Norwegian Forest summary. Haruki Murakami "Norwegian Wood" Heartaches burdened by tragedy

Haruki Murakami's book "Norwegian Wood" has become one of the most popular Japanese books. Today, the work is included in the ranks of modern Japanese classical literature. What is Haruki Murakami's book "Norwegian Wood" about? In this article we will tell you everything!

About the book

Speaking about the book “Norwegian Wood”, one can talk endlessly. However, there are key points that need to be highlighted.

The date of writing “Norwegian Wood” was 1987. After its first publication, the book gained wide popularity.

In its genre, “Norwegian Wood” differs from other novels of that time: it includes both a philosophical meaning and elements of love prose, erotic literature and many other directions. Speaking about this type of artistic prose, which came from the hands of Haruki Murakami, it should be noted how skillfully the author managed to touch on all the vital problems of every person.

“Norwegian Wood”, the original language of which was Japanese, just a year later gained fame not only in Japan, but throughout the world. The work was especially loved in the United States of America.

The translation of “Norwegian Wood” into Russian was carried out quite recently - only in 2010, Russian readers were able to get acquainted with the sensational work. The book also quickly gained high ratings among Russian-speaking residents.

Movies

Also in 2010, an excellent film was made. The film adaptation of “Norwegian Wood” was real news for all those who had already become acquainted with the book. Such an important event was expected throughout the whole year by the whole world.

The film that was released was very popular with the audience. Reading reviews of “Norwegian Wood” as a movie, you can see a lot of positive reviews.

The directors themselves admitted during an interview that creating a script for such a complex work was not at all easy. They also noted that another difficulty was the fact that the directors set themselves the goal of preserving as much as possible all the images and descriptions of the environment that Haruki Murakami created in the book.

Among other things, difficulties also arose due to the semantic load of the text. The plot of “Norwegian Wood” consists mainly of the thoughts of the characters, their emotional experiences, which are described on paper. It was quite difficult to depict this as a film.

Quotes

Quotes from “Norwegian Wood” can be seen today on many forums, on the pages of many people on social networks. This can be explained quite simply: the quotes that were used in the book truly touched the souls of people. In general, speaking about Haruki Murakami’s books, it must be said that the author always used very sincere expressions that really make you think.

One of the most famous quotes that appears in the book “Norwegian Wood” was the statement of the main character when she asked her lover to always keep her in his memory. “I want you to remember me,” that’s exactly what Naoko said.

Another striking quote that really sticks in my mind after reading it was the statement of another heroine, Reiko: “I am an eternal slave to the music of sadness.” If you think about it, every person who experiences strong emotional unrest is a slave to something sad and dreary.

Main characters

The main characters of “Norwegian Wood” differ from the characters familiar to the reader.

The main character is Tooru Watanabe. It is on his behalf that the entire narrative in the book is told. Based on Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood, Watanabe is a student who belongs to the middle class. He is studying the history of drama, although he himself has no idea what exactly prompted him to choose this particular specialty. Watanabe became Kizuki's best friend, despite the fact that the guys were very different in their interests. It is Tooru who tries to establish a romantic relationship with Naoko, and later with Midori.

Kizuki is the main novel's best friend. He was Watanabe's roommate. It was thanks to him that order was regularly put in the guys’ room, which allowed the young people to “not drown in the mud” like other residents of the hostel. Kizuki was in a relationship with Naoko for a long time, however, for reasons unknown to those close to him, in the seventeenth year of his life he committed suicide. His death was a great loss for both Naoko and Watanabe.

Naoko is the main character of Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood. It is this character that constantly appears in the plot, changing Watanabe’s life and thoughts. Naoko was a very fragile and weak girl: having lost her sister, who also committed suicide at the age of seventeen, the girl began to experience mental problems. After the heroine lost Kizuki, she became completely depressed. Even though she had feelings for Watanabe, they both understood that they were only connected by the memory of their dead friend. All the losses that the girl suffered greatly affected her health. It is because of her experiences that Naoko takes her own life at the age of 21.

Ishida Reiko is one of the most important supporting characters. Reiko is a talented woman who had a passion for music. Due to mental problems, she was forced to give up her career as a pianist, but she became a music teacher. Reiko, among other things, was Naoko's roommate. After the death of Naoko, Reiko kept in touch with Watanabe, because the latter needed support - the main character was so deeply affected by the loss.

Midori Kiboyashi is an ordinary girl, a former classmate of Watanabe. Midori's mother died of cancer when the girl was still a child, and Midori's father was engaged in his own business - on his property there was a small bookstore, which was popular in the city. It is with her that the main character has been trying to build a relationship for a long time, constantly doubting which of the girls his feelings are stronger for - for her or for Naoko. But it is Midori who will have to accept Watanabe as he has become over the years - in the end, the main character will understand that he truly loved only Kiboyashi.

Nagasawa is a student studying to become a lawyer. Nagasawa becomes Watanabe's friend, despite the fact that they are completely different from the main character, both in interests and life preferences. Nagasawa dreams of achieving success not only in his career, but also in his personal life. For a young man, this will not be any difficulty, because he knows how to beautifully look after women, despite the fact that he himself is not a serious person who does not know how to bind himself to any obligations.

Since the work is voluminous, the summary should be divided into several parts.

Each part will determine a specific life stage, the stage of the heroes.

