Latest news with #HarukiMurakami
India.com
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- India.com
From ‘Norwegian Wood' to ‘Men Without Women': 7 Best Works Of Haruki Murakami Everyone Must Read Once
photoDetails english 2909478 Haruki Murakami's literary world is a mesmerizing blend of the surreal and the deeply human, where everyday lives intersect with mystery, memory, and metaphysical questions. He was born in 1949 and his works have been translates into more than 50 languages and his most popular works are Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore and more. Scroll down to read more about his works. Updated:Jun 01, 2025, 03:33 PM IST Who is Haruki Murakami? 1 / 8 Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer born in 1949 is one of the most celebrated literary voices of times. His works have been translated into more than 50 languages. His characters often feel alienated from society, drifting through love, loss, and parallel realities. With his global fan base and numerous literary awards, Murakami continues to captivate readers with stories that are as strange as they are emotionally resonant. Norwegian Wood 2 / 8 Published in 1987, this is one of the most popular books, this heartbreaking novel explores the themes of love and grief, the book is set in the 1960s in Tokyo. It remains one of his most accessible and emotionally raw novels, showcasing his ability to explore human fragility without leaning on the surreal. Kafka on the Shore 3 / 8 This amazing read was published in 2002, 'Kafka on the Shore' is a perfect blend of fantasy, metaphysics, and philosophy. The book is full of riddles, double meanings, and classical references, this novel invites interpretation and rereading, and is often named among his most inventive and iconic works. 1Q84 4 / 8 The book was first published in three volumes 2009-10, this book explores the themes of love, destiny, and alternate realities are explored in depth. The book follows the story of an assassin and a math teacher as they become entangled in a mysterious parallel world. Men Without Women 5 / 8 This is a collection of short stories which was published in 2014 and each story explores the emotional solitude of men who have lost or been left by women, touching on loneliness, heartbreak, and the quiet ache of everyday life. Dance Dance Dance 6 / 8 This is Murakami's sixth novel and was first published in 1988, this book centres around the life of an unnamed narrator who is drifting through a Tokyo filled with lost connections, odd jobs, and supernatural encounters. After Dark 7 / 8 This amazing novel was published in 2004 and it explores the themes of alienation in the urban world. It revolves around the stories of insomniacs, runaways, and a girl who sleeps in suspended animation, the novel feels like a dream you wake from feeling haunted. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle 8 / 8 The novel was first published in 1994-95, it is one of Murakami's most powerful novels. The book follows an unassuming man whose search for his missing wife leads him into a surreal underworld of war stories, psychic experiences, and deep personal reckonings.
New Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Films, literature, paintings, and musical notes drenched in the rains
Drench words Think rains, and for many avid readers, a book that swiftly comes to mind would be Chasing the Monsoon: A modern pilgrimage through India by Alexander Frater. The book chronicles the author's journey across India in pursuit of the rain, delving into its impact on society, culture, and politics. Rain, as a literary device, recurs with compelling symbolism across genres and cultures. In Haruki Murakami's South of the Border, West of the Sun, rain is tied to the reappearance of Shimamoto, Hajime's childhood sweetheart. Every time she enters the narrative, they are associated with rain. In One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, there's a line that goes: 'It rained for four years, eleven months, and two days.' The torrential rain begins from the night of the massacre of banana workers and it continues, it serves as a symbolic cleansing, and reshaping the town of Macondo. In The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield, set in the fictional Indian city of Ranchipur, monsoon arrives with devastating floods, and through the destruction comes a transformation. The key characters in particular reevaluate their lives and relationships as they begin to re-prioritise what, and who, is important to them. Rain inspired poems can't go without mentioning Rain by Edward Thomas. He uses the weather to set the mood of his wartime poem that captures solitude and mortality. Some other picks are Song for the Rainy Season' by Elizabeth Bishop, A Line -Storm Song by Robert Frost, and The Rainy Day by Rabindranath Tagore. In Malayalam, Rathrimazha by Sugathakumari, Mazha Pusthakam by Tony Chittetukalam, Mazhakaalam by Anvar Ali, and Thoraamazha by Rafeeq Ahamad are some works that rush to mind.
