Jack Edwards on Haruki Murakami's problematic portrayal of women #booktube #booklover #booktok

This clip is from Episode #010 of my podcast featuring Jack Edwards (the King of BookTube).

Booktube and Booktok and the nicknames given to the community that has developed on YouTube and Tiktok around books, book reviews and culture connecting to and stemming from them.

We discussed his rise on YouTube, the value of Shorts, Twitter and online discourse and how to deconstruct art (among other things).

I hope you enjoy.

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Music

[meuthianabilapratiwi]

that's what i hate from murakami hahah but damn no author can describe loneliness and heartbreak THAT DEEP AND BEAUTIFUL

[namkia]

That's why his books without women or where they aren't the focus are the best he just can't write women 💀

[gaelliott]

It’s good that you’re looking at the cultural and historical lens through which he viewed the world. A cloudy, misogynist lens it was, apparently.

[EmmarainePink]

Literally reading Kafka On The Shore rn and yes, I love the metaphorical and philosophical stuff on it, yes, I think it's magical, but also yes, he's SHIT with women. It's just so confusing and honestly pulls me out of the story- like why is almost every scene with women HAS to talk about their vaginas or having intercourse?? Like usually that's no problem but when it happens almost every single time??? Jesus, Murakami.

Literally any scene: so btw I have some important information-

Murakami's women: OH YEAH ABOUT MY VAGINA, MY PERIOD, AND SEX LIFE-

Like dude, genuinely, _w h a t?_

[chacharealsmooth]

Oooh my god, i knew i wasn't crazy for thinking he just can't write female characters.

[nathalykim]

I've never seen Jack have an unreasonable or bad take on anything if I'm being honest

[Starburst]

Personally (as a woman) his writing doesn't necessarily make them tits on legs, but more like these mythical creatures, like you look at his male protagonists; they're all usually lonely and pathetic, and sad, and incompetent, and then this sexy, smart woman who has it all together and is like doing stuff off screen comes and makes him less pathetic; so to me it's like the misogyny is on the other end of the spectrum

He portrays women as these mysterious mythical, amazing, creatures that are so above the men they encounter; he puts them in a pedestal thus not making them people either, but also not tits on legs (again to me)
So it's more like the benin sexists I know who idealize women to the point of being flawless, so it's not good either, but I think that's why he seemed confused about being called sexist

[sawaizriaz]

I wrote my Undergrad Dissertation last year on Murakami's portrayal of women in his Literature. It's a problematic representation, that any sane person would find it hard to ignore.

[jennymesas]

His latest book of short stories has SO many disturbing lines about women that it's been months and I still can't finish it

[banhbae]

i think cari can read put it best in one of her videos, where murakami's misogyny is so on the other side of the spectrum that, when interviewed about it, he literally has no idea it's misogynist. instead of hating women or seeing them as objects, he instead just does not understand them. at all. they're just these mythical fantastical creatures outside the realm of his understanding, which is still in the realm of misogyny and why his portrayal of women is still problematic because it's still dehumanizing

[usersYT]

True... Was never able to finish Kafka on the shore because of the way the writer describes women (every single time the protagonist sees a woman or even a girl).

[nomadine]

I started reading one of his books a decade ago and I was so disturbed by his depiction of women and just… I couldn’t continue and I’m upset by it because I feel like I’m missing out but I just can’t keep reading something that makes me want to throw up on the author

[feelinguru-vywiththepaingu]

"Tits on legs." Yep. That's exactly right.

[essxsolo]

And then he writes from the perspective of a woman (1q84) and it's literally the same take - that was it for me

[kcpykgg]

It happens in every single one of his books

[katty.s]

What a treat, Jack and Nathaniel in the same room!! The collab we didn’t know we needed 😊

[apoorvapatwardhan]

I read kafka on the shore because it was so hyped up, and the way he wrote his women bothered me throughout the book. But the book is so incredibly overrated that I couldn't find too many negative opinions on it. Thinking maybe I judged too hard, I decided to give him another try and went for Men without Women. Now this book enraged me. Because every single woman was reduced to her looks, and while the men were all really average and at times even pathetic, they all somehow seemed to have way more character and personality than the women.

[MisterMacabre]

Strongly disagree, It's not wrong at all and he doesn't owe you or anyone a change on how he writes adult female characters just saying not hating. Let's not forget that there are romance books by other authors that sexualize adult male characters but no one ever complains about it. I don't believe that the sexualization of women to cater to men is a bad thing at all and if that's how he wants to write his woman characters i am more than ok with it. Just because certain people don't like the way he writes his woman characters dosen't mean it is neccesarily morally wrong or problematic.

[julietcat]

Omg ☺️ Love to see you engage in a conversation. How interesting to see you two together ✨

[khyrianstorms]

All of his books have this objectifying. Norwegian Woods has a sex scene where a 40-year-old gets raped by a 13-year-old, a girl that is suicidal but also wants to have sexual experiences all the time despite not loving him and Midori, who loves going to BDSM cinema and wants to be thought about when the protagonist is masturbating. Hard Boiled Wonderland has the secretary in the hallway, only described by her hips. Wild Sheep Chase has the iconic "The girl who everyone had sex with, but no one knew her name". And this weakness is jarring, as for the rest, he is a wonderful writer. But that element is problematic.