Memories

The work begins with the memories of the main character. Watanabe remembers the time when he was 37 years old. The memories begin with landing in Germany. Then, getting off the plane, he heard the painfully familiar song of The Beatles, and pictures of the past began to appear before his eyes. Even eighteen years later, he saw, like a photograph, a girl running across a field. The wind tousled her hair, but she laughed. For real. Sincerely. Remembering these pictures, Watanabe felt the same wind that walked through the fields, the smell of a nearby grove. He heard the girl's laughter, so carefree, terribly familiar.

During these years, the main character was shrouded in love. Despite the fact that he remembered the entire landscape that surrounded them that day in great detail, the girl’s face was clouded. This sweet face was gradually erased from memory. Time passes, memories are already beginning to be erased from the narrator’s memory. But only he can restore them as much as possible, and then retain them in memory at least for some time.

Last meeting

This walk across the field was Watanabe's last meeting with Naoko. It was on this day that she asked him never to forget her, to carefully keep her image in his memory. She tirelessly thanked the main character for coming such a long way to visit her.

Undoubtedly, Naoko knew that as time passed, the memories of her would be erased from Watanabe's memory. Even many years later, when remembering her words, the main character experiences unbearable melancholy: despite how close Naoko and Watanabe were, she did not love him and could not love him, and he knew this very well.

Student time

Watanabe begins to piece together memories. He recalls how exactly twenty years ago he moved to the Japanese capital, Tokyo, to get an education. The main character spent only two years in the student dormitory.

The rooms where completely immature men lived were always in chaos, and posters of naked girls sparkled on the walls everywhere. Watanabe's neighbor was Kizuki, at whom everyone always laughed because of his cleanliness. It was Kizuki who kept order in the common room.

The main character entered the drama department, but when the main character thought about why he chose this particular specialty, he could not find an answer. As he got older, he realized that he didn’t care what he would become in the future - he needed an education.

Meetings with Naoko

Watanabe has lived in the capital for a whole month. Being acquainted with Kizuki's close friend, he saw Naoko a month after their first meeting. She noticeably lost weight, but the main character decided that this made her look even more beautiful. They talked, and Naoko invited Watanabe to meet. To which he naturally agreed.

The main character met the girl thanks to Kizuki. They often spent time together. In general, a common friend was the only thing that connected them. As soon as Kizuki left his friends for a minute, they didn’t know what to talk about.

Death of a friend

Kizuki began to behave strangely. One day Watanabe learns that his friend has committed suicide. The method that the young guy chose to end his life was not traditional: he attached a hose to the exhaust pipe of his car, tightly sealed all the windows of the car with tape and started the engine.

It was after the main character lost his friend so tragically that she began to understand that death is an essential component of any life.

After Kizuki's death, Watanabe and Naoko began to see each other almost every week. The main character understood how much the girl needed support. The only thing that upset the young guy was that Naoko did not need his support. She just needed it. That is why Watanabe did not focus on himself and simply stayed next to Naoko, comforting her in every possible way.

Friendship with Nagasawa

All the time while the young people were communicating, the main character never ceased to be amazed at how talented and educated his friend was. But besides his talent, Nagasaki was distinguished by an extremely bad character. He could easily manipulate people. In addition, Nagasaki always wore a mask - despite the fact that grayness and gloom reigned inside him, he managed to move through life with a smile. Watanabe was able to immediately notice the bad character traits of Nagasaki; why the people around him did not see the meanness ingrained in the young man remained a mystery to the main character.

Watanabe did not begin a real friendship with Nagasaki right away. The relationship between the young people was very different from communication with Kizuki. One day, when Nagasaki got very drunk, he behaved extremely cruelly towards one girl. Then Watanabe decided that he could not trust such a person.

Very often, the main character, together with Nagasawa, rented girls for the night. Watanabe did not feel satisfied after such connections; on the contrary, he felt empty. He shared his feelings with Nagasaki, to which the latter replied that he himself often experiences hatred towards himself, but he cannot stop himself.

New friend

Nagasaki had a faithful and devoted friend named Hatsumi. She was pretty, very smart, and always knew how to approach life's difficulties with humor. Watanabe himself, looking at the beautiful girl, decided that if he had such a girlfriend, he would never, ever go to bed with another.

And Nagasawa himself understood perfectly well that he was not worthy of such a girl. And the main character supported his friend in this.

Twenty years

This day was Naoko's birthday - the girl turned twenty years old. The main character came to her to congratulate her on a significant date. Everything was going great, but in the evening Naoko started crying. Watanabe tried to calm his friend down. As a result, the guy stayed with Naoko for the night. At night, the young people made love, during which Watanabe realized that he was Naoko’s first. This was a discovery for him, because he always thought that the girl had already had an intimate relationship with Kizuki before.

Disappearance

After her birthday, Naoko suddenly disappeared. Watanabe tried to find the girl, wrote letters to her parents. One day he received an answer: the girl took a vacation and went to a sanatorium for treatment. Naoko promised to meet the main character when she was ready to meet him.

Old friend

In a cafe, a beautiful girl with short hair sat down next to Watanabe. At first he did not recognize her, but then he saw in her his old classmate. It was Midori. The old acquaintances chatted, and the girl invited Watanabe to meet soon. When the day of the meeting arrived, the girl simply did not come to the appointed place.

Later, Midori made herself known: she apologized to the young man and invited him to dinner that same Sunday.

During the meeting, she told Watanabe her story: her mother had recently died of cancer. The father, who could not cope with such a bereavement, moved to his friend in Uruguay, saying that it would be better if his daughters died instead of his wife.

That evening, the main character had a strange desire to kiss Midori. This is what he did, to which she replied that she would not allow him to do this next time, since she already had a young man.

