Kino

Kino - Haruki Murakami - translated by Philip Gabriel
- short story published in The New Yorker 2015



He simply waited patiently for curious people to stumble across this little backstreet bar
am I of value
am I worthy of notice

Like dry ground welcoming the rain, he let the solitude, silence, and loneliness soak in
is this my only somewhere
my nowhere important

Happiness? He wasn’t even sure what that meant 
do I need others to make me happy
what, in fact, do I need to make me happy


The most he could do was create a place where his heart—devoid now of any depth or weight—could be tethered, to keep it from wandering aimlessly
tethered
my self-imposed prison


where I am safe

really safe


and then


the rains come


????????

MY GOODREADS REVIEW
  Kino by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When worlds coincidentally collide, surreal, unsettling circumstances can emerge. Kino withdraws from his unfaithful wife's life, but it seems that there is some enigmatic agenda beyond his choice; a power beyond his power. Kamita, reading quietly in Kino's bar, a stray cat and two men in conflict become Kino's drive to explore the inner darkness, the feelings he has ignored for too long. The orbit of his other world still spins and wills to connect. With Kino as our guide, Murakami quietly follows the shadows of loose threads in our social fabric and lets us become absorbed in our own personal questions and reflections. Murakami's story deftly digs far deeper than mere narrative.

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The Adventures of a Squirrel...

The Adventures of a Squirrel - supposed to be related by Himself...Anonymous (1807)
(can be read online)



Today, I explored my theories about the real author of this tale (on Twitter posts)...

Interestingly, at the end of the 1807 story in the above link, the storyteller signs as 'R.S.S.' The tale is officially recorded as Anonymous. But could this be Robert Southey (1774-1843) who wrote poetry and prose? RS lived in the Lake District + close friends with Wordsworth.

— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) January 22, 2018

To further the RS theory, RS recorded the children's classic, The Story of the Three Bears, the original Goldilocks story. The story was already known at Southey’s time but it was present only in the oral tradition. He could write talking animal stories. https://t.co/ikuMYccqIk

— Gemma Wiseman (@AuraGem) January 22, 2018

in a desperate moment
I ventured to creep into your pocket
to travel where you travelled

to see your life

and maybe
just maybe

find mine

MY GOODREADS REVIEW
The Adventures of a Squirrel, Supposed to be Related by Himself by Anonymous
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My dear Anne, when I was upon a visit at your good mamma's, I promised to make you a present...
The story begins intimately, as if being shared in a close circle of family connections and neighbours...Perhaps the squirrel's story of cages with bells, temporary owners and mischievous boys entertained the person addressed, but somehow, over time, the narrative becomes overly light and frivolous, even somewhat pretentious. From a 21st century narrative point of view, the story fails to appeal, but, from a social history perspective, the 1807 story is quite interesting. Here are intriguing examples of attitudes and mannerisms in early 19th century, higher class England.

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Some Kind of Freak

Some Kind of Freak - Satya Robyn (22nd December 2017)



in a world of
social norms and
political correctness
I stagger
sometimes getting it right
mostly getting it wrong


my younger days
born of a mother who barely knew me
(too drunk
too tangled in boyfriends)
could have instilled
the freak in me

some say a crisis brings on
the weird
the odd
the voices
however
on that note
I'm keeping it classical and
'No Comment'


the workshop
is outside
where
taxidermy is an art
my art -
even if others squirm -
to me
it is my way of being in contact
with life

I am learning to live with
the me that is
the hermit
the hermit learning to cook
the hermit with a dog
the hermit learning to feel

till the iced Gran springs from the workshop freezer
that is

and then a whole new chapter of weirdness
(in a world of
social norms and
political correctness)
could begin
mightn't it?

it could begin with fish fingers


but for now
what matters most are
my voices
my shape shifters

they know my buttons
to push

MY GOODREADS REVIEW
Some Kind of Freak by Satya Robyn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jude Horridge, a taxidermist, is a social misfit thrust into living independently. He takes his taxidermy art, his guilt of appearing to be a murderer and the burden of his voices with him. He learns to cook (with a little help from Google), learns to measure social cues and to cope with text messages. Importantly, he learns to feel loved, even give love, thanks to a dog named Shadow. Jude learns to adapt to the life he has and accepts what he is. Incredibly, it is other social misfits, such as lesbian Beth ('He worried that he might have come to depend on her for a basic level of happiness'), who help Jude. The narrative beautifully spins a web of mesmerising adventure and intrigue. Overall, an incredible, dramatic, psychological insight into the stresses and questions buried deep in those who fly under the conventional social radar.
P.S. For me, there seems to be some interesting allusions to 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' - Mark Haddon (2003). Both novels feature a hermit-like male character struggling to identify logical sense in the world around.

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MY AMAZON REVIEW
Know Me 
Imagine seeing through the eyes of an unusual character, Jude Horridge; exploring the mind processes of that character; almost living the life of that character. Imagine surprise twists in that life that belie any trace of convention. Add an atmosphere of tense drama and mystery -('The tail was proving tricky' - opening sentence), and there is a tantalising view of a book that defies narrow labels. A lively writing style carries the reader on an almost 'psychedelic journey' that could be the very real life of some 'unknown someone' in our society who is very different. A psychological masterpiece!