Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
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| Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World | |
 Cover Artwork |
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| Author | Haruki Murakami |
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| Original title | 世界の終りとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド Sekai no owari to Hādoboirudo Wandārando |
| Translator | Alfred Birnbaum |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
| Genre(s) | Surrealism novel |
| Publisher | Kodansha Europe |
| Publication date | 1985 |
| Published in English |
September 1991 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 416 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 4-7700-1544-5 |
| Preceded by | A Wild Sheep Chase |
| Followed by | Norwegian Wood |
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (世界の終りとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド Sekai no owari to Hādoboirudo Wandārando?) is a 1985 novel by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. The English translation by Alfred Birnbaum was released in 1991. A strange and dreamlike novel, its chapters alternate between two bizarre narratives - the 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland' and 'The End of the World' parts.
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[edit] Plot summary
The odd numbered chapters take place in the 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland,' where the narrator is a "Calcutec," a human data processor/encryption system who uses the unique characteristics of his mind as the encryption key. The Calcutecs — perhaps short for Calculating Technician — work for the quasi-governmental System, as opposed to the criminal Semiotecs who work for the Factory and who are generally fallen Calcutecs. The relationship between the two groups is simple: the System protects data while the Semiotecs steal it, although later in the novel it is revealed that they may be two branches of a single institution. The narrator completes work for a mysterious scientist, who is exploring "sound reduction." He works within a laboratory protected by a series of labyrinths within an anachronistic version of Tokyo's sewer system.
The other set of chapters deals with a newcomer to a strange, walled-off town far away from other civilization — it is depicted in a map as being surrounded by forest — and called 'the End of the World.' The character, in the process of being accepted into the village, has his shadow "cut off." He becomes the resident "dreamreader" and goes to the Library every evening to read dreams from the skulls of the unicorns that live in the city with the help of the Librarian.
The two storylines eventually merge to tell a single story, exploring the concept of double consciousness, in this case "two cognitive systems existing within the same person."
In the original Japanese, the narrator uses the more formal first-person pronoun watashi to refer to himself in the 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland' part of the narrative and the more intimate boku in the 'End of the World' part. Translator Alfred Birnbaum achieved a similar effect in English by making the 'End of the World' sections present tense.[1]
[edit] Characters
In both narratives, none of the characters are named. Each is instead referred to by occupation or a general description, such as "the librarian" or "the big guy."
[edit] Hard-boiled wonderland
- The narrator - a Calcutec who, aside from his unusual profession, lives the life of a typical Tokyo yuppie. Although very observant, he gives little thought to the strangeness of the world around him. This may be due to his mind’s reprogramming.
- The old man/the scientist - an absent-minded scientist who hires the narrator to process information. He is researching "sound reduction" and is convinced that the voices of unicorns can be understood by studying their skulls. He is intensely paranoid of others stealing information from him.
- The granddaughter - the old man’s assistant, caretaker and granddaughter, described as chubby but attractive. In the beginning of the novel, the old man "reduces" her sound, leaving her unable to speak. She tries, without any seductive language, to convince the narrator to sleep with her.
- The reference desk girl -- the always-famished librarian who helps the narrator research unicorns and becomes his 48-hour girlfriend.
- Junior and Big Boy - two thugs who, on unknown orders, harass the narrator.
- INKlings - sewer-dwelling people described as "Kappa" who have developed their own culture and religion. The old man is deathly afraid of them stealing his research.
[edit] End of the world
- The narrator - a newcomer to 'the End of the World.' As an initiation into the village, his shadow is cut off. He is given the job of “dream reader” and “reads” the dreams of unicorns from skulls in the library. His eyes are slit to give him this ability, making it difficult for him to see in daylight. He does not know the reason for his coming to that place and cannot remember much of his own life before getting there.
- The gatekeeper - the guardian and maintenance foreman of 'the End of the World.' He instructs the narrator of his duty, cuts off his shadow and makes two slits into his eyes. He also keeps the narrator’s shadow and leads it and other isolated shadows in maintenance work around the village.
- The librarian - the village’s librarian who keeps the unicorn skulls and assists the narrator in his work. She claims that her mother brought her to the village but she was driven to the edge of the woods when she kept her “mind.” The librarian claims that she lost her mind after losing her shadow.
- The colonel - an old man who lives in the village. He plays chess with the narrator and gives him advice.
- The narrator’s shadow - the narrator’s shadow shows some consciousness and pleads with the narrator to reunite with him.
[edit] Possible influences
As its name indicates, 'Hard-Boiled Wonderland' owes much to American hardboiled detective fiction. Murakami has often stated his love of Western literature and particular admiration of hard-boiled pioneer Raymond Chandler [1]. The setting also borrows heavily from cyberpunk, which is often considered a modernization of hard-boiled detective fiction.
'End of the world' has much in common with The Castle by German-language author Franz Kafka. Both deal with newcomers to strange villages who are both intrigued and horrified by the behavior of the villagers. Also, the image of losing one's shadow when approaching the end of the world was also mentioned in Norwegian author Knut Hamsun's 1898 novel Victoria.
This novel is considered to belong in the genre of Magical Realism.
[edit] Influence and acclaim
Jay Rubin, who has translated many of Murakami's later work into English, said that Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is his favorite Murakami novel and that it "is just a shock after reading the black and white, autobiographical fiction that is such the norm in Japan." [2]
[edit] Awards
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World was awarded the prestigious Tanizaki Prize in 1985.
[edit] Book information
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (English edition) by Haruki Murakami; translated by Alfred Birnbaum.
- Hardcover ISBN 4-7700-1544-5, published in September 1991 by Kodansha International
- Paperback ISBN 0-679-74346-4, published on March 2, 1993 by Vintage Press
[edit] References
- ^ Haruki Murakami and the Music of Words by Jay Rubin
[edit] External links
- Exorcising Ghosts Page with links to reviews and articles
- Blogcritics.org Review
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