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haruki murakami resources in english
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last updated: 5th December 2009

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murakami quote of the month

A Wild Sheep Chase

"To sleep with a woman: it can seem of the utmost importance in your mind, or then again it can seem like nothing much at all. Which only goes to say that there's sex as therapy (self-therapy, that is) and there's sex as pastime."

-- by Haruki Murakami

 

I hope you find something here of interest. If you see anything related to Murakami on the web, which isn't listed here - please let me know so I can add it - thanks! I can be contacted by emailing: terry AT exorcising-ghosts DOT co DOT UK

news

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Saturday 5th December - Quick round up of Murakami tit bits

The Mainichi Daily News reports that Murakami's '1Q84' was Japan's best-selling book in 2009.Shinchosha Publishing Co, which published ‘‘1Q84,’’ said the first volume, or ‘‘Book 1,’’ sold 1.23 million copies and ‘‘Book 2’’ 1 million copies.

The Independent reports that Murakami has been awarded Spain's Order of Arts and Letters, in recognition of the creative personality of a very original narrative voice, a creator of literary work who has become a leading reference for contemporary literature"

Falling out of love with Murakami - Interesting article by Stephen Emms from The Guardian

Dinner with Murakami - a documentary about the magical bestselling author Haruki Murakami, directed by Yan Ting Yuen. A screening is takng place at The Substation Theatre, Singapore on 10th - 11th December. Screening Facebook event page.

A trailer is a vailable on youtube

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Monday 30th November - Haruki World

"If you're troubled by cats that talk, skies that rain sardines, sheep that hijack people's brains, girls that vanish into other universes and superfrogs that save Tokyo, then Haruki Murakami may not be for you." Nice article from Japan Close-up Magazine

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Monday 30th November - New Murakami Interview

A new two part interview with Murakami by Yoko Kubota has been pubished by Reuters

Part One - Japan's Murakami says metaphor more real after 9/11
Part Two - Surreal often more real for author Haruki Murakami

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Monday 19th October - Harvill Secker and Vintage confirm publication date and translators of 1Q84

UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, have been acquired by Harvill Secker, who will publish the first two volumes in a single edition simultaneously with Knopf in the United States in September 2011. The paperback editions will be published by Vintage. No date has been set for publishing the third volume. The first two books are being translated by Jay Rubin and the third by Philip Gabriel

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Thursday 15th October - English translation of 1Q84 due in Autumn 2011

The Millions reports that Random House are planning to publish 1Q84, in English in autumn 2011. Only two years to go!

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Tuesday 13th October - Director says adaptation of Murakami book faithful.

Norwegian Wood director Tran Anh said "Yes, of course we tried to be as close (to the novel) as possible," Tran said, though he declined to reveal anything from the discussions he had with Murakami. "I hope it's a good story, but for sure it's a love story." Tran said he is now editing "Norwegian Wood" and that it is scheduled to be released in Japan in November 2010. Via The Japan Times and The Boston Herald (Associated Press)

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Saturday 11th October - BüKAMERICA RELEASES NEW GRAPHIC EDITION OF "ON SEEING THE 100% PERFECT GIRL ONE BEAUTIFUL APRIL MORNING"

BükAmerica, are to release a new graphic edition of Murakami's short story "On seeing the 100% perfect girl one beautiful April morning." The tender tale of missed opportunities is the 25th offering in the Los Angeles-based publisher's BüK series of inventively designed little
books that restore the pleasure of reading for busy people.

A tour de force of spare composition, just over 1,400 words in length, Murakami's story of star-crossed soulmates is set on a street in Tokyo's fashionable Harujuku neighborhood. The new 16-page BüK edition presents the narrative in a stunning graphic interpretation by Robert Jensen, principal designer of Jensen & Wilcoxon.

Echoing Murakami's economical writing style, the layout is clean and contemporary, yet highly atmospheric, evoking the rhythms of conversation and of thought, and the geography of the street and of the hearts of would-be lovers. The new BüK edition features Jay Rubin's translation from The Elephant Vanishesis, published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf

It's a vailable online and in stores at for $1.49 each.
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Thursday 8th October - Critic hopes Murakami solves mysteries of '1Q84' in third installment of novel

The Daily Mainichi Daily News asked Yoshinori Shimizu, a professor at Aichi Shukutoku University what will happen in the next installment of this novel,

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Thursday 8th October - A Short Piece on the Elephant that Crushes Heineken Cans

Daniel Morales at howtojaponese.com has posted another small piece of unpublished Murakami translation. Hopefully, this isn't the last in this series.

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Tuesday 6th October - 1Q84 Vol 3 Teaser

Shinchosha Publishing Co. put up posters Monday in 25 stations in the greater Tokyo area advertising a third volume in Haruki Murakami's best-selling novel "1Q84."

It shows three Qs — a blue Q to go with the yellowish green one on the cover of the first volume and the orange one on the second. Shinchosha said it will leave it up to the readers to imagine what the ad means.

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Friday 2nd October - New short translations available at howtojaponese.com

Daniel Morales at howtojaponese.com is posting small piece of unpublished Murakami translation once a week from now until the Nobel Prize announcement.

Daniel has published five so far: 1 2 3 4 5. All highly recommended.

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Thursday 1st October - 1Q84 English transslation to be published by Harvill Secker

Harvill Secker has acquired what is expected to be one of the big Frankfurt books, Haruki Murakami’s new novel 1Q84 for UK and commonwealth (ex Canada) publication. More from The Bookseller

Sadly no news on who the translator will be and when it will be published. My guess is the first half of 2011.

