--- product_id: 170607160 title: "What I Talk about When I Talk about Running: A Memoir (Vintage International)" price: "€ 33.90" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/170607160-what-i-talk-about-when-i-talk-about-running-memoir store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Memoir meets running philosophy Writer’s creative journey NYC Marathon training insights What I Talk about When I Talk about Running: A Memoir (Vintage International) **Price:** € 33.90 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🏃‍♂️📖 Run your mind, write your story — Murakami’s memoir that moves you. ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** What I Talk about When I Talk about Running: A Memoir (Vintage International) - **How much does it cost?** € 33.90 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/170607160-what-i-talk-about-when-i-talk-about-running-memoir) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Universal Resonance:** Whether runner, writer, or seeker, find relatable wisdom that transcends hobbies and lifestyle. - • **Intimate & Reflective:** Experience a candid memoir that explores ageing, discipline, and self-reinvention through the lens of a literary icon. - • **Philosophy in Every Stride:** Discover running as a metaphor for life’s challenges and triumphs, elevating exercise to art. - • **A Marathon of Mind & Motion:** Dive into Murakami’s unique blend of running and writing, inspiring your own creative and physical pursuits. - • **Cult Classic for the Modern Millennial:** Join thousands who’ve found motivation and comfort in this bestselling, critically acclaimed narrative. ## Overview What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is Haruki Murakami’s bestselling memoir intertwining his marathon training with his writing journey. Written in English and celebrated worldwide, this intimate book offers philosophical insights on ageing, discipline, and creativity, resonating deeply with runners, writers, and anyone seeking personal growth. With over 10,000 reviews and top rankings in running and literary biographies, it’s a must-read for the thoughtful millennial professional. ## Description An intimate look at writing, running, and the incredible way they intersect, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running is an illuminating glimpse into the solitary passions of one of our greatest artists. While training for the New York City Marathon, Haruki Murakami decided to keep a journal of his progress. The result is a memoir about his intertwined obsessions with running and writing, full of vivid recollections and insights, including the eureka moment when he decided to become a writer. By turns funny and sobering, playful and philosophical, here is a rich and revelatory work that elevates the human need for motion to an art form. Review: Inspirational - I.am not a runner. But I am a cyclist, and I ride long distances. I am also a writer, though of business content, not fiction. And I'm getting on a bit. I found this to be a meditation on running, but for running I could easily substitute cycling, a bit on writing, and a little bit on ageing, though the last is what resonated the most with me. I too note that my race times at getting slower, despite no reduction in effort. I blame myself for not working hard enough and feel dejected when my times are slower than they were five years ago. Murukami reminds me I am normal. Ageing is normal. More than that, it is a privilege. He describes his personality as not very attractive. He is an introvert. So am I. I'd love to meet him. I think I'd like him very much. A book to read and re-read at different stages of life. Review: A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE - Yes, if you've ever read a Murakami story. Yes, if you ever lace up a pair of trainers and run to your own personal rhythm. Yes, if you're interested in the art of the novel. Yes, if you're none of those. You'll find a friend in these pages. As you would expect from a writer of his pedigree, a book about the activity he has pursued since 1982, running, is about much more that the non-runner/running-averse can get their teeth into. As the writer himself says in Chapter One: "running is both exercise and a metaphor." (p10) This philosophy is made apparent in the approach he has taken to writing and presenting this book, and he subsequently reveals much of his inner-self as reflected upon the choices he has made and those activities he has chosen to pursue. This is not a brash book revealing a brash personality boosted by the buzz of running. No, it's a book about an individual constantly reinventing and fighting to find elements of a self that he is content to call his own. I think this is something we can all relate to, whatever lifestyle choices we make or have made. Of course, as a runner, a reader of Haruki and a bit of a word-doodler, you could say that this is a book tailored to me. Again, I think the book's reach is far broader than that: as a reader, I enjoy opening my mind to experiences that lie beyond my own world, as you can only really be enlightened by that which you don't already know or have realised. That's not to say that this book, as I have already mentioned, doesn't have any value for those to whom it appears to be made, such as me: far from it. Through reading the reflections of someone as perceptive as Murakami on issues we - well 'I', for sure - have all wrestled with or experienced, you are able to smile at a metaphorical moment shared and/or be comforted by a familiar problem or obstacle surmounted. Yes, I guess, for me, the time with this book was like time spent with a good friend: we talked, we laughed, we consoled, we supported, and then we went home. It was all-too-brief and we haven't changed the world, but the time we spent together was special and a great comfort to us both. And for those of you whose world of experience falls beyond that of Haruki, running and writing, you are, therefore, in a position to be enlightened, in some small way, about