Here's a wonderful(ly viral) activity proposed by the girls from The Blue Bookcase. Are you into literary fiction? I sure am. I mainly read to challenge myself. There is no better way to reassess your ideas, your perceptions and your humanity than being challenged by a writer. I don't think I'm an elitist douche because of that. I am a different kind of reader than those who just wish to be carried away. Consider me some kind of kind Literary Bushido Freak.
But what's "literary" exactly? It's a vague term if I've ever seen one. To me, literary fiction takes a moral/intellectual stance on something other genres don't need to. It's a soapbox for ideas and a deliberate attempt to spark debates. It's so vague to many because it's not necessarily a "genre" by itself. Many writers have written "literary" genre fiction. James Ellroy is a good example of a writer who elevated the crime/noir novel to a literary standard. Just read Killer On The Road if you doubt it.
The book I wish to talk about today is not from James Ellroy though, it's from a Japanese writer named Haruki Murakami. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles is the story of Toru Okada, who lives a mundane life until one day his cat disappears. It's the first of many disappearance that will strip Toru of the bases of his identity. When his wife Kumiko disappears, Toru goes after her, not by passion, but driven by a nameless fear of the void his life has become. Along the way, he'll meet many people who will help him recuperate an identity of his own and lead him on the path to his wife, who isn't the woman Toru thought she was.
Aside from a kick-ass story I could describe only as paranormal/crime fiction, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles is a reflection on anxiety, death and a somewhat existential approach to History. Also, you can feel in Murakami's writing a very heavy influence of western writers, such as Raymond Chandler and Raymond Carver, which, put together make for a healthy mix of minimalistic prose. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles changed the way I perceive literature and somehow altered my outlook on life. I can't say enough good things about it.
