exploring the world of extremely marginal Japanese youth who live in the vicinity of an American air force base, a decade after the end of World War 2, unsentimentally depicting every hedonistic act of degradation, yet morphs into a surreal but dreamlike spiritual vision. first novel by an important Japanese writer. Freakshow 9. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Filthy dreams 6. bootlegging, carnival, daughter, Japan, life-of-crime, love, May-December-romance, meaning-of-life, mountains, rackets [corruption], sex, … Not so much a book with a plot but a slice of life. Almost Transparent Blue by Murakami, Ryu and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at AbeBooks.com. Good for students of Japanese wanting to expand their vocabulary around drug-taking, drunken vomiting and rough sex. It Keeps Hanging Around My Neck 5. “Yeah, he'd said, maybe it's just my idea, but really it always hurts, the times it don't hurt is when we just forget, we just forget it hurts, you know, it's not just because my belly's all rotten, everybody always hurts. MURAKAMI (Ryù) Published by Kodansha internat. The nose behind this fragrance is … I don’t have much to say about this brief and rather shallow debut, which details the squalid sex-and-drug-fueled existences of a group of young Japanese lowlifes/layabouts in the 1970s, except that it’s lurid, grotesque, delirious, disturbing, and oddly compelling. But to my addled eyes, it reads as what it is, a first novel by a 20-something literary talent out to shock stretching his wings for a maiden flight. "—Newsweek"Bugs and mucus, cheesecake and semen, rain and runways—all lovingly described. With Kunihiko Mitamura, Mari Nakayama, Haruhiko Saitô, Keiko Wakasa. Very though, you better be a beat fan! I DNF. It doesn’t look like much at first glance, but by taking the Gel off of the wax paper and holding it up to the light, it provides a frost like, almost transparent quality. Almost Transparent Blue is a brutal tale of lost youth in a Japanese port town close to an American military base. Will make the other half a very happy man on his birthday, thanks. Guitar Sketch No 1 6. "—Antioch Review"A violent book—sharply begun and slammed quickly to a finish."—Bestsellers. So when it really starts stabbing me, somehow I feel sort of peaceful, like I'm myself again" Exactly how it was described. In the end I think it's about profound loneliness and detachment, the search to feel something real despite or through all those extremes. So when it really starts stabbing me, somehow I feel sort of peaceful, like I'm myself again.”, “And just because I've written this book, don't think I've changed. The Other Murakami's oeuvre really wavers in quality. In the miso soup still remains his best book for me. Title: Almost Transparent Blue (Japan's Modern Writers) Author(s): Ryu Murakami, Shaw ISBN: 0-87011-469-7 / 978-0-87011-469-4 (USA edition) Publisher: Kodansha America Availability: Amazon Amazon UK Amazon CA Amazon AU The back cover of Ryu Murakami’s books said “renaissance man” and that he’s been a movie director (of his own books), a talk-show host, played in rock bands. What Ryu "the other" Murakami does really well, at least that shines though in translation, is descriptions of what it's like to be wasted and young, with all that angst but also longing for the future, topped off with self-importance. One of my favorites. Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Brief content visible, double tap to read full content. Spandex or leggings are not appropriate courtroom attire—especially when they’re almost transparent. Almost Transparent Blue I've started reading this book (the pdf can be found on google) I'm 14 pages into it and it's literally about drugs drugs drugs and more drugs. Ltd., 1977. exploring the world of extremely marginal Japanese youth who live in the vicinity of an American air force base, a decade after the end of World War 2, unsentimentally depicting every hedonistic act of degradation, yet morphs into a surreal but dreamlike spiritual vision. Ironic? I really enjoyed the visuals though. Firmly realist in his approach, Murakami stays on the surface. Unable to add item to List. Yes it has graphic scenes of brutal sex and drug use. Directed by. Almost Transparent Blue (Japanese Movie); 限りなく透明に近いブルー; Kagirinaku tōmei ni chikai burū;Kagirinaku tomei ni chikai buru; In the mid-1970s, Please try again. Not so ... "Trainspotting" before it was even thought of. Time Sits Like A Stone 2. It also analyzes reviews to verify trustworthiness. Violent sex and drug use depicted with skilled, lovely prose, a special focus on body fluids. Posted by 1 year ago. What Ryu "the other" Murakami does really well, at least that shines though in translation, is descriptions of what it's like. Weird book without much plot but that's how I like them. Almost Transparent Blue by Ryu Murakami. Almost Transparent Blue is a brutal tale of lost youth in a Japanese port town close to an American military base. After viewing product detail pages, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in. We and our partners process personal data such as IP Address, Unique ID, browsing data for: Use precise geolocation data | Actively scan device characteristics for identification.. This novel can put you in a catatonic torpor, a drug-induced haze near the point where you are about to overdose and die. "—Washington Post"Highly recommended for readers of the bizarre. What can be said about this peculiar little book that has not already been said by far more intelligent folks than your's truly?! In other words, such extreme excess that you can't help but approach them with a mixture of sick curiosity and nearly overwhelming trepidation. i felt like I was suffocating with the scents and textures of each scene. writing was raw, cold, and impactful. I know like and appreciate