The Genius of Sayaka Murata
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- čas přidán 23. 07. 2022
- Sayaka Murata, author of Convenience Store Woman, Earthlings, and Life Ceremony (all translated from the Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori) is the queen of punk literature.
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sayaka murata is so brilliant to me because it’s not often that i feel an author actually writes about the level of alienation i feel in a way that even a lot of queer literature doesn’t do for me. i think it’s definitely the combination of queerness and neurodivergency and sexual trauma for me.
Convenience Store Woman is one of my favourite books of all time. I hope to read her entire bibliography. When I read her Financial Times piece on CSW where she deconstructs capitalism and patriarchy in Japan... I was just blown away. I haven't read tons of Japanese fiction but Sayaka and Yoko Ogawa are my faves so far.
Sayaka Murata and Yoko Ogawa are two of the very best so you’re doing well!
@@WillowTalksBooks up next, when this slump ends, I have Murakami, Ishiguro, Min Jin Lee, Hawaguchi, Yoshimoto
1:07 Interesting choice to describe her as "very angry" when she said in an interview "I am like a human laboratory where the feeling of anger is broken. I have never really felt anger." 🤔
Did you know about the first performance of "Earthlings" this weekend at Metropolitan Theatre Tokyo by Uzume Theater...
Love these books! I picked up Earthlings on a whim and ended up reading it in one sitting. I did find the stuff about the "factory" to be on point and relatable. The other thing about these books that I don't seem to find people mention enough is the pitch black humour of them in places.
Came here after finishing this book in one sitting. I’m not much of a reader but I LOVED this book. Love your video
I've recently read those stories and I loved them so so so much I wanna talk about it everyday. I've watched your videos about Sayaka Murata too many times, I love how you speak about her works. I understand it can be weird for some people, but is the best kind of weird and sooo much more than that 💖✨
I read earthlings in one sitting earlier this year. It was the first time I had finished a book in years and I felt such a deep connection to the protagonist. It was the first time I had seen a character that also went around copying the movements and behaviours of others because I too never had an integral standard. It was such an eye opening moment for me to have it written out on a page. I don’t know if I am neurodivergent but it was really important to see someone like me nonetheless
I’m so happy that you found such a deep and honest connection with her character! Murata speaks to so many of us on such a profound level
i could listen to you talk for hourss, you are such a comforting person and thanks to you i got introduced to so much amazing literature i might've skipped otherwise, so thank you for all the amazing work you put in behind these reviews😊
You’re so welcome! Thank you for all these amazing kind words. You’ve made my day
Totally agreed! I am very grateful to have found your very inspiring channel :)
This video came at the perfect time! I just finished Earthlings and I am obsessed with Murata!!!! I appreciate Convenience store woman and I understand why it's so beloved by many, even though it's not a new favourite of mine. But Earthlings blew my mind and I'm so glad that Murata is not afraid to take her stories to extremely weird and dark places - what an incredible author!!
I love your enthusiasm!! This is exactly what I want to see from Murata readers!
Thank you for your wonderful comments. For the first time ever I read the same author and all three books in one week. I am now spoiled for any other book for a while. I relate to all topics in this book and what could be horror became 'normal' and the characters became me
Thank you.
Ok, I took the journey you'd expect. I picked up Convenience Store Women, enjoyed it. Picked up Earthlings and was triggered/shocked. I stopped reading, called my daughter and had a conversation about what I just read. Since then, I've avoided the book.
Listening to you share your passion for her work has put me at ease a little. Like easing me into an ice cold lake. I know, once I get out, I can warmup again. 😅 👏
Hearing someone talking about what they love is so beautiful. haven’t read these books but i will asap!
I'm a demigirl and a big YES to the body horror being appealing. I haven't read the other books, but Keiko was one of the most reletable characters I've read.
Right? Isn’t it a funny thing! Queer people (especially us genderqueer) bloody love body horror lol
I know when I talk body horror with the other trans-and-disabled people in my life, there's something about it we kind of agree is... if not comforting, not *dis*comforting. There are individual levels when it comes to how much goop and gore any one person can handle on screen, but there's also a kind of validation. Like YEAH, bodies are monstrous. ABSOLUTELY one day you wake up and your body starts doing something horrible and even if you find out that there's a clear reason (like you went through an experimental teleporter with a fly, or there's a curse, what have you), you're still watching yourself morph and change in horrifying ways. Whether it's a change that's painful and debilitating or just one that's gooey and makes your body suddenly a stranger to you... that's what life is like! And it feels like seeing something acknowledged, and it's hard to understand quite the level of horror that other people have. Like oh, your body never betrayed you? Your body never felt like something Other? You've never recoiled from the reality of your body?
