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A Wild Sheep Chase (1982)

by Haruki Murakami, Haruki Murakami

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: A Wild Sheep Chase (complete), The Rat (3)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
7,7271431,146 (3.9)283
It begins simply enough: A twenty-something advertising executive receives a postcard from a friend, and casually appropriates the image for an insurance company's advertisement. What he doesn't realize is that included in the pastoral scene is a mutant sheep with a star on its back, and in using this photo he has unwittingly captured the attention of a man in black who offers a menacing ultimatum: find the sheep or face dire consequences. Thus begins a surreal and elaborate quest that takes our hero from the urban haunts of Tokyo to the remote and snowy mountains of northern Japan, where he confronts not only the mythological sheep, but the confines of tradition and the demons deep within himself.… (more)
  1. 20
    Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (cpav55, NatalieSW)
    cpav55: Ademt dezelfde sfeer als De jacht op het verloren schaap.
    NatalieSW: Has a similarly odd look at a world that is like ours but off-kilter in a magical, philosophically absurd way.
  2. 20
    Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami (cpav55)
    cpav55: Dance Dance Dance (Dans Dans Dans) maakt met Pinball 1973 en De jacht op het verloren schaap min of meer deel uit van de serie, maar het zijn wel losstaande verhalen.
  3. 10
    After the Quake by Haruki Murakami (2810michael)
  4. 10
    Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (koenvanq)
  5. 00
    Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami (cpav55)
    cpav55: Pinball 1973, Dans Dans Dans en De jacht op het verloren schaap vormen min of meer een serie, maar zijn wel losstaande verhalen.
  6. 00
    The Castle by Franz Kafka (olonec)
    olonec: chase, chase, chase
  7. 00
    Subdivision by J. Robert Lennon (Anonymous user)
  8. 01
    Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (WSB7)
    WSB7: Vonnegut's take on the world is so similar to Murakami's
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» See also 283 mentions

English (118)  French (9)  Spanish (6)  Dutch (3)  Norwegian (2)  Italian (2)  Danish (1)  Hungarian (1)  Portuguese (1)  All languages (143)
Showing 1-5 of 118 (next | show all)
Nearly 20 years ago I started university and vowed to right a wrong: despite taking English Literature at school, I wasn’t a reader - computer games had ousted my early promise and passion born from eagerly making my way through the Mr Men books, Roald Dahl and The Chronicles of Narnia. For 8 years I had regrettably read very little and so, into Waterstones bookshop I strode, determined to buy a book that symbolised the studious art student I wanted to be now, ready to begin the next chapter of his life! And this was what I chose! (Make of that what you will).

I’ve come/read a long way since then and admittedly I think Murakami came a little bit too soon this first time round for my appreciation. Therefore it has been refreshing to listen to this book anew from a more informed and well read position.

Wild Sheep Chase pretty much does exactly what it says on the tin (like Ronseal). A stereotypical Murakami male lead (reserved, passive, reflective) is given the task/ultimatum by a stereotypical Murakami mysterious character (villain?) to find a sheep printed on an advert that his company once printed. Aided by a stereotypical Murakami female character with kooky characteristics (aphrodisiac ears) and after an adequate amount of deliberation, he sets out on his quest. In the process, he examines the very essence of himself, his life, his choices and what he has become.

I’ve read enough Murakami now for the magic to have worn off but have genuinely loved some of his books along the way (Norwegian Wood, Hard Boiled Wonderland, Kafka, Wind-Up Bird). The criticism of his work is hard to ignore (set character-types, poorly written/envisaged females) and although I still enjoy his work, my impression is undoubtedly tainted. Nevertheless, I think ‘A Wild Sheep Chase’ is a decent book and I got a lot more from it than 21 year old me ever did. Furthermore, it was definitely refreshing to revisit one of his older works, bringing sentimental and melancholic memories of reading him in his pomp.

