Murakami's new collection of short stories goes on sale

Was at Aoyama Bookstore by Tokyo Station. Not a single person buying.

Murakami is all hype and no substance. One word comes to my mind when I think of his work: overrated. The notion that he is considered as a Nobel prize candidate is utterly incomprehensible, and a clear sign to me that literature as an art form is in decline. This said, I can understand why he is popular and I have nothing against his fame or his fans - good gor him and for them! But that wil never change the opinion I have of his books.

ourmaninjapan: I agree, he is all hype. However, his popularity just reflects the decline of the modern mind. People don't have the mental capacity to read Dostoevsky anymore. Brother's Karamazov anyone? It is a reflection of the popularity of twitter. We only have the mental capacity to read 140 characters.

I had to read his book After Dark in my English class in college. I didn't get it and I didn't like his book. Maybe I'm too dumb to understand it.