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Norwegian
Wood in All About Eve
Images except those attributed otherwise are copyright
2004 YesAsia.com Inc. |
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Episode17: “Yes, the first letter is from Lee
Jin-Kyung. ‘Nobody likes solitude, but they are afraid of disappointments.’ I
think there are some people who will be moved by this. Oh, Murakami Haruki
said this, right?” The quote Sun-Mi used to open
her radio program is from Chapter 4 of Haruki Murakami’s novel Norwegian
Wood, (ノルウェイの森, Noruwei
no Mori) This book was originally published in 1987, and the quoted text
was spoken by the story’s main character and narrator, Toru Watanbe. |
The book title in Korean, 노르웨이의 숲, is a direct translation of the two words. Before the broadcast of All About Eve in 2000, two editions had been published in Korea, in 1993 and 1997, and the book was widely read, so many Koreans would have been familiar with the reference. The title refers to The Beatle’s song “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, which was mentioned in the opening chapter of the book. |
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Episode 17 – Sun-Mi reads the
quote from Norwegian Wood during her evening radio program “Musical
postcards”: |
1993 ed. |
1997 ed, |
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Norwegian Wood has been translated into English twice, first by Alfred Birnbaum in 1989, intended for Japanese students of English. The second translation, by Jay Rubin, is the authorized version for publication outside Japan and was first published in 2000. In the Rubin English translation, the quote reads: "Nobody likes being alone that much. I don't go out of my way to make friends, that's all. It just leads to disappointment." |
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This quote is the first of
several comments on relationships in that night’s broadcast, which famously
ends with Sun-Mi fainting during the live broadcast. The reference to Norwegian
Wood is another literary hint by the writer to the direction the plot
will take. But in AAE, instead of one man in love with two women, Sun-Mi
loves two men, the first being fated to die, and the second there as she
leads her to grow from innocence to maturity. |
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Excerpt from a review by Elizabeth Nelson, December 15, 2007: Norwegian
Wood is a coming of age story. Toru, the middle-aged narrator, hears the
famous Beatles’ song on an airplane and is plunged into memories of his life
as a university student in Tokyo during the late 60’s and early 70’s. Innocent,
introverted, and intellectual, Toru enters adulthood by experiencing the
generation of rock music and free love in Japan. He falls in love for the
first time with Naoko, the girlfriend of his only friend. Toru’s friend
commits suicide, and Toru and Naoko begin a troubled relationship. Naoko
is beautiful, quiet, and emotionally damaged. Toru can never see what goes on
inside her head and does not know the extent of her troubles. Emotionally and
sexually repressed, Naoko retreats further and further into herself,
eventually moving to a mental retreat where she ends her own life. Meanwhile,
Toru has begun a friendship with Midori. Outgoing, curious, and blatantly
sexual, Midori is Naoko’s opposite. Naoko’s suicide forces Toru to understand
that his first love was never possible. By choosing to pursue a relationship
with Midori, Toru leaves his innocence behind and begins life in the real
world. Read
more at Suite101: Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami: Mental Illness, the
Beatles, and Sexual Discovery in 1960's Tokyo | Suite101.com
http://www.suite101.com/content/norwegian-wood-a38063#ixzz1MIhIKNhI |
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