Invitation

A long-awaited letter arrived from Naoko, in which she invited him to come to her. Arriving at the sanatorium where the girl was lying, Watanabe met her roommate, Reiko. Despite the fact that Reiko is being treated at a sanatorium for her psychological problems, she is a music teacher here.

That evening Naoko and Watanabe met. Reiko played her guitar and sang songs quietly while old friends shared news. It was that evening that Naoko asked Reiko to play a Beatles song. The girl listened to this song only when she was very sad. To the sound of sad notes, Naoko told her guest that she had been with Kizuki for quite a long time, they knew each other’s bodies by heart, but their sex life did not work out. Delving deeper into her memories, Naoko began to cry. Reiko and Watanabe decided to leave her to calm down on her own.

Sad story

Deciding to take a walk with Watanabe, Reiko told him her story. From early childhood, Reiko studied music. However, before an important concert, she suffered a nervous attack, due to which she could no longer play the piano. Doctors associated all this with mental stress. Reiko began to go crazy, she was treated at the clinic twice. Only then did she meet a man who could love her. It was the best time in Reiko's life - home, family, children and her beloved man nearby.

One day, her neighbor came to Reiko and offered to practice music with her daughter. The failed pianist agreed. Seeing a thirteen-year-old girl, Reiko noticed something repulsive in her appearance and behavior. As a result, during one of the classes, the girl began to seduce Reiko. It turned out that the neighbor’s daughter did not have very traditional taste, but she really liked the music teacher. Reiko knew how terrible it was, but she couldn't resist the girl as she caressed her body. Realizing that all this was disgusting and wrong, Reiko sharply pushed the girl away, hit her and told her not to appear again.

After this, rumors spread that Reiko was an unbalanced psychopath who seduced and beat children. The husband supported the slandered wife, but the teacher had to go to a hospital.

When the two returned from their walk, Naoko told the main character about how, as a child, she was the first to discover the corpse of her sister, who hanged herself at the age of 17. It is with this event that Naoko associates her illness.

After years

Time passed, and a year later Watanabe came to visit Naoko again. When Reiko left to study music, the girl and the main character had oral sex - Naoko was not ready for a normal sex life. That evening, Watanabe invited Naoko to live together after she recovered.

Completion

For a long time, the main character tried to establish a connection with Midori. And one day she answered him. Having written that she broke up with her fiancé because she loved Watanabe, the main character had to answer her that he needed time to figure everything out.

After thinking for a long time about who he should stay with - Naoko or Midori, he shares his feelings with Reiko. The second strongly recommends that the guy not say anything to the already unhappy Naoko about his doubts.

A short time later, a letter arrives informing Watanabe about Naoko’s death - the girl could not withstand all the difficulties of her life and committed suicide.

When emotions have subsided, Watanabe makes a decision: he appears on Midori’s doorstep and tells her how much he loves her, and that he doesn’t need anyone else but her.

Haruki Murakami is a writer who opened Japan to his readers. His books gained great popularity in Russia. One of his most famous works is the novel “Norwegian Wood”, in which the author depicted in detail the life of the characters with their original characters and current problems.

“Norwegian Wood” is a special world, different from all others, but resounding in the head with the famous song of The Beatles - Norwegian Wood, which served as the basis for the name. This is what the hero hears at the airport and remembers his student years, when his life was much brighter and more interesting. Awakened nostalgia became the leitmotif of the novel and the mood that remains after reading, like the aftertaste of bitter sake.

What is this book about?

Murakami describes the everyday life of a simple student in Japan in the 70s, Tooru Watanabe. He associates this period of time with the struggle of students against the cruel regime in Japan. But the most important thing in the work is his relationship with two girls who are opposite to each other. Naoko is a smart and impeccably beautiful girl, but with her own quirks. Midori is active, emotional and tries to take everything from life.

In Germany, Watanabe immerses himself in memories of his youth, the time when he studied at the university. He remembers how his friend Toru Kizuki committed suicide, how Naoko, who loved him, worried and suffered. Soon, Watanabe realizes that he is in love with Naoko, but her heart is deeply wounded. Then Watanabe meets Midori, and a love triangle forms between them. The main character was confused in this relationship, but realized that Midori was closer to him, and their meeting was fateful.

The image of the main character

The story is told from Watanabe's point of view. As a university student, he came to Tokyo from Kobe. He studies drama in college, but he doesn’t know why he chose this particular direction. Carefully observing the hero, we notice that he is not always sincere in everyday life with other people and with himself. He is introverted, and sometimes his thoughts are at odds with his actions. In general, he can be characterized as a lonely, melancholy, gloomy and insecure young man. The entire novel is structured as Watanabe's journey of growing up. He becomes a man, even his thoughts and speech in the finale are more confident and pure than at the beginning of the story. Not only his girlfriend changes, but also his perception of the world around him, so you shouldn’t perceive his story as an exclusively love affair.

His days are practically no different from each other. They consist of walks, reading books, alcohol, dreary and lonely lunches in the student canteen, routine work in the store where he sells records, observing the lives of other people who become an integral part of his life. Watanabe hides “in the twilight” due to his own inability for creative realization; he is prone to reflection.

From an inexperienced person with uncertainty in his views, he gradually turns into a confident adult man, and the novel about growing up shows how difficult and at the same time beautiful this process is.

National Japanese flavor

Through the eyes of this student, we see the frantic rhythm of the inhabitants of the metropolitan metropolis of Japan, get acquainted with the traditions of this unusual country, for example, enjoy the sight of cherry blossoms. The main quote of the work is: “Death is not the opposite, but an invisible part of life.” With this fundamental phrase, we peer into the soul of Japanese culture, where Buddhist philosophy nestles, with its circle of life and belief in the rebirth of the human essence. And this is the special merit of the writer.

