through a process of translation and adaptation.

DAVID KARASHIMA

March 24, 2020