more on Murakami, veteran of 16 marathins by 1999

more from Rubin's book (I admit to a little guilt in harshly criticizing him and yet quoting fairly heavily):

Murakami: I've heard it said a million times that fiction comes out of something unhealthy, but I believe the exact opposite. The healthier you make yourself, the easier it is to bring out the unhealthy stuff inside you (95).

Murakami: You've got to have physical strength and endurance... to be able to spend a year writing a novel and then another year rewriting it ten or fifteen times (95-6).

Rubin: He decided that he would live as if each day were 23 hours long, so that no mater how busy he might be, nothing would prevent him from devoting an hour to exercise (96).

Murakami: Stamina and concentration are two sides of the same coin... I sit at my desk and write every day, no matter what, whether I get into it or not, whether it's painful or enjoyable. I wake up at 4a.m. and usually keep writing until after noon. I do this day after day, and eventually - it's the same as runnng- I get to that spot.... You need physical strength for something like that. . . it's like passing through a wall" (96).

Okay, so the book does have it's redeeming features, little gems such as I have quoted above. I can't quote any more. If you dig this (as I do) then read the book. Just be prepared to sift through a lot of unrewarding sections.