In order for readers to correctly understand the novel, the writer focuses on two key concepts: love and longing. The theme of love is often found in literature; each writer has a specific one. Murakami's love is dramatic and sad. This is due to the fact that it requires conscious, serious actions, internal work, actions and movements, which the passive and withdrawn heroes of his novels are not capable of. Therefore, instead of healing, it leads to suicide. This, by the way, is also a Japanese flavor: the number of suicides there is off the charts. The life of the Japanese for centuries belonged only to the emperor; in many aspects it is still too strictly regulated, so the sensual side was and is under the yoke of conventions, which causes an insoluble internal conflict.

What is the meaning of the novel?

If a person experiences unbearable pain in his soul, then it is almost impossible to heal. Naoko could not come to terms with the death of her beloved Kizuki, no matter how long her stay in the hospital lasted, it was easier for her to choose death than to live with these thoughts about him. Watanabe is faced with a different choice, and he chooses life. Therefore, Murakami says that death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it, and everyone chooses which side to take. In addition, he showed the outcome of the frivolous actions of young people. Kizuki does not think about the pain and psychological trauma he causes to his beloved girl. “Everything might have been different if my childhood friend had been alive,” Watanabe says, summing up.

Interpretation of the ending

The ending of the novel is especially worth noting. Its meaning can be interpreted into one phrase: “What will happen if I die?” This is the question Naoko asked herself when she decided to commit suicide. Realizing that Reiko cannot leave the hospital because their friendship is holding her back, and Watanabe cannot radically change her life due to strong attachment. But the most important reason is that Naoko did not want to live anymore without Kizuki, with whom she was so deeply in love. Therefore, death in Murakami's novels is an objective inevitability.

Criticism

In the book, the writer combines two different psychological states: the world of normal life and the world of depression. The mood is permeated with despair, clots of anxious feelings, loneliness, but at the same time hope, love and peace. That is why Russian journalist Konstantin Zharov called this novel “too human” and “too literary a work.” Overall, he gives a positive assessment, emphasizing the genuine simplicity with which the writer immerses the reader in the complex world of the characters.

American writer Damian Walter also spoke positively about the work, calling the novel a symbol of the confusion, beauty, and loneliness of life, in which characters sometimes get lost and find no peace. Murakami's readers engaged in heated debate. Some people consider his style boring, others perceive the relationships between the characters as vulgarity. But fans still emphasize that this is a strong book about life and death, about love and responsibility for one’s actions. Some even compare the Japanese writer with Remarque.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

This is a very worthy work.
With my preferences in the literary world, I was initially outraged by the number of erotic scenes. I hate this in literature. Otherwise, I attribute such a work to the category of one-day pieces designed to shock, not carrying a single gram of information that gives us, the readers, the right to discuss within ourselves what is lived on the pages. But on the other hand, the author is a representative of Japanese culture, where, as we know, society does not accept any moral prejudices. And in general, the entire sexual component does not look obscene, but on the contrary, sometimes a key component of the storyline.
Directly from reading it can be said unequivocally. It reads very easily and quickly. You definitely won’t spend much time on the Norwegian Forest. And at the end, the work will bring something into your inner world.
Immediately after the book I watched the film adaptation. The film should not be watched before or instead of the book. If it’s before the book, you’ll lose the intrigue. If instead, you won’t understand what’s what at all. The film kind of complements it. Allows you to look at what is happening from a different angle. The film adaptation looks decent, and in spirit, in my opinion, it completely corresponds to the book.

Grade 4 out of 5 stars from Anton 19.04.2019 14:09

The book is very good, but not everyone can understand it. Those who say: “I read up to a third of it and didn’t get sucked in or it’s cheesy or about drinking” haven’t read the book. Reading does not mean flipping through pages reading words, but thinking and feeling what the author was trying to convey. In fact, the story is sad and full of emotions. Yes, there is vulgarity and yes, the main character drinks. But in quiet moments you can find something interesting, something of your own. Every time you drink something new happens and life develops. After all, the hero doesn’t just drink. In general, without reading the book and thinking about every line, you cannot understand it. And before the age of 16, I think there is no point in reading it either.

Sorry for the mistakes as I am writing from an e-book.

Grade 5 out of 5 stars from yunikonnek013 19.08.2017 16:53

This book definitely left a mark on my soul. It seems that everything the main character experienced was told to me by an old friend, it seems that all this is so real that for me the heroes of this work will remain good friends. This is life as it is, sometimes cruel, unfair, funny and sad, so the book evokes feelings of joy for the characters, feelings of sadness, I like to worry with the hero, cry, smile... Book 5/5.

Grade 5 out of 5 stars from [email protected] 17.08.2017 21:45

The Japanese world is different from ours, but the feelings are like all people. I can’t say that the book is great, but it’s worth reading if only because there’s nothing hidden in it. Yes, there is no action. but in such a plot he would be superfluous. an ordinary story about an ordinary Japanese guy who cannot get rid of difficult memories

Grade 5 out of 5 stars by vata 08/14/2017 11:16

I read a third of the book, it didn’t drag me in, I didn’t get carried away...

Grade 2 out of 5 stars from Anya 16.05.2017 13:37

Not everyone will understand the book!
Firstly, the feelings and loves of the main character are described not simply as “I loved this one, and this one loved me, but I didn’t love her, but yes that one,” there is a whole palette of emotions, everything is very voluminous and fresh.
Secondly, in Japanese culture there is a certain cult of sex, sometimes perverted, so knowing this in advance, be prepared for explicit scenes (by the way, it could be much worse).
I personally read it in three days, it was very easily written. Don't expect a dynamic plot or action; it simply describes the life of a Japanese person without embellishment.