this more more than I did before. Cold star (feat. A bleak portrayal of a defeated country's youth culture that both consumes American (counter-) culture and is consumed by it. Keywords. Books that are the literary equivalent of a car crash; hedonistic revels that fade into subterranean nightmares. Ironically, this works. Breaking out of the “Man Box” (Tony Porter) I saw this on a Soompi list had laughed internally for … (1977) Those who know me are well aware that I have an almost visceral love of twisted literature. Something went wrong. Weird 10. Shocking indeed. I got quickly tired of the racist and homophobic characters. It's 1976, and a group of Japanese teenagers living near an American airforce base indulge their appetites for drugs, alcohol and bi-curious group sex. Gone To Church, Feather Dragpipes 8. on the other, i like structurally, conceptually, avante-garde, experimental, obscure work that often have little expression of usual things like character, plot, logic... then there is all the philosophy that i as amateur read, then all the art that i as once-artist look at... so this is all by way of defending rating against review i happened to read of this book. (I say “compelling,” but my readerly propulsion through the book may simply have been my desire to escape from these sordid characters and their dead-end lives as soon as possible). These are block number indicators! ALMOST TRANSPARENT BLUE Kagirinaku toumei ni chikai blue. Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2005. Kodansha USA; 1st edition (April 11, 2003). Getting high is one thing. Find movie and film cast and crew information for Almost Transparent Blue (1980) - Ryu Murakami on AllMovie Reviewed in the United States on September 7, 2015, I bought as a rent book so it looks little bit old buy it was okay. It will take a bit of digestion to form a coherent response to this book. I just wanted to slap them around. Almost Transparent Blue is a brutal tale of lost youth in a Japanese port town close to an American military base. Bold first novel by Ryu Murakami. Drugs, weird sex and emotions abound in this bittersweet story, so it's not for the younger readers or the faint of heart. The Heat 4. Here I found some of the most unexpected and beautiful prose I've come across in a long time (I am an English professor, so I read all the time in a wide range of genres). The next six to eight years I read maybe ten Haruki Murakami books, one Haruki Murakami biography, zero Ryu Murakami books. reflection 211218: i have come to recognize how perhaps differently i read any literature. "Trainspotting" before it was even thought of. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Would the Crystal Gel be able to pick up the leather texture as well as it did the creases in the wax paper? And I am glad I did. But to my addled eyes, it reads as what it is, a first novel by a 20-something literary talent out to shock stretching his wings for a maiden flight. (I say “compelling,” but my readerly propulsion through the book may simply have been my desire to escape from these sordid characters and their dead-end lives as soon as possible). Murakami's image-intensive narrative paints a portrait of a group of friends locked in a destructive cycle of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Translated by Nancy Andrew. in Japan's literary past. TV Lights 3. Murakami's call for connection and creativity in the face of mortality and post-war nihilism is a familiar one in twentieth-century literature, but the way he goes about it is refreshing. on the one, i like historic or culture or language-different popular culture, crime, sff pulps, denigrated genres, forgotten works, rarely academically-approved 'classics' (i remember u...). Some of my favourites are dirty, plotless books. Coin Locker Babies [Paperback] [May 09, 2013] Murakami, R. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea. Some partners do not ask for your consent to process your data, instead, they rely on their legitimate business interest. Your recently viewed items and featured recommendations, Select the department you want to search in. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone or ever read it again, but it has a scorching power that’s impossible to deny, radiating moments of strange, sensuous, shocking beauty amidst the filth and fury. It was a boundless blue, almost transparent. The first half was a drag. Almost Transparent Blue @inproceedings{Kenney1976AlmostTB, title={Almost Transparent Blue}, author={J. Kenney and R. Murakami and N. Andrew}, year={1976} } J. Kenney, R. Murakami, N. Andrew; Published 1976; Art; A youth in college, his older mistress and a melange of old friends. Even though the weighty & lengthy TBR shelf chides me, I read it through on a long train ride. Almost Transparent Blue by A Lab on Fire is a Woody Aromatic fragrance for women and men. In 126 pages of orgiastic indulgence, drug-induced catatonia and suicide attempts, there are three moments of transcendence in which Murakami's case is made: the memory of a beautiful piece of music; the experience of almost being killed by an aircraft taking off; and the narrator's climactic desire to communicate a personal vision of the world, himself and their possible unity. Almost Transparent Blue by Ryu Murakami. Directed by Ryû Murakami. I don’t have much to say about this brief and rather shallow debut, which details the squalid sex-and-drug-fueled existences of a group of young Japanese lowlifes/layabouts in the 1970s, except that it’s lurid, grotesque, delirious, disturbing, and oddly compelling. Sleepless 7. Characteristics. I’m currently reading this book and am itching to talk with somebody about it! Like most sensual quests for liberation and vision, these only lead to the annihilation of consciousness and a confusing desire to escape back into bourgeois life. Please try again. There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. A group of friends are living in a Japanese town near an American air force base, their lives revolving around sex, drugs and rock 'n roll. Sometimes I thought things like “what … Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Yes. Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2016. Connecting with reality is something else. on the other, i like structurally, conceptually, avante-garde, experimental, obscure work that often have little expression of usual things like character, plot, logic... then there is all the philosophy that i as amat. She Walks Among The Seeds 11. Almost Transparent Blue by TeenageSinTaste, released 24 September 2012 1. Bold first novel by Ryu Murakami. Stupid? A great book that, giving that it's dated 1977, can only amaze. Ahead 4. In defiance against the established order of madness that led Japan to a Pyrrhic defeat at the hands of the Allies, the youth here are afloat in their own existence against their cultural inheritance, but with no substantive alternative—suicide here is merely gestural and holds none of the symbolic or existential weight that it is given by the likes of Mishima/Kawabata/Ak. Almost Transparent Blue [Ryū Murakami, Nancy Andrew] on Amazon.com. Published in Japan in 1976, this book turned into a. very miserable and unconventional account of american occupation + subsequent introduction of hard drugs in japan after the second world war. Almost Transparent Blue is not an easy book to read, but worth it. Murakami puts graphic scenes of sex and drug use next to scenes of quiet reflection (watching rain, childhood memories) to create a sense of youthful hopelessness. American imports stand in as the sole source of cultural interest and also source of extreme indifference as records interchangeably grace the turntable to little effect upon the listeners aside from demarcating the time expended and the names of various bands rattled off from LP covers. ), See 1 question about Almost Transparent Blue…, February 2018 - Ryu Murakami - Almost Transparent Blue, A Debut Novelist's 2020 Reading that Mirrors Our Timeline. Kodansha International, Fiction. So, a tale of Japanese junkies shooting up, having sex, slitting wrists, crushing insects and vomiting a lot. You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition. Books that are the literary equivalent of a car crash; hedonistic revels that fade into subterranean nightmares. On a bachelor party, Lucas, a withdrawn and shy man, evoques the last memory of his first love. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019. Their own halting attempts at self-expression are so much more poignant, and so much more credible for being vague and incomplete. Amazing quality, very pleased with the purchase. Also, Murakami seems to have more purpose behind his descriptions (he isn't doing it just for the effect, like Palahniuk has admitted to doing). Seriously some of the descriptions get pretty intense, but nonetheless retain some sort of elegance. While reading this book, all I could picture was horny Murakami. Drama. "A Japanese mix of A Clockwork Orange and L'Etranger. Snakeskin 10. Yes it's violent and depraved. 103. For the longest time that has meant the blasted imaginations of my trifecta of favorite authors (Palahniuk, Irvine Welsh and Bret Easton Ellis) and occasional one-offs by up-and-coming writers such as Jeremy Robert Johnson's, reflection 211218: i have come to recognize how perhaps differently i read any literature. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2014. This book makes Requiem for a Dream look like Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. If you don't mind going dark, this will be intriguing. However, taken in the proper context, this book will leave you uplifted rather than depressed. I acknowledge why it should be considered important for the Japanese literature but this alone is not adaquate. Directed by Diego Escobar. tiny font populate, almost transparent on the streets that you may have never noticed before! Almost Transparent Blue by Björn Magnusson, released 03 February 2017 1. on the one, i like historic or culture or language-different popular culture, crime, sff pulps, denigrated genres, forgotten works, rarely academically-approved 'classics' (i remember u...). Stream songs including "Time Sits Like a Stone", "Tv Lights" and more. Almost Transparent Blue I stood up, and as I walked toward my own apartment, I thought, I want to become like this glass. Sticking with the physical details he refuses to burrow into the minds of most of these youths where he might have interpreted or psychoanalyzed their inner lives for us. It was worth it :), Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2016, very good performance at all stages of the buying process. It's a quick read. Drugstore 8. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Murakami's image-intensive narrative paints a portrait of a group of friends locked in a destructive cycle of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Not sure if it's my cup of tea lol but I'll continue reading it. Overview. As soon as I had read the first page, I knew that I had read “Almost Transparent Blue” at least once many years ago. If you’ve read it let me know what your thoughts are I’d really love to hear them. Japan, 1979. 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Mix of a defeated country almost transparent blue youth culture that both consumes American ( counter- ) culture and is consumed it! Better be a beat fan party, Lucas, a tale of Japanese wanting to expand their vocabulary around,... Like me, Murakami stays on the surface important for the middle-aged reader like me sexual orgies `` [ ]! Prose, a drug-induced haze near the point where you are interested in phone number know what your are!