Where I went in my travels, it's impossible for me to recall. I remember the sights and sounds and smells clearly enough, but the names of the towns are gone, as well as any sense of the order in which I traveled from place to place.
Haruki MurakamiA short story I have written long ago would barge into my house in the middle of the night, shake me awake and shout, 'Hey,this is no time for sleeping! You can't forget me, there's still more to write!' Impelled by that voice, I would find myself writing a novel. In this sense, too, my short stories and novels connect inside me in a very natural, organic way.
Haruki MurakamiIt's because of you when I'm in bed in the morning that I can wind my spring and tell myself I have to live another good day.
Haruki MurakamiIโve had that kind of experience myself: Iโm looking at a map and I see someplace that makes me think, โI absolutely have to go to this place, no matter whatโ. And most of the time, for some reason, the place is far away and hard to get to. I feel this overwhelming desire to know what kind of scenery the place has, or what people are doing there. Itโs like measles - you canโt show other people exactly where the passion comes from. Itโs curiosity in the purest sense. An inexplicable inspiration.
Haruki MurakamiMost people are not looking for provable truths. As you said, truth is often accompanied by intense pain, and almost no one is looking for painful truths. What people need is beautiful, comforting stories that make them feel as if their lives have some meaning. Which is where religion comes from.
Haruki Murakami