DownloadThe Portobello Bookshop Gift Guide 2024

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Haruki Murakami author Philip Gabriel translator

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Vintage Publishing

Published:2nd Apr '09

Should be back in stock very soon

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running cover

The first, fascinating insight into the life of this internationally bestselling writer

In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, the author began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and on his writing. This title presents his portrait.

'Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional'

The must-read book for every runner:a compelling meditation on the power of running and a fascinating insight into the life of this internationally bestselling writer.

In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such races, he reflects upon the influence the sport has had on his life and on his writing.

Equal parts travelogue, training log and reminiscence, this revealing memoir covers his four-month preparation for the 2005 New York City Marathon and settings ranging from Tokyo's Jingu Gaien gardens, where he once shared the course with an Olympian, to the Charles River in Boston.

By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, this is a must-read for fans of this masterful yet private writer as well as for the exploding population of athletes who find similar satisfaction in distance running.

*Murakami's new book Novelist as a Vocation is available now*

'There can never have been a book quite like this memoir of running and writing before. In its self-contained way, it's nothing less than an inspiration' Evening Standard

'Hugely enjoyable...You don't have to have run a marathon to be captivated' Sunday Telegraph

'Comical, charming and philosophical...an excellent memoir' GQ

It’s an inspiring, reflective read that’ll make you want to dust your trainers off -- Andy McNicoll * Professional Social Work *
An outstanding read -- Peter Sharkey * Eastern Daily Press *

ISBN: 9780099526155

Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 12mm

Weight: 140g

192 pages