I love this comment so much.
So I have not read Convenience Store Woman, but I did just finish Earthlings. I had never heard of Murata before. I did not look up this book, and did not look up the novel. Just saw the cute cover at the library and decided to go for it. Wow, I am just completely enamored with this author. I found her work absolutely stunning, and I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts about it. I love hearing your appreciation for good books and good authors. Really love your work!
I feel so understood by this video. Convenience Store Woman is such a special piece of fiction for me and hearing someone talk about why they felt the same way from their own perspective was amazing. Love your channel! You’re the only booktuber I’ve found that reads books that I read or want to read and I just love your content and passion so much.
I just read Convenience Store Woman, and having a child that is neurodiverse it was very important for me to read it. I am working really hard on appreciating people for what they are, and not for what they are expected to be, and books like these help me a lot.
Loved your video, thank you!
I so love hearing you gush over Sayaka Murata and her books. I do see Keiko as actually autistic, as well as aromantic and asexual. Like towards the end when she describes sex as ghastly (thanks to Ginny Tapley Takemori for choosing that word in the translation!) and the fact that she shows no romantic interest in anyone.
And as for that one guy who is a total creep (I think he's called Niraha), I am sure he's the type to get radicalized by an incel forum just by the way he goes on and on about the stone age. I don't rule out that he's autistic either, but he would possibly go the route of blaming women and society for his failure to get a wife and blah blah blah. Also fuck him when he says he says Keiko is disgusting to him because she is in her thirties! As if she is missing out by him not being into her 🙄
Regarding the use of asexual for A Clean Marriage, the word I'd go with is chaste. Unfortunately there are still people who believe asexuality means someone who has no sex (such as incels). And romance novels that contain no sex are referred to as "clean romance" which is bizarre to me because sex is not dirty.
Oh and I really must reread Earthlings before I start the stories in Life Ceremony! And the way you're hugging Piyyut at the end while saying what she means to you is heartwarming and wholesome. Hearing you say that you're neurodivergent makes me wonder if that's why I feel so comfortable leaving long, rambley comments under your videos. 😅
You're a wonderful person, Willow Dearest. I love you so much. 💚🤍🖤
This is one of the best videos l've ever watched..Thank you so much for making this video🥺💜
Oh wow, you’re so kind to say that! I was actually nervous going in because I planned and scripted nothing. I’m going to write an article about her and take a little more time and care with my thoughts :)
@@WillowTalksBooks Please do more videos like this....
Convience store woman is just something you read and be like wish I could write something like this
Oh absolutely. So simple and direct but so complex in its themes and details
@@WillowTalksBooks that's what I love about Japanese literature in general, it's lot of show and no tell. It's just showing you and you as a reader draw the conclusion.
There is this Indian Malayalam language movie, it's free on CZcams, you can search it up called The Great Indian Kitchen - it has english subtitles, but that movie has exactly the same feel.
There is so little dialogue but you will have the strongest feeling
I enjoyed Convenience Store Woman thoroughly but this talk allowed me to truly appreciate it. Thank you 🙏🏻
I should probably go to sleep, but I've entered the oh so familiar late-night phase where I must find answers for everything, so yes I must watch this video right now
Haha I do think Murata can offer answers to some questions, but those answers might not actually provide solace at all
Just finished "Earthlings" last night. I have now read the three available books translated into English (that I know of) by Sayaka Murata.
I could not agree with you more.
"Earthlings" confirmed what I began to think after finishing "Life Ceremony"--- that Sayaka Murata is one of the boldest, bravest writers I have read. It also confirms Sayaka Murata as one of my favorite living writers.
I just read the article on her in Wired, and having watched your analysis of her work I am very intrigued. I have a feeling I am going to love her writing. Thank you.
I am an autistic woman (as well as queer), but I haven’t read any of Sayaka Murata books. I’m feeling like I definitely should now. We’re getting more and more queer books, and I’m so thankful for that representation, but I see very little neurodiverse representation.
I guess one caveat is that I have no idea if Murata herself is actually queer or neurodiverse, but her stories certainly speak to these communities specifically!
Thank you Will for introducing me to Sayaka Murata's work, I am grateful!
I’m thrilled that I was able to! Spreading the gospel of Murata is what I do
It was refreshing to hear your thoughts and opinions on Sayaka Murata's works. Having worked with neuro diverse students for many years,( as in the the book), with supportive cues and structures, n.d people can highly achieve. It was admirable to speak of your many accomplishments. Love your reviews.