Grade 4 out of 5 stars from heyromanova 10.04.2017 17:59

there are good thoughts and at the same time unpleasant
too ugly vulgarities
I like Nabokov exclusively, if it’s erotica...

Grade 3 out of 5 stars by anna 08/19/2016 20:29

Grade 4 out of 5 stars by Guest 07/31/2016 14:01

Everything is written differently in the book. In literary language, it’s as if a street man is talking about his drinking!

Grade 2 out of 5 stars by Guest 05/14/2016 13:37

I really liked it. written in a modern motif. I look at the Japanese in a new way.

Grade 5 out of 5 stars from vipman86 12.04.2016 19:34

Having read reviews and reviews, and at least 60% of the book, I understand how true the expression is: all markers have different tastes and colors) I consider reading this book a waste of time!

Grade 1 out of 5 stars from sheiko_sasha 05.01.2015 12:27

I started and thought I couldn’t read it....it’s not mine, but I read it....the book was worthy!!!It made me think!!!

tokmakova_1992 20.12.2014 18:31

A complex and original book that makes you think about both the characters in the book and your own life...

Grade 5 out of 5 stars from andrii.korzhuk 29.10.2014 16:45

Good book

Grade 5 out of 5 stars from natalusha20092009 18.08.2014 08:58

I really liked the book! I didn’t find it heavy, but I think those who like Dostoevsky will like it. A very beautiful and sensual piece.

Grade 5 out of 5 stars by Cristina 08/12/2014 12:39

Heavy in mood, but incredibly attractive book. Subtle, cutting stories. Really like. I re-read it, even though my heart was heavy. There is something real, certainly autobiographical, about it. For those who don’t know, a pretty good movie of the same name was made from the book.

Grade 5 out of 5 stars from euphoric.starlight 22.07.2014 11:30

Everything you'll find in Haruki Murakami is here. It’s difficult to say what exactly this book is about, most likely about the period of growing up, as well as the formation of the hero’s personality. Very easy to read. They captivate you literally from the first pages. One of his best works, in my opinion.

Grade 4 out of 5 stars from marina.guziy 23.05.2014 16:15

strange piece, but I liked it.

Grade 4 out of 5 stars from kristinalunacy 21.01.2014 16:25

hmm, in my opinion, the book is one of those that puts you in a state of “experiencing the author.”
Somehow it reminded me of Remarque’s mood, only if Remarque had written about modernity.

Grade 4 out of 5 stars from reukr 17.11.2013 13:43

I don’t know what I liked about this book - there is no special plot, there are no unexpected turns, but! I was so fascinated that I read the book in one sitting, the mood, the emotions. The characters are so close to simple life images that sometimes you feel that it is written about you.

Grade 5 out of 5 stars from Maria 09.10.2013 16:43

Murakami is unique in his work; if you understand, all the books are read in one sitting.

Still from the film “Norwegian Wood” (2010)

Very briefly

The hero of the novel recalls his youth, difficult love relationships with two girls and the trials of youth, reflects on the choice of people between life and death.

The narrator, the protagonist of the novel by Watanabe Tooru, remembers how, at the age of 37, he landed on a plane in Germany. The Beatles' "Norwegian wood" began to flow from the on-board loudspeakers, and Watanabe felt dizzy with memories. “Even now, 18 years later, I can quite clearly imagine that field... The breeze ran across the field, slightly scattered the girl’s hair and ran off into the grove.”

At that time, Watanabe was in love. But now he remembered the picture of the landscape, but he remembered the girl’s face with great difficulty. “Small cold hands, neatly combed straight hair, a delicate round earlobe, a small black mole right under it, a stylish camel hair coat that she often wore in winter, the habit of always looking into the face of the interlocutor, asking him about something, sometimes why "That's a trembling voice." Every year there are fewer and fewer memories left, and Watanabe tries to restore as many as possible.

Naoko then asked for two things: “so that you understand that I am honestly grateful to you for coming to meet me like this” and “so that you definitely remember me.”

“She knew, of course. She knew that someday the memories of her would fade in me... When I think about this, I feel unbearably sad. Because she didn’t even love me.”

Watanabe remembers how he came to Tokyo to study 20 years ago and lived in a dormitory. He lived there from the spring of 1968 to the spring of 1970.

On the wall there were most often photographs of naked girls and images of singers and actresses. “Since only men lived in the rooms, there was usually a decent mess there.” “Compared to them, my room was sparkling clean.” The reason was the pathological cleanliness of my roommate. “Everyone called him ‘fascist’ or ‘stormtrooper’.” Watanabe studied drama, but not because of any goal or dream, but simply because he needed to go somewhere.

A month after starting life in Tokyo, Watanabe met Naoko at Yotsuya Station. She lost weight and seemed even more beautiful to Watanabe than before. Naoko suggested meeting again, the guy agreed.

Watanabe met her through his only friend Kizuki: Naoko was his friend. The three of them often walked together. If Kizuki was gone for a short time, then they had nothing to talk about with each other.

Kizuki died in the garage at home. “I attached a rubber hose to the N360 exhaust pipe, sealed the car window with tape and turned on the engine.”

After the death of Kizuki, Watanabe realized that death is not something separate from life, it is part of it.

They started meeting with Naoko every week. Watanabe amused the girl with stories about the Stormtrooper.

