THINGS TRANSPARENT“The City and its Uncertain Walls” by Haruki Murakami

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  • 〔論文〕村上春樹「街と、その不確かな壁」 ――すけて見えるもの――
  • ムラカミ ハルキ 「 マチ ト 、 ソノ フ タシカ ナ カベ 」 : スケテ ミエル モノ

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Haruki Murakami’s fourth work was the short story “Machi to Sono Futashikana Kabe” （The City and its Uncertain Walls）, published in the September, 1980, issue of the literary magazine Bungakukai. In the story, the male protagonist falls in love with a woman who dies and creates her own imaginary city where the protagonist goes to join her. The city is a closed and timeless place, surrounded by walls that guard and watch over them. But eventually the protagonist yearns to live outside the walls and finally escapes. Although the story inspired Murakami’s subsequent works, such as “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World”, it is not included in his short story collection or full portfolio. According to Murakami, the story was a failure. While not intended to be realistic, he felt the underlying allegorical themes were too transparent. In this report I will discuss what Murakami tried to hide, and the elements that developed into his later works.

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