Really love her books
I read Convenience Store Woman last year I think. And after watching your video about Life Ceremony, I read and finished it yesterday. Now I'm starting Earthlings
I too relate so much w her characters. I dont know how she did it. I love how much disturbing and strange her stories get but it never felt like it's simply for shock value or for the hell of it.
I'm convincing everyone around me to read Sayaka Murata's books so I could talk about them to my heart's content
I agree, she really manages to convince you that the shock has a greater purpose and I certainly feel it!
I liked very much convenience store.. I had a surgery in my hands and after that I didn’t accomplished what the society patterns expected of me.. I have always been alone .. more over now that I am in the us… its good to build your own way and be aware you don’t have to be what society rules dictate or fit the molde..
I’m so glad I found your channel. I tend to gravitate toward neurodivergent fiction myself, probably due to my own adhd.
These types of books are important because they can be related to by people that feel like they are outside. I think we all need to read about other experiences that are not ours. I as a cis white woman want to know people that are Not like me. I'm not sure I explained this very well.
I very much appreciate your approach! It’s important to learn to empathise with everyone, especially those that are pushed out to the margins. And the art from these people is a great way to do that
I’m literally reading earthlings right now
Hooray! Let me know how you get on with it
I NEED that plush
this is extremely off topic BUT... your hair looks amazing !!! this length suits you so well
Thank you so much! My hair is very much tied to who I am these days 💜
@@WillowTalksBooks hair is such a fantastic form of self expression !
I also am so thankful for her for some of the same reasons you expressed here.
I cannot wait to read her work. Btw! I started reading “Bad Gays” and I’m enjoying it so far :)
Hooray!
Who wrote bad gays?
Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller
It's so interesting to hear about how she's perceived as very angry through her work, especially when compared to how she speaks and speaks about herself. Indeed anti-society themes are present in her work, but I wonder if she sees things that way. She seems to have a very unique perspective on the world.
I can feel your sentiment. Love her works and i've only read CSW and the earthlings so far. Want to read more of her.
Now’s the time to pick up Life Ceremony!
I am both very nervous and excited to read Sayaka Murata and have to say that this video definitely increased my motivation, just hearing how much she has impacted you! :) I recently acquired Earthlings although I am not sure which is best to read first?
I understand the trepidation for sure! And I really think starting with Convenience Store Woman is the smartest, safest move
Love your vids. Please never stop making them..unless you stop enjoying it. Actually even if you stop enjoying it 😉
Haha I can’t imagine stopping. I love it to bits!
Wow. I had wondered about how living in a body, some of whose parts aren't serving your identity, might affect your attitude toward body horror. Thanks for this. It helps me understand you better, Willow. I could only do Convenience Store Woman. I couldn't do the ones with body horror. I'm wondering why. I've had a longstanding chronic pain issue that has recently been dealt with through surgery and I can see my identity changing as I recover. It's so scary when you feel your body is betraying you.💜😰💜
All of what you’re saying is a great analysis, I find women Japanese authors so adapt at reflecting and critiquing the society around them so well. I’ve been thinking of Sayaka Murata and Mieko Kawakami as a Black woman and the societal expectations placed on myself.
I’d have to do some digging and some thinking but I can’t recall any Black-focused body horror either in film or literature with the theme of rejecting White supremacy and a reclamation of the Black body even to a fault, but you’ve given something to think about and that I’d like to write about myself.
I saw the movie Bad Hair recently which kinda fits the bill. Have you seen that? It flew under the radar a little bit.
@@WillowTalksBooks Hiya! Aren't I the worst at getting back to people!😂 I did watch Bad Hair but all together it wasn't a very good film to me. Filmmaking-wise it just wasn't that strong. The director/writer is a Black man, Justin Simien. I haven't watched his other works but with Bad Hair, being that a Black woman did not write the story, I felt it put all the blame on the main character Anna. There's no real examination as how living in society build on White Supremacy would make Anna or any other Black woman come to the conclusion that relaxing or wearing a weave/wig would be the best decision for them.
I know bring up his gender not to say a Black man couldn't ever tell this story effectively but it does effect how the story is told and communicate how empathic we should feel towards Anna. Went on a little rant there!
I want a Piyyit!😭 I understand your love for her. Her anger, her almost laughing at the absurd and rigid ways society boxes in not only women but people within this world as a whole.
