New Haruki Murakami novel to be published in April

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Adam Westlake in Lifestyle & Travel with 5 Comments
New Haruki Murakami novel to be published in April

He has fans around the globe and his novels have been translated into numerous languages, and now readers are only two months away from his latest work. Well, readers in Japan that is. Haruki Murakami‘s Japanese publisher, Bungeishunju, announced on Saturday that the author’s latest full-length novel will be released this April.

In what is the worst form of teasing possible, the publisher’s sparse, two-line announcement says no more than that. Not a synopsis or at least an idea of what the story will be about, let alone the title. Murakami’s latest novel will be his first since the epic, lengthy 1Q84 was released. Split up and published in three volumes in Japan, the last was released in May 2010 in Japan, while the English translation was released as one tome in October 2011. As the author of award-winning The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, along with Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, and other best-selling, critically praised novels, Murakami is most known for narratives that seamlessly weave between the surreal and mundane, everyday life.

In addition to writing novels and short stories, Murakami has also translated famous English writers’ works into Japanese, including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Raymond Carver. One of his most recent translations was Shel Silverstein’s Giving Tree. 2012 also saw the author speak out publicly against nationalism and its use in fanning the tensions between China and Japan over an ongoing, escalating territorial dispute. He was also short listed for the year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, and award his fans have been expecting for some time, however 2012 turned out not to be the year, as it was given to China’s Mo Yan.

[via WSJ]
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  • A.C.

    I’m outing myself as a passionate Murakami-hater. I’ve never found another author writing so much pointless nonsense, noone which gives me suchj a strong feeling of draining precious life time while reading his books. I always got tricked into reading another one by friends, who said: “This, this is really good, if you read any of him, then this is the best.”, but it never was. Personally, I think it’s a shame and great injustice great authors like Akutagawa Rinosuke, Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima and many others committed suicide, while Murakami goes on blathering. The day he will receive the nobel award I will seriously consider committing Sepuku …

    • M.W.

      At least take the time to write in a grammatical manner, If you are going to critique a writer, at least show you have some writing capability yourself. :P

      • A.C.

        Neither is English my native language, nor do I call myself a writer. Should this be the prerequisite to have an opinion? But you could be so kind and point out my mistakes, so I can learn from it …

        • gooched

          His work doesn’t exactly have the most inclusive style, that is…it’s not for everyone. It’s doesn’t make it bad, if anything it makes it even better for the people who are on his wavelength. I’d rather a novelist be true to himself and find similar minded people to find and enjoy his book rather than have someone pander and appease and write books that everyone will enjoy.

          • A.C.

            Well, to each his own. Still I think he is a bad author for many reasons. He’s pretty rooted in the shishosetsu-tradition, he only adds “mysterious” elements that make no sense to distinguish himself from other, better authors. – But what ever – if Twilight novels, Harry Potter or 50 Shades of Gray are world best sellers, arguments like this aren’t really a concern.