Watanabe felt that she needed his, A someone's any hand for support.

Nagasawa “was a personality so outstanding that I myself was sometimes amazed, and at the same time he remained a person who was unkind by nature. He boasted of a refined soul, but at the same time he sinned with incorrigible philistinism. He controlled people and moved forward with optimism, but his heart beat alone in convulsions at the bottom of a dark swamp. I immediately saw this contradiction in him and could not understand why others did not see him from this side. This man, in his own way, had one foot in hell.”

“...I never once trusted him. And in this sense, my friendship with Nagasawa was completely different from that with Kizuki. Ever since Nagasawa, after drinking heavily, treated a girl cruelly, I decided that I would not trust this man, no matter what happened.”

Together with Nagasawa, they more than once rented girls for the night in a bar. Watanabe was devastated by this. He asked his friend if he felt the same. The friend replied that he often feels self-hatred. But he can't stop.

Nagasawa had a real friend - Hatsumi. “As soon as you started talking to her, no one could remain indifferent. There was something about her. Calm, smart, with a sense of humor, friendly, always elegantly dressed. I liked her so much that, looking at her, I thought: if I had such a friend, I probably wouldn’t sleep with just anyone.”

“I don’t deserve her,” Nagasawa said. And I completely agreed with him.”

Naoko turned twenty. Watanabe came to congratulate her. At the end of the evening, the girl burst into tears and began to sob. Watanabe tried to calm her down. He stayed the night and, having slept with Naoko, was surprised to learn that this was the first time: Watanabe thought that she slept with Kizuki.

After that evening, Naoko disappeared. Watanabe wrote her letters to her parents. Finally the answer came. Naoko took a leave of absence from the institute, went to a sanatorium in the mountains of Kyoto, and promised to meet him as soon as she was ready.

Watanabe got a job.

In the fall, for some reason, the Stormtrooper did not return to the dormitory. Nobody knew anything about him.

Once in a cafe, a girl with a short haircut sat next to Watanabe; it turned out that she was a classmate - Midori Kobayashi. She showed a keen interest in the young man. They agreed on a further meeting. But the girl didn't come.

Midori showed up later. On a joint walk, she showed a new acquaintance her prestigious school. She told me how she hated her, how, out of stubbornness and unwillingness to give in to school, she never missed a single class during her studies. On Sunday, Midori invited Watanabe to her place: she would cook a delicious lunch. Finding a home is easy: the family runs a bookstore.

Midori’s mother died of cancer two years ago, and her father then told the girl and her sister: “It would be better if you died as a couple instead of your mother.” And he went to Uruguay to visit a colleague.

That evening, unexpectedly for himself, Watanabe kissed her. The girl said that she has a boyfriend. Her current ideas about love are very selfish: her lover must fulfill all her whims at the first call, even if Midori's desires are constantly changing.

A letter arrived from Naoko. She feels guilty towards Watanabe. Naoko came to her senses a little and settled into the Amiryo sanatorium. “If there is any pain left in you, then it is not only yours, but also mine... I am an inferior person... If you despise me, then I will completely disappear.” The girl invites Watanabe to come visit her.

Arriving at Amiryo, Watanabe first met Naoko's roommate Reiko. "Strange woman. There are a lot of wrinkles on her face, they are striking, but do not age her, but, on the contrary, emphasize her youth beyond any age. These wrinkles suit her, as if they had been there since birth. She laughs - the wrinkles laugh with her. She gets angry and the wrinkles get angry... The woman is about forty, she is not only pleasant, but also charming. And I liked her at first sight.” Reiko Ishida teaches music here, although she herself is ill. From her, Watanabe learned that all the patients and staff are here on equal terms, help each other, do certain work: they teach music, French, knitting, etc. In appearance, it is difficult to distinguish patients from doctors: sometimes the staff looks more abnormal than Patients. However, patients are clearly aware of their “abnormality.”

In the evening he met with Naoko. Reiko played the guitar and they talked. Upon request, Naoko Reiko played “Norwegian Wood” by the Beatles. Naoko ordered this song when she felt unbearably sad. Watanabe's friend finally spoke candidly about her love for Kizuki and their relationship. They knew each other's bodies thoroughly, but nothing worked out with sex. They, like primitive savages, seemed to be isolated in their own world, and Watanabe became for them a connecting thread with the outside world.

Naoko burst into tears in the middle of the conversation. Reiko and Watanabe decided to take a walk. “The most important thing is not to lose heart... You need to unravel the problems, slowly, one by one,” said Reiko. She told him her story. In her youth, Reiko was a promising pianist. Before the next competition, my little finger stopped working. Doctors said it was mental. She went crazy and was treated in the hospital twice. After discharge, she met her future husband, a noble and decent man who fell in love with her, despite his mental health problems. The period of their family life, home, life, daughter - the happiest time in Reiko's life.

One day, one of the neighbors persuaded Reiko to study music with her daughter. The girl is “angelically beautiful.” “I have never seen such a beauty - neither before nor after. When I saw her, I was stunned... for a while... But what the fear was, I didn’t know then. It just flashed through my thoughts: there’s something creepy about her facial features.” During the trial lesson, the girl’s performance, far from being technically perfect, somehow attracted Reiko. She began to study with the student. Six months later, the girl tried to seduce her. The student turned out to be a lesbian. Despite the absurdity of the situation, which Reiko realized, her body did not obey. She allowed the “thirteen-year-old little girl” to caress her, but, gathering her strength, she hit the girl and told her not to come to her anymore. After some time, rumors spread among neighbors about Reiko's past (treatment in a mental hospital) and that she allegedly tried to seduce her student and beat her. Only Reiko’s husband supported her, but he delayed the move, and his wife suffered a third breakdown: she again ended up in a hospital. Reiko insisted on divorce - for the sake of her future husband and child. For the last seven years she has been at Amiryo.