an aspect of each, which takes me back to what I enjoy about a book and, consequently, makes me think that you'd enjoy it, too. Which is a long-winded way of reiterating that I think there is something in this short book for everyone that, whilst not maybe world-changing, is life-affirming and entertaining, and isn't that really enough to expect? ## Features - Product Type:Abisbook - Product type:ABISBOOK - Language: English - Size: Multicolor ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 671,704 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 8 in Running & Jogging (Books) 11 in Biographies on Novelist & Playwrights 23 in Sports Biographies (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 10,186 Reviews | ## Images ![What I Talk about When I Talk about Running: A Memoir (Vintage International) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/6162UAASWTL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Inspirational *by E***N on 14 February 2025* I.am not a runner. But I am a cyclist, and I ride long distances. I am also a writer, though of business content, not fiction. And I'm getting on a bit. I found this to be a meditation on running, but for running I could easily substitute cycling, a bit on writing, and a little bit on ageing, though the last is what resonated the most with me. I too note that my race times at getting slower, despite no reduction in effort. I blame myself for not working hard enough and feel dejected when my times are slower than they were five years ago. Murukami reminds me I am normal. Ageing is normal. More than that, it is a privilege. He describes his personality as not very attractive. He is an introvert. So am I. I'd love to meet him. I think I'd like him very much. A book to read and re-read at different stages of life. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE *by E***E on 16 February 2013* Yes, if you've ever read a Murakami story. Yes, if you ever lace up a pair of trainers and run to your own personal rhythm. Yes, if you're interested in the art of the novel. Yes, if you're none of those. You'll find a friend in these pages. As you would expect from a writer of his pedigree, a book about the activity he has pursued since 1982, running, is about much more that the non-runner/running-averse can get their teeth into. As the writer himself says in Chapter One: "running is both exercise and a metaphor." (p10) This philosophy is made apparent in the approach he has taken to writing and presenting this book, and he subsequently reveals much of his inner-self as reflected upon the choices he has made and those activities he has chosen to pursue. This is not a brash book revealing a brash personality boosted by the buzz of running. No, it's a book about an individual constantly reinventing and fighting to find elements of a self that he is content to call his own. I think this is something we can all relate to, whatever lifestyle choices we make or have made. Of course, as a runner, a reader of Haruki and a bit of a word-doodler, you could say that this is a book tailored to me. Again, I think the book's reach is far broader than that: as a reader, I enjoy opening my mind to experiences that lie beyond my own world, as you can only really be enlightened by that which you don't already know or have realised. That's not to say that this book, as I have already mentioned, doesn't have any value for those to whom it appears to be made, such as me: far from it. Through reading the reflections of someone as perceptive as Murakami on issues we - well 'I', for sure - have all wrestled with or experienced, you are able to smile at a metaphorical moment shared and/or be comforted by a familiar problem or obstacle surmounted. Yes, I guess, for me, the time with this book was like time spent with a good friend: we talked, we laughed, we consoled, we supported, and then we went home. It was all-too-brief and we haven't changed the world, but the time we spent together was special and a great comfort to us both. And for those of you whose world of experience falls beyond that of Haruki, running and writing, you are, therefore, in a position to be enlightened, in some small way, about an aspect of each, which takes me back to what I enjoy about a book and, consequently, makes me think that you'd enjoy it, too. Which is a long-winded way of reiterating that I think there is something in this short book for everyone that, whilst not maybe world-changing, is life-affirming and entertaining, and isn't that really enough to expect? ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Lonliness Of A Long Distance Writer *by P***R on 30 September 2008* Anyone who knows anything of Murakmi's work should be aware that a book about running written by him won't just be a book about running. Short, but never slight, the book muses on many subjects from memory, to why he started writing, perfecting a swimming technique, to some of the best music to run to. All written in Murakmi's own distinctive voice. Whatever he writes about this is Murakami's voice you're hearing. There is insight into the kind of person he is and also the kind of person runners are. There is plenty of running here and at times it does almost feel like the book has been written at the pace of a long run as its energy is brisk yet economical. For anyone looking for a big novel, it's not here. For anyone who wants a look into the world of a man who likes to write and run and tell you about it there's enough here to keep you entertained for a while. ## Frequently Bought Together - What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: A Memoir (Vintage International), Book Cover May Vary - Kafka on the Shore - Men Without Women: Stories (Vintage International) --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/170607160-what-i-talk-about-when-i-talk-about-running-memoir](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/170607160-what-i-talk-about-when-i-talk-about-running-memoir) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-10-16*