For me, A Wild Sheep Chase was predominantly a book about change - how people react to change, the difficulties which come from trying to resist (for it is inevitable) and the new experiences it gives if accepted. The narrative is littered with those who accept and resist, even Japan itself embodies the theme in the form of a town languishing at the end of a rail route with very little to inspire visitors to come there. And from these examples, Murakami offers reflections on stagnation, holding on to the past, of not letting go, being too scared to try something different but likewise the invigorating experiences that come from being open to the unknown. It had a transformative feel despite it being quite dark in parts (namely conversations with the rat) and successfully entertained along the way. If we were to sort Murakami titles into two piles of good and bad, A Wild Sheep Chase would comfortably be in the good pile. ( )
  Dzaowan | Feb 15, 2024 |
Maagiline lammas, jumala telefoninumber ja vastupandamatult erootilised kõrvad
Pärast “Kafka mererannas” vapustavalt positiivset lugemiskogemust eelmisel aastal olen silmad Murakami muude asjade suhtes lahti hoidnud. Järgmisena sattus mulle ette “Wild Sheep Chase”. Ja tõesti – kui eesti keeles ilmunud “Norra metsa” ja “Kafka” puhul on pidevalt rõhutatud, kui erinevad need raamatud on, siis WSC läheb minu jaoks vähemalt “Kafkaga” samasse klassi – see müstiline, voolav, kummalisi tegelasi ja süžeepöördeid täis teos on jäägitult köitev. Erinevalt kahest eelmisest eesti keeles loetud teosest tajusin ma selles ka esmakordselt tempo erinevust – lugu voolab kohati väga aeglaselt, on paljude kurvide ja käändudega. Kuid see ei muuda lugemist sugugi igavaks, lausa vastupidi, sest sügavate tumedate võrendike pinna all varitsevad kummalised olendid/märgid, kellest päris mitme olulisust loo jaoks pole võimalik näha enne, kui oled lõppu jõudnud.
WSC lõpetab Murakami nn Roti-triloogia (esimene “Hear the Wind Sing”, teine “Pinball”, mõlemad 1973) ja seda peetakse tema nn läbimurdeteoseks. Pole ka raske mõista, miks. WSC-d võiks teatud mööndustega pidada korraga nii road-novel’iks, krimkaks, fantaasiateoseks kui filosoofiliseks mõtiskluseks pärastsõjaaegse Jaapani ühiskonna üle. Aga hoolimata sellest, et tegemist on väga mitmekihilise allegooriaga, on lugu tegelikult väga lihtne – see on lugu mehest, kes on üdini keskpärane ja kes triivib sihitult läbi elu. Kõik muutub, kui ta avaldab ühes reklaambrošüüris illustratsioonina Roti-nimelise sõbra poolt saadetud suvalise foto mäenõlval söövast lambakarjast. Järgnevas sunnitud retkes läbi Jaapani (kadunud sõbra ja üheainsa väga konkreetse müstilise lamba otsingul) põimib Murakami täiesti geniaalselt kokku kõige igavama igapäevase elu, Jaapani ajaloo, ülikummalised inimesed ja müstilised olendid ning juhtimised, mis ometi klapivad omavahel vähimagi ebakõlata – on võimatu mõelda, et lugu võiks toimida kuidagi teisti. Raamat moodustab võimatu terviku, mis on ometi ainuvõimalik. Ja nagu juba öeldud – viimased killud langevad paika alles päris viimastes peatükkides.
Kirsiks koogi peal on muidugi Murakami kirjutamisstiil ja suutlikkus anda edasi meeleolusid, kirjeldada paiku ja eelkõige nende õhkkonda, anda edasi seda tabamatut miskit, mis teeb paikadest selle, mis need on. Elavaks ja isikupäraseks on raamatus saanud isegi pimedus ja vaikus, tuulest ja maast rääkimata.
( )
  sashery | Jan 29, 2024 |
My second Japanese author, though I will not visit Murakami again. The book was strange and slow, like an early David Lynch film. I won't say it was directionless, because it ended reasonably, but it was life-like, which is to say boring and poorly paced. The only value was the ear-fetish: I should start paying more attention to them now.
This was a recommendation by the way... ( )
  MXMLLN | Jan 12, 2024 |
Very enjoyable. Surprisingly funny. The mystery is solved but the "big so what" is weaker. The ending was a little…unemotional.
  BookyMaven | Dec 6, 2023 |
Good straight-forward Murakami. A little less labyrinthine, perhaps not quite so assured, but as it's such an early one that's understandable. If new to Murakami, I think you'd do better starting with one of his later novels. This one is good, but it feels a little less distinctive than his later books. ( )
  thisisstephenbetts | Nov 25, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 118 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (17 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Haruki Murakamiprimary authorall editionscalculated
Murakami, Harukimain authorall editionsconfirmed
Birnbaum, AlfredTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Degas, RupertNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Ortmanns-Suzuki, AnnelieTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Stalph, JürgenTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Tamminen, LeenaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Westerhoven, JacquesTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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It was a short one-paragraph item in the morning edition.
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I went back to the riverside road, and by the time I'd managed to catch a taxi the rain was coming down in a drizzle. To the hotel, I said.