Asahi Shimbun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Translators are an indispensable asset to the literary world
Haruki Murakami gives a speech as he accepts the Lattes Grinzane Literary Prize during a ceremony at the Fondazione Bottari Lattes in Alba, Italy, on Oct. 11, 2019. ((C) Fondazione Bottari Lattes-Murialdo) When I travel to a country where I don't speak the language, I always seek out a bookstore that might have a section of English translations I can manage to understand. When I ask the store clerk, "Do you have any recommended English translations of local authors' works?" they're usually kind enough to offer suggestions. On one occasion, a store clerk unexpectedly handed me a thick memoir by a politician, which threw me off guard. But when I do find a recommended book that suits my taste, it feels like I've stumbled upon a hidden gem. I also look for works by Japanese authors that have been translated into the local language, and the landscape in this regard has changed dramatically over the past 40 or so years. In the past, Japanese authors available in translation were primarily limited to Yukio Mishima (1925-1970), Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972) and Junichiro Tanizaki (1886-1965). Today, however, novels by Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto and a wider array of contemporary Japanese writers are available in multiple languages. In recent years, translations of Japanese-language books spanning a much broader range of genres and authors have become increasingly accessible. As my search for translations of Japanese books extends beyond foreign bookstores, I also turn to international book reviews and explore literary award nominees. Recently, the shortlist for Britain's prestigious International Booker Prize was announced, and Hiromi Kawakami's novel 'Under the Eye of the Big Bird' was among the six books selected. This award, which is part of the globally renowned Booker Prize, is presented annually to the best work of fiction from around the world that has been translated into English and published in Britain or Ireland. It is awarded to both the author and the translator. The 2025 International Booker Prize was awarded to 'Heart Lamp,' a short story collection by Indian author Banu Mushtaq, translated from Kannada. This marks the first time a work originally written in Kannada, a language spoken by an estimated 65 million people in southern India, has won the award. In the world of translation, works translated from English into other languages far outnumber translations from other languages into English. However, if the latter category grows and expands, we may begin to see more works originally written in languages other than English gaining recognition. The Japanese author I have encountered most frequently on foreign bookshelves is Haruki Murakami, whose works have been translated into more than 50 languages. With the help of talented translators, I hope Japanese literature will continue to be translated into even more languages, further extending its global reach. —The Asahi Shimbun, May 23 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Review of The City and Its Uncertain Walls
Haruki Murakami's The City And Its Uncertain Walls is at one level a gentle love story whilst also holding deep philosophic undertones. The Buddhist idea of the shadow representing repressed emotions, negative aspects of the self and the illusory nature of experiences runs through the narrative. The wall symbolises something which is there and yet not there. It is perhaps this complexity which made the author rework the story over a period of more than 40 years. The book is divided into three parts. The first part intersperses the narration between the past and an ambiguous present. The second part deals with strange and surreal encounters in a real world. The third part seems to suggest that the real and unreal are only in the mind. It is faith and belief which sustain both. When the reclusive, nameless protagonist, a 16-year-old boy, meets an equally introverted 15-year-old girl, both find they can converse freely with each other. They talk endlessly about her dreams, write long letters, and at 17, the boy is hopelessly in love. The girl confesses that she is not real but a stand-in, a wandering shadow. Her real self lives in a city with high walls. She describes this mysterious place at great length and tells him that the only way to get there is by wishing for it from the heart. She works there in a library and if he ever comes there, he could get a position where she would always be by his side but she would not remember him or them. Some months later, she vanishes, leaving him devastated and not able to have a meaningful relationship with any other woman. Of memory and consciousness When he is 45, he suddenly finds himself at the gates of the strange city. Leaving his shadow behind, he enters and becomes the dream reader. The girl, still a teenager, is his assistant but does not remember him. The quintessential Murakami element emerges when the shadow starts putting emotional pressure on him to leave the town. Assuming a psychic consciousness, it convinces him that the wall is nothing but fear, the city an imagination and the whole thing an illusion. Back in the real world, reunited with the shadow, a dream leads him to a small mountain town, unknown yet familiar. The patron of a library mentors him and takes him through strange experiences making him wonder if memory