The next day, while walking, Naoko told Watanabe about her sister, just like Kizuki, who committed suicide at the age of 17. My sister was the first in everything, the best student, the ringleader. Naoko was the first to discover her sister who had hanged herself. Naoko thinks that somewhere in the past are the roots of her mental illness.

Watanabe promised to come again and returned to Tokyo.

The next day he met Midori. They drank vodka at a bar, Midori sharing her perverted sexual fantasies about her relationship with Watanabe.

On Sunday, Watanabe and Midori went to the hospital to see her father. As it turns out, he has a brain tumor. Midori visited her father four times a week, looked after him, the other three days - her sister. Relatives did not help, sometimes they came to sympathize. Watanabe volunteered to sit with the patient and suggested that Midori get some air and get distracted during this time. Looking at Watanabe eating cucumbers, the girl’s father, who had no appetite, also wanted a cucumber.

Less than a week later, Midori's father died.

Watanabe wrote a letter to Naoko. He missed her.

Watanabe injured his palm. Nagasawa passed his MFA exams and invited him to a restaurant with Hatsumi. After dinner, the girl refused to be escorted home by Nagasawa and asked Watanabe to do it. The two of them went for a drink at a bar in Shibuya, then played pool. “Looking at her, I seemed to understand why Nagasawa chose her as his special companion. There are tons of women around who are much more beautiful than Hatsumi. And a man like Nagasawa could get as many of them as he wanted. But something about her touched my soul. The power emanating from a woman is small, but it can stir a man’s heart.” Watanabe's wound began to bleed, and they went to Hatsumi to bandage it.

Watanabe advised Hatsumi to break up with Nagasawa: “He is not one of those who is happy himself and with whom others are happy. Being around him will only ruin your nerves.” However, he was convinced of the depth and devotion of Hatsumi’s love: “How wonderful it must be to love someone so unconditionally.”

Watanabe never saw her again. Two years after Nagasawa left abroad, she got married, and two years later, she opened her veins.

“It was none other than Nagasawa who informed me of her death. Sent a postcard from Bonn: “Something disappeared after Hatsumi’s death. Very sad and bitter. Even me." I tore it up and never wrote to him again.”

Finally, Watanabe met Midori. She was leaving Tokyo for a while. Together with Watanabe, they drank, then went to a masochistic porn film on the initiative of the girl.

Midori persuaded her friend to spend the night with her: she was comfortable in his company, she needed care, because no one had ever loved or understood her. Watanabe goes with the girl to her home. Midori falls asleep, and Watanabe reads “Under the Wheels” by Hesse until dawn, then leaves for the dorm, leaving a note for her friend.

On his twentieth birthday, he received a letter from Naoko and a gift: a sweater knitted by Naoko and Reiko.

Life in 1969 reminded Watanabe of a quagmire. In December he went on vacation to Naoko. When Reiko left, they had oral sex: Naoko was still not ready physiologically and psychologically for traditional intimate relationships. Watanabe invited the girl to live together when she recovered.

He moved out of the hostel and settled into a new place. Reiko wrote that Naoko was being temporarily transferred to a specialized hospital for an intensive course of treatment. Watanabe lived in a fog for several days, then he made peace with Midori, but the girl was offended, seeing her friend’s depressed state and his thoughts about another.

After a long period and numerous letters from Watanabe, Midori finally spoke to him. She broke up with her boyfriend because she loves Watanabe more. Watanabe also loves her and doesn’t want to lose her, but for now he needs time to figure everything out.

Not daring to write about this to Naoko, he reports his feelings for Midori Reiko: “For Naoko I have an terribly quiet and pure tender feeling, for Midori - a feeling of a completely different kind. It is on its feet, walking, breathing and beating.” Reiko asked not to tell Naoko about this yet.

After leaving the hospital, Naoko returned to Kyoto to a sanatorium, but on her first night she hanged herself in the forest. Watanabe was stunned by the news; he traveled aimlessly for a month with a backpack and sleeping bag until he spent all his money. Finally decided to return to reality. Shortly after his return to Tokyo, Reiko contacted him. A day later she came to Watanabe. They cooked together, Reiko played the guitar all evening. We had sex for a long time at night.

Reiko went to Asahikawa - her friend offered her a job there related to music.

Finally, Watanabe called Midori: “I really need to talk to you. I have something to tell you... I don’t need anyone in this world except you.”

ノルウェイの森 Noruwei no mori listen)) is a 1987 novel by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. The title of the novel is the established Japanese translation of the title of the Beatles song Norwegian Wood .

Tells about the complex human destinies in Japan in the second half of the 20th century. This novel primarily raises issues of loss and human sexuality. The main character and narrator is Tooru Watanabe, who recalls his old days as a student at a Tokyo university. Through his memories, the reader is introduced to the development of his relationships with two completely different girls - the beautiful, but psychologically damaged Naoko, and the emotional, lively Midori.

The story takes place in 1960s Tokyo, at a time when Japanese students, along with students around the world, were protesting against the established order.

Haruki Murakami never tires of emphasizing that his novels are in no way autobiographies. “I’m just the type of person who can’t understand anything until I try to write it down on paper.”

