Fun memoir type book but not a must-read. The narrative voice is pretty hilarious though.

Carino, lontanissimi da Tokyo Soup

not terrible, but i expected better based on his other books...and, to be honest, the title.

A good view into the conflict of desires that constituted the 1960s in Japan.

J'hésite entre 3,5 et 4/5. J'ai vraiment accroché rapidement, j'ai beaucoup aimé le style d'écriture, direct, mais à environ la moitié du roman j'ai ressenti un certain ennui. 1969 est une sorte d'autobiographie, direction l'année 1969, l'auteur nous raconte (sans vraiment l'avouer) sa jeunesse, l'année de ses 17ans. Un contestataire en quête de son identité. Beaucoup de références, Velvet underground, Rimbaud et même Godard.

Mon avis plus complet : https://spoilersbymelo.wordpress.com/2016/03/25/1969-de-ryu-murakami-au-coeur-de-la-jeunesse-japonaise/

This was a very enjoyable read about a young man's coming-of-age in 1969. He organises a protest with his friends which includes barricading the school, graffiti-ing slogans on the walls, and leaving a turd on a desk. In the right company, he talks about the crimes happening in Vietnam, Marxist ideology, and liberation from the conservative norms. But in reality, he simply wants to look cool so he can impress a girl. In many ways, the book is a metaphor for all the performative left-wingism of early youth. And it's funny with it.

I wouldn't describe the book as anything heavyweight, in fact, you'll read through it very quickly, but it still contains some fun ideas and language. There are, understandably, a lot of pop culture references regarding the era, everything from the Beatles to Zeppelin, and Camus to Alain Delon etc. Plus, the ongoing Americanisation of Japanese culture. Ultimately however, the book is about youth, friendships, first loves, and so on. And the writing is very fluid and easy to digest with short chapters and humorous dialogue.

I enjoyed it a lot but would ultimately class it as a very light read.