Convenience Store Woman didn’t do it for me in a few ways but I did enjoy it as a “slice of life” story Earthlings though was so joyous in its absurd and violent rage at being forced in a place or a situation the world around you wants you to be in.
sayaka murata appreciation makes me so happy :,)))
I just finished earthlings and I thought it was quite interesting! I really enjoyed your analysis and perspective on the book. ALSO, LOL THAT PIYYUT PLUSH I NEED IT! Did your friend share where they purchased it? :D
Thank you for these critical thoughts. I finished Earthlings last night and your video is helping me process the material. I haven't read Convenience Store Woman yet (almost wish I had read it first) but as an autistic person, I was thoroughly convinced that Natsuki is autistic. I felt seen by the way she was treated by her family, how easily she gaslit herself, and just the way she processed the world. I also love how you spoke about Murata's work being sort of queer without being explicitly queer. It feels correct. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!!
Wow I really appreciate this breakdown of her work. I've seen many people talk about her but wasn't especially drawn to her work. But now that I have a better understanding of her intentions and themes these books sound so good! Also, your favorite book is Frankenstein?? I hope this doesn't make you hate me, but I've tried to read Frankenstein twice and DNF'd it both times...
I finished earthlings yesterday. And i am still thinking about it. Can you do a video about earthlings with spoilers because i like your analysis and would love to hear more about this book and murata.
czcams.com/video/D4fAkmVcXh4/video.html
I’d be tempted but I’ve already done two videos on that book, and now this one as well. But we’ll see!
This was great. Thank you.
My hot take: Earthlings > Convenience Store Woman
I might actually agree with you tbh! I need to reread both to see…
@@WillowTalksBooks it's just so good! I may have a slight obsession with it at the moment 🤷♀️
I love Sayaka Murata as well. Convenience Store Woman is one of me favorite books of all time. I am also a neurodivergent, queer person as well and can relate to stories such as Convenience Store Woman. Earthlings is now on my list to read as well. Thank you for recommending such great books!
I’m so glad her stories speak to you in the same way they speak to me!
I want some kind of bookish heist story about how Jen acquired Piyyut.
Haha I think the reality was “eBay knockoff” but we can sprinkle that with a little more pizazz
@@WillowTalksBooks A Nanny Pat/ Jen combo about liberating battery hens and finding Piyyut amongst the chickens, Piyyut gets a bath and lives happily ever after with chicken friends in Jens hobby farm/chicken rescue!
For me this video is like a conversation with myself.
Haha cool, hope you had fun!
what do you thinks it’s the best order to read her books? i’m really intrigued by earthlings but i’m afraid that would be too “shocking” for my first sayaka book. loved the video btw !!
I’d say start with Convenience Store Woman, then her short stories Life Ceremony, and finish with Earthlings :)
@@WillowTalksBooks thanks willow! can’t wait for the next videos ☺️
do you have a goodreads? would really love to have you there!
I don’t, sorry! Deleted it a few years ago
OMG THIS PIYYUT! 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
i need a piyyut!!
We all do 😭
Heading to e-bay to look for Piyut, thanks for being the reviewer who first introduced me to "Earthlings" and Murata 👍
I’m very flattered and you’re very welcome!
I blame you for making me want to read her stuff when this one book I've been wanting like 9 months to send just came in!
EDIT!!: OMG WHERE DO YOU GET THE PLUSHIE!!?
Haha like I said, it’s my friend Jenn’s and I think she got it off eBay
Just discovered that author and it sounds so interesting! Thanks for introducing these books :) Do you know any other good books with "autistic characters"? Sorry for the label - I am not a native speaker and don't know how else to say it.
I actually don’t! Other people might be able to help though :)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is one that comes to mind
@@Amy-zp2ks thanks, I will try that :)
If you're into romance novels, The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang is a great choice. A Room Called Earth by Madeleine Ryan is also good. Both are written by autistic women :)
@@rachel1021 sounds great, thanks :)
You look amazing
Omgggg thank you 😭
BTW Will I need you to review the movie Men! I didn’t care for it at all, but I think you’d like it. Body horror indeed!
I didn’t like it either! It started off strong and got worse and worse by the end. The third act was a terrible, frustrating mess!
@@WillowTalksBooks I agree. I do believe I understood what was going on in the end but it was so nauseating to me; it's one of the few films I've watched recently that I physically started to feel ill. This is an emotion/feeling that I don't mind is triggered within me but it felt more veneering towards exploitation for the sake of it than something meaningful.
This one I loooove
Aw thanks!
I wish i could recommend Earthlings but chapter 2 is so fucked up im afraid the machine will judge me
I loved convenience store woman but as an aro ace person earthlings was a little to much for me.
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Wait... You don't relate to cannibalism?
I never want to kink shame but it’s just not for me, sorry!