and consciousness can exist without a body. This section is the longest and tends to get dense. The third part takes us to a socially dysfunctional teenager who is nameless and has an eidetic memory. His power to concentrate and absorb go beyond the normal. Overhearing the protagonist's description of the walled city, he wishes to go there perhaps because no social skills are necessary there. This character is similar to the boy in Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, but is more a philosophical concept than a social misfit. He symbolises the incompleteness felt at times by everybody. Dose of magical realism The protagonist is dragged back to the city as he feels a strong sense of responsibility for the boy. Their merging together makes both of them complete. The relationship makes both of them realise and come to terms with their incompleteness. The boy who is perhaps autistic develops empathy while the protagonist becomes capable of unconditional compassion. Their separation marks a kind of realisation and liberation for both. Unlike other Murakami narratives, the dreams here are not used to bring out repression in the form of erotica. The women the protagonist feels an affinity for are all nameless and the physical aspect is completely taken out of the relationship. Love is pure and unadulterated. In this exercise in magical realism, it is only the literary skill of a Murakami that can hold the attention of the reader through a complex narrative, sometimes beyond the realm of not one but more than one reality. The abstract nature of the book does not in any way take away from the gentle and poignant handling of relationships. The book is a fascinating read. The reviewer has been a psephologist and a publisher who now focuses on her writing. The City and Its Uncertain Walls Haruki Murakami, trs Philip Gabriel Harvill Secker ₹1,399
The National
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Haruki Murakami wins 2025 Sheikh Zayed Book Award cultural personality prize
Haruki Murakami has been named cultural personality of the year for the 2025 Sheikh Zayed Book Award. The acclaimed Japanese author, renowned for his bestselling novels such as Norwegian Wood and Kafka on the Shore, will receive the honour during a ceremony held as part of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair from April 26 to May 5. The Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, which administers the award, praised Murakami for his global literary influence. In a statement, it highlighted the widespread translation of his works into major languages, including Arabic, and commended his role as a cultural bridge between East and West. 'Murakami is one of the most prominent and popular contemporary novelists, with millions of copies of his novels printed every year and translated into numerous languages, including Arabic,' the statement read. 'His literature is characterised by its universality, expressing human concerns that transcend cultural boundaries, with a unique blend of Japanese literature and international influences. His writings are renowned for their ability to explore issues of identity, belonging and individual freedom in a distinctive narrative style that combines realism and fantasy.' Murakami joins other illustrious figures who have received the cultural personality of the year award, including Palestinian poet Salma Khadra Jayyusi and Moroccan philosopher Abdallah Laroui. He is set to receive a gold medal, a Dh1 million cash prize, and a certificate of appreciation. Murakami leads this year's list of Sheikh Zayed Book Award winners, which span both literary and academic fields. Lebanese–French author Hoda Barakat has won the literature category for her novel Hind or the Most Beautiful Woman in the World. Moroccan writer Latifa Labsir's The Phantom of Dabiha will be awarded the children's literature prize, while Italy's Marco Di Branco has won the translation category for Orsious by Paulus Orosius, which he translated from Arabic to Italian. Other figures to be honoured at the ceremony include Emirati academic Mohammed Bechari, whose book The Right to Strive: Perspectives on Muslim Women's Rights won in the Contribution to the Development of Nations category. UK researcher Andrew Peacock will be recognised in the Arab culture in other languages category for his book Arabic Literary Culture in Southeast Asia in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. All winners, with the exception of the cultural personality of the year, will receive a Dh750,000 cash prize, along with a gold medal and a certificate of appreciation. 'I congratulate the winners of the 19th edition of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for their outstanding achievements, which have contributed to the enrichment of the Arab and international cultural scene,' said Ali bin Tamim, chairman of the Arabic Language Centre and secretary general of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award. 'Their works were inspiring, tackling new and distinguished topics that delve deep into the human condition and shed light on time and history, which made them stand out to the Award organisers and earn their admiration. 'This year's edition recorded unprecedented competition, reflecting the pioneering and prestigious status of the award, which, over the past year, was able to attract distinguished literary and scientific works that have made valuable contributions to the Arab, regional, and global libraries.'
