Installment 1

1Q84
by Haruki Murakami

Book 1
(April – June)

Chapter 1:Aomame / Don’t be fooled by appearances


An FM classical music program was flowing from the taxi’s radio. The piece was Janáček's “Sinfonietta”. You really couldn’t say it was appropriate music to be riding in a taxi snarled in traffic. The driver was not particularly listening to the music. The middle aged taxi driver only stared closed mouthed at the endless line of traffic stretching ahead like a veteran fisherman standing in the bow of his boat reading an ominous current. Aomame reclined in the back seat, lightly closing her eyes listening to the music.

How many people in the world upon hearing the opening movement of Janáček's “Sinfonietta” could place it? Maybe “really few” to “almost nobody” would be in this group? However, Aomame for some reason could.

Janáček in 1926 composed this mini symphony. The opening theme from the beginning has an aspect of a sporting event fanfare. Aomame imagined Czechoslovakia in 1926, World War One concluded, liberated from long reign of the Austrian empire, the people drank pilsner beer in cafes, manufacturing authentic and cool machine guns, tasting the momentary peace of central Europe. Two years prior Franz Kafka had passed on from this world. No one still new of the upcoming appearance from nowhere that Hitler would make, ravaging this small beautiful country. Perhaps the most important lesson from history is that the “in the present, no one knows what the future holds”. Aomame tossed this concept of history about like a gentle breeze crossing a Bohemian plain while listening to the music.