4.03: Haruki Murakami & Ernest Hemingway’s Men Without Women

NovelClass

This month, Dave Pezza is joined by none other than Daniel Ford, author and host of the Writer’s Bone podcast. Daniel returns once again to NovelClass to discuss a pair of short story collections titled Men Without Women. This first is Ernest Hemingway’s famous collection, first published in 1927. The second is by Japanese author Haruki Murakami, originally published in the Japanese in 2014.

First published in 1927 by Charles Scribner’s Sons, Ernest Hemingway’s Men Without Women was Hemingway’s second short story collection and is not only considered to be one of the American literary icon’s best works, but also features stories such as “Hills Like White Elephants,” which have become part of the American Literary canon. At the heart of this collection, Hemingway dissects and investigates the forlorn and difficult lives of men who have lost, misunderstood, or ben alienated from the women in their lives.

Originally published in the Japanese in 2014, Haruki Murakami’s Men Without Women cleverly titles itself against Hemingway’s famous collection, deriving using many of the same themes and disillusionment. However, Murakami’s collection offers a much more nuanced look into the motivations and emotions of his male characters who continually find themselves navigating the lonely and confusing state of being a man without women.

Please enjoy our discussion of Men Without Women.

This month's episode is sponsored by OneRoom.