The theme of death runs through many of Murakami's works. Speaking of this, one cannot help but remember Yukio Mishima. In his work "Introduction to Hagakure" he wrote:

“The Japanese are people who, at the core of their daily lives, are always aware of death. The Japanese ideal of death is clear and simple, and in this sense it differs from the disgusting, terrible death that Westerners see it as. ... Japanese art is enriched not by cruel and savage death, but rather by death, from under whose terrifying mask a clear spring flows. This spring gives rise to many streams that carry their clean water to our world. ... Even in the case of suicide, in which, it would seem, everything is decided by the person himself, fate, beyond the control of human will, plays an important role on the path to death.”

In 2010, Chan Anh Hung filmed the novel “Norwegian Wood”. The film was first shown at the Venice Film Festival. In Russia, Norwegian Wood was shown in limited release on December 16, 2010.

Title of the novel

The original title of the novel is “Noruwei no Mori”, this is the established Japanese translation of one of the Beatles songs - “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)”, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This song is often mentioned in the novel as Naoko's favorite song. The theme and imagery of the forest is also present in the book.

Plot

Watanabe, 37, had just arrived in Hamburg, Germany. He hears an orchestral version of the Beatles' song "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" and is suddenly overwhelmed with memories, nostalgia. Mentally, he returns to -e, when many events changed his life.

Watanabe and his schoolmate Kizuki and his girlfriend Naoko are best friends. Kizuki and Naoko are like-minded people, they are strong friends, and Tohru enjoys feeling like “a member of the gang.” But this friendly idyll was interrupted by Kizuki's unexpected suicide when he was just 17. Kizuki's death deeply wounds both remaining friends, Watanabe feels the breath of death wherever he goes, and Naoko feels as if some integral part of herself has irrevocably disappeared. Naoko and Watanabe spend more and more time together, trying to support each other. On the night of Naoko's 20th birthday, Naoko is especially sensitive and they make love. Watanabe soon realizes that he loves Naoko. But for Naoko it's not really love. Her love was Kizuki, and her relationship with Watanabe was more of an affection. She is accustomed to Watanabe and his letters and this is the only thread connecting Naoko with the outside world. But you can’t call it love, and Naoko cannot be with Watanabe - she has too many psychological and physiological problems. Afterwards, Naoko sends Watanabe a letter in which she writes that she needs to restore her strength, and she goes to the clinic for some time for treatment. Their relationship blossoms against the backdrop of social unrest. Watanabe College students are on strike, on the verge of revolution. But in the end, all their strikes end in nothing, and this makes Watanabe furious, he hates the hypocrisy of his college friends.

Soon Watanabe meets his classmate from his drama classes, Midori Kobayashi. She is the opposite of Naoko - lively, cheerful, self-confident. Despite his feelings for Naoko, he also really likes Midori. Watanabe is so attracted to her that their relationship develops behind Naoko's back.

Watanabe visits Naoko at a clinic near Kyoto. There he meets Ishida Reiko, another patient at the clinic who is staying with Naoko. Reiko and Naoko open up with Watanabe, reminiscing about the past - Reiko talks about her sexual experiences, and Naoko talks about the sudden death of her older sister, which happened several years ago. Back in Tokyo, Watanabe writes a letter to Reiko asking for advice. He doesn't know who is closer to him - Naoko or Midori. He doesn't want to hurt the already sensitive Naoko, but he doesn't want to lose Midori either. Reiko advises staying with Midori and seeing what happens from this relationship.

Later, Watanabe receives news of Naoko's sudden death. In sadness and bewilderment, he travels around Japan, and Midori, who did not know about what happened, tries to find out what happened to Watanabe. A month later he returns to Tokyo, where he meets Reiko. They have sex. Thanks to this night, Watanabe realizes that Midori is the most important person in his life. He calls Midori to confess his love...

Heroes

• Tooru Watanabe- the main character of the novel, on whose behalf the story is told. A middle-class college student in Tokyo studying drama without knowing why he chose this major. Kizuki's best friend, develops a relationship with Naoko and later Midori.
• Naoko- Kizuki's girlfriend, she is easily emotionally hurt, but she is friends with Watanabe after Kizuki's death. Her sister's suicide, as well as Kizuki's death, greatly affected her emotional stability. In the future, he hangs himself in the forest not far from the closed Amir clinic, where he is staying for treatment and restoration of mental balance.
• Ishida Reiko- one of the main secondary characters of the book, a woman of forty, in the past an excellent musician and teacher, in the present - a patient of the closed remote clinic "Amire", Naoko's roommate.
• Midori Kobayashi- College student in Tokyo, daughter of a bookstore owner, friend of Watanabe.

Sources

see also

Links

The works of Haruki Murakami
Novels	Listen to the Wind Song () · Pinball 1973 () · Sheep Hunt () · Unbraked Wonderland and the End of the World · Norwegian forest() · Dance, dance, dance () · South of the Border, West of the Sun () · The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle ( , ) · My favorite sputnik () · Kafka on the Beach () · Afterdark () · 1Q84 ()
Collections of stories	Slow boat to China () A good day for kangaroos () Burn the barn () The deadly heat of the carousel with horses () Repeated raid on the bakery () Teletubbies strike back () Almost tearful alien language () Spider monkey in the night () · Ghosts of Lexington () · All God's Children Can Dance () · Mysteries of Tokyo ()
Documentary prose	Subway ( , )
Other works	Christmas Sheep () · Jazz Portraits ( , ) · What I Talk About When I Talk About Running () · Radio Murakami ()

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Norwegian Forest ノルウェイの森 (Noruwei no mori) ... Wikipedia

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