"Here on a trip?" asked the old driver.

"Uh-huh."

"First time in these parts?"

"Second time," I said.
There are symbolic dreams — dreams that symbolize some reality. Then there are symbolic realities — realities that symbolize a dream. Symbols are what you might call the honorary town councillors of the worm universe. In the worm universe, there is nothing unusual about a dairy cow seeking a pair of pliers. A cow is bound to get her pliers sometime. It has nothing to do with me.

Yet the fact that the cow chose me to obtain her pliers changes everything. This plunges me into a whole universe of alternative considerations. And in this universe of alternative considerations, the major problem is that everything becomes protracted and complex. I ask the cow, "Why do you want pliers?" And the cow answers, "I'm really hungry" So I ask, "Why do you need pliers if you're hungry?" The cow answers, "To attach them to branches of the peach tree." I ask, "Why a peach tree?" To which the cow replies, "Well, that's why I traded away my fan, isn't it?" And so on and so forth. The thing is never resolved, I begin to resent the cow, and the cow begins to resent me. That's a worm's eye view of its universe. The only way to get out of that worm universe is to dream another symbolic dream.

The place where that enormous four-wheeled vehicle transported me this September afternoon was surely the epicenter of the worm universe. In other words, my prayer had been denied.

I took a look around me and held my breath. Here was the stuff of breath taking.
To sleep with a woman: it can seem of the utmost importance in your mind, or then again it can seem like nothing much at all. Which only goes to say that there's sex as therapy (self-therapy, that is) and there's sex as pastime.

There's sex for self-improvement start to finish and there's sex for killing time straight through; sex that is therapeutic at first only to end up as nothing-better-to-do, and vice-versa. Our human sex life — how shall I put it? — differs fundamentally from the sex life of the whale.

We are not whales — and this constitutes one great theme underscoring our sex life.
"Let me be as frank as possible with you," the man spoke up. his speech had the ring of a direct translation from a formulaic text. his choice of phrase and grammar was correct enough, but there was no feeling in his words.

"Speaking frankly and speaking the truth are two different things entirely. Honesty is to truth as prow is to stern. Honesty appears first and truth appears last. The interval between varies in direct proportion to the size of the ship. With anything of size, truth takes a long time in coming. Sometimes it only manifests itself posthumously. Therefore, should I impart you with no truth at this juncture, that is through no fault of mine. Nor yours."
"I lit up a second cigarette and ordered another whiskey. The second whiskey is always my favorite. From the third on, it no longer has any taste. It's just something to pour into your stomach."
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It begins simply enough: A twenty-something advertising executive receives a postcard from a friend, and casually appropriates the image for an insurance company's advertisement. What he doesn't realize is that included in the pastoral scene is a mutant sheep with a star on its back, and in using this photo he has unwittingly captured the attention of a man in black who offers a menacing ultimatum: find the sheep or face dire consequences. Thus begins a surreal and elaborate quest that takes our hero from the urban haunts of Tokyo to the remote and snowy mountains of northern Japan, where he confronts not only the mythological sheep, but the confines of tradition and the demons deep within himself.

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