Haruki’s 2010s, and Waiting for Nobel to Ring －春樹の2010年代、そしてノーベルが鳴るのを待つこと－

It will be the end of a decade – the 2010s – soon, and the Japan Times is publishing some articles summing up the decade.  So I wrote an article summarising Haruki Murakami’s work in the last ten years and asking why he hasn’t quite been able to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.

I suggested that the ”Harukists” who cry on tv whenever Murakami doesn’t win a Nobel Prize probably make him look a little desperate.  It might be better to copy Bob Dylan and look completely disinterested instead.

I also wondered whether too much whisky and jazz, and too many erotic scenes put off the judges.  A little salt, pepper, and even some MSGs can make the meal tastier.  But not too much...

You can find the article here:

ウィルのジャパンタイムズの記事 Nov 23, 2019

Thanks!

Vocabulary:

to sum something up – to give a shorter version of something, including the key points

to put someone off – to make someone less attracted or interested in something (eg., “The smell of natto puts me off eating it.”)

MSGs – mono-sodium-glutinate, a kind of food additive or flavouring