Writing is like “chatting up a woman”, Japan’s superstar novelist Haruki Murakami has said: “You can get better with practice to a certain degree, but basically, you’re either born with it, or you’re not.”

写作就如同“和姑娘搭讪，勤练会让你有所提高，但归根结底，要看你有没有天赋。”日本著名小说家村上春树如是写到。

The novelist was responding online to one of the questions he has received from fans over the last few days, in his new guise¹ as Japan’s most literary agony uncle. He began posting on Jan 15 on a site, Murakami-san no tokoro – or Mr Murakami’s Place – set up by his publisher, Shinchosa, which has said he will be taking questions until the end of the month.

自从村上春树化身文艺“知心大叔”，短短几天内，就有不少粉丝上网提问，而上面正是村上对其中一个问题的回复。本月15日，村上春树开始在网站“村上家”上与广大粉丝交流，回答粉丝的提问。该网站由其出版商日本新潮社设立，在1月底之前都会接受粉丝们的提问。

Cats make regular, enigmatic appearances in Murakami’s fiction and one reader was keen to know if the author of Norwegian Wood and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle might know where her lost cat had got to: “Cats just disappear sometimes. You have to love and appreciate them while they’re near you,” advised Murakami. Another wondered if the writer had any tips to stop his wife from burping; Murakami phlegmatically² pointed³ out that “burping is far better than farting”.

在村上春树的小说中，猫是“常客”，总是神秘莫测地出现。一位读者就很想问问这位《挪威的森林》和《奇鸟行状录》的作者，自己走失的猫咪去哪儿了。对此，村上春树这样建议：“猫儿们时不时就玩消失。所以当它们亲近你时，你要疼爱它们，欣赏它们。” 另一位粉丝则问村上是否有诀窍能让他的妻子停止打嗝 ，村上淡定地指出“（这么说请见谅）但我想打嗝总比放屁要好多了……”

The novelist has replied almost entirely⁴ in Japanese, with an “unofficial” English translation carried out by a fan. One reader, who was married with children and having an affair, asked if “there is some kind of rulebook for wicked women”. Murakami replied: “Cheating is what it is, but I think you should be careful about using the ‘D-word’ (divorce). It’s dangerous to actually utter it out loud.” He added: “I hope everything works out for you. You are not a terrible woman. This is rather common. But you must take great care in your actions.”

村上基本上是用日语来回复的，而一位粉丝则给出了自己的“非官方”英文翻译。 有一位已经生儿育女的粉丝有了婚外情，她问村上，“有没有什么办法可以约束坏女人”。村上回答道：“偷情是一回事，但我觉得你应当慎重使用‘D’打头的那个词（divorce离婚）。轻易说出它是很危险的。”他又说道：“我希望你一切顺利，你并不是坏女人。婚外情很平常，不过还是慎重为好。”

The author of novels from Kafka on the Shore to Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, which sold 1m copies in a week in Japan, Murakami is clearly enjoying his online adventure. Questions he has answered range from the literary, to the intimate, to the playful – has Murakami ever wanted to be a cat? No, it turns out, although he has wished to be the wind.

村上春树写过不少小说，从《海边的卡夫卡》再到前年在日本面世一周就热销百万册的《没有色彩的多崎作和他的巡礼之年》，无一不被粉丝熟知。现在，村上春树显然很享受他的网络奇遇之旅，他回答的问题既有文学困惑，也有私人问题，还有玩笑之语，比如，“村上先生，你想过做一只猫吗？”答案是没有，不过他倒是想过化成一阵风。

Another reader asked how the novelist feels about being named the frontrunner for the Nobel prize in literature. It’s “kind of a nuisance”, he said, according to the fan’s translation. “It’s not like I’ve been officially nominated or anything, it’s just unaffiliated bookmakers who are putting odds⁵ on me. It’s not a horse race!”

另有读者问及村上“领跑”诺贝尔文学奖是一种怎样的感受。 根据粉丝的翻译，他的回答是：“其实挺困扰的，因为并非官方提名，只是被民间赌博机构拿来定赔率罢了。这又不是赛马！”

Two correspondents wrote to Murakami in English, one asking: “Do you think cats can understand how humans feel? My cat Bobo ran away when she saw me crying.” The novelist told her: “I suspect that either you or your cat is extremely sensitive. I have had many cats, but no cat has ever been so sympathetic. They were just as egoistic as they could be.”

还有两位提问者使用了英文，一位问道：“ 你认为猫能理解人类的感受么？我家猫Bobo每次看到我哭就会跑开。”村上君的回答是：“我觉得要么是你家猫太敏感，要么就是你想多了。我养过许多猫，但它们从来都是以自我为中心，从没见它们表现出同情心。”

And asked if he had any places where he stayed “for a while”, Murakami replied in English: “An easy question. In the bed with someone I love. Where else?”

当被问到有没有什么地方是总会待上“一阵子的”，村上则用英文答道：“这个问题简单。和爱的人一起在床上。不然还能是哪儿呢？”