Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory seemed a kind of fiction, or vice versa. Either way, no matter how hard you try to put everything neatly into shape, the context wanders this way and that, until finally the context isn't even there anymore. You're left with this pile of kittens lolling all over one another. Warm with life, hopelessly unstable. And then to put these things out as saleable items, you call them finished products - at times it's downright embarrassing just to think of it. Honestly, it can make me blush.
by Haruki Murakami
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In this reflection from Haruki Murakami's "The Elephant Vanishes," the author explores the intricate relationship between memory and fiction. He perceives memory as a narrative that can be woven into stories, suggesting that both constructs share a level of subjectivity. As he writes, he realizes that the context of memories can become disordered, resulting in a complicated emotional tapestry rather than a straightforward account.
Murakami expresses the challenges of transforming these complex memories into polished stories. The end products, which he labels as 'finished,' often feel overwhelming and imperfect. He conveys a sense of vulnerability and embarrassment about presenting these narratives, likening them to a chaotic mixture of feelings and experiences, akin to a pile of kittens, which reflects the unpredictability of both memory and storytelling.
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