Episode 125: Burning

Reflecting History

"Sometimes I burn barns."

Things aren't always what they seem in Haruki Murakami's surreal and incredible short story "Barn Burning." What could be read on the surface as the tale of a love triangle and a little arson actually offers insight into the banality of evil, the ambiguity of responsibility, the power of memory, the nature of disappearance, and the reality of metaphor. Much like the narrator, after reading this story "...just now and then, in the depths of the night, I'll think about barns burning to the ground."

Read the story here (not the translation I used, but it works in a pinch...You could also watch the movie "Burning" on Netflix-it is great):https://www.mrflamm.com/uploads/2/2/0/0/2200902/barnburningbyharukimurakami.pdf

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