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Saturday 26th September - Murakami reveals plans for third installment of '1Q84' novel

In an interview with the Mainichi Daliy News, Japan Murakami reveals plans for third installment of '1Q84' novel. After printing over 2 million copies for part 1 and 2 Murakami hopes to have part 3 published next summer. Asked for his reason for continuing the story, Murakami said ' I began wondering how things were going to unfold, and realized I wanted to write the third book'

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Saturday 26th September -Wind Up Bird Chronicle Controversy

In Florida, USA there is a controversy surrounding a 16-year-old female student in the Gulf High School International Baccalaureate program who refused to read one the books on the IB required reading list, "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle." The student found sexual activity described in the novel 'morally objectionable' More from the St. Petersburg Times.

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Wednesday 2nd September - A Wild Sheep Chase is the New Yorker Bookclub Book of the Month

Should be worth following. I enjoyed the discussion on “Under the Volcano,” by Malcolm Lowry, the August Book of the Month

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Friday 14th August - RSS Feed

I've finally got an RSS feed of this news cloumn up and runing. Please feed free to subscrible and kep up-to-date will new Murakami developments.

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Wednesday 29th July - Loss and Recovery 1q84 and Murakami's Sunken Continent

Daniel MORALES has just published on Neojaponisme an essential article/review on 1Q84.

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Tuesday 28th July - Norwegian Wood - Afterword

The Self Divider has translated Murakami's afterword to the Korean edition of Norwegian Wood (which is translated in Korean as 'The Age of Loss'. Well worth checking out as it details nicely how then novel came about.

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Monday 27th July - Interesting...................................

SANCAL Midori Nice “blues” | Ebualà - Inspired by one of the main characters of the novel “Tokio Blues” by Haruki Murakami, the stool Midori is never temporary. It doesn’t belong anywhere. That’s why it belongs to everybody at the same time. If the songs in your ipod remind you of landscapes in which you have never been to, Midori will be a good partner for you.

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Friday 24th July - Print run for second volume of Murakami novel '1Q84' hits 1 million

The Mainichi Daily News reports that Shinchosha Publishing Co. said it will extend the print run of the second volume of Haruki Murakami's bestselling novel, "1Q84," bringing the total number of copies to 1 million.

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Friday 17th July - “After the Quake,” presented by Company One at Boston Center for the Arts Plaza Theatre, 17th July through 15th August.

Company One’s frog has legs - Boston Herald feature by Jenna Scherer

Seismic activity, and its aftermath - The latest play from Company One is an offbeat, whimsical tale of frustrated love, seismic activity, and a heroic, man-size frog. By Joel Brown, the Boston Globe - 17th July 2009

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Tuesday 14th July - What is the parallel world in Murakami's new novel '1Q84'

The Mainichi Daily News answers common questions readers may have about the parallel world discussed in Haruki Murakami's new novel "1Q84."

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Wednesday 8th July - Did Murakami Best Dan Brown's Korean Deal? and another '1Q84' review

Murakami's '1Q84': A delicately constructed parallel world - review from The Mainichi Daily News

The Chosun llbo speculates that the advance for the Korean publishing rights to "1Q84", which went to Munhakdongne on Monday for an undisclosed sum, exceeds the US$1 million paid earlier this year for the Korean rights of "The Solomon Key" by Dan Brown.

What Makes Haruki Murakami Special - Nice article on Murakami by Hasper Poehali

Plus new reviews of South of the Border and A Wind up Bird Chronicle .

For more links, before I get a chance to post them here, check out the sites delicious page

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Monday 6th July - '1Q84' plot details

Why Murakami's best-selling '1Q84' is worth the wait" - Nice article detailing 1Q84's plot, in Sunday 5th July's Japan Times by Matthew Chozick

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Thursday 25th June 2009 - Second part of new interview

Sex, violence 'doors into the human soul' - in the second part to Murakami's interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, he talks about 1Q84 and how society has changed since he was first published in 1979

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Wednesday 24th June 2009 - News Roundup

New Murakami interview - Aum trials a starting point for 1Q84. From The Yomiuri Shimbun via Asia Daily News Online

More 1Q84 roundups, this time from:

Reuters India
Global Voices Online

Company One Presents: After the Quake theatre production at the Boston Centre for the Arts - 17th July - 15th August. Frank Galati, a Tony Award-winner, has fashioned an enchanting and deeply moving play out of two of Murakami's short stories. A timid man woos an old flame, enchanting her anxious daughter with whimsical bedtime stories of a six-foot frog's fight to save Tokyo.

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Tuesday 2nd June 2009 - 1Q84 news

Bloomberg reports that unprecedented demand for Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, “1Q84,” has forced its Japanese publisher to double the first print run of the title, the company’s fastest-selling ever. Shinchosha Publishing Co. is doubling the first print run of Book 1 to 400,000 copies, and will also boost printing of Book 2 to 370,000 copies from 180,000.

1Q84” -- opens with a woman named Aomame, which means “blue bean,” listening to Czech composer Leos Janacek’s “Sinfonietta” in a Toyota Crown Royal Saloon cab. The chapters alternate between Aomame and a male character named Tengo.

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Saturday 30th May 2009 - 1Q84 news

Well 1Q84 has been published. Don't forget to follow Daniel Morales at howtojaponese.com live bloging his reading 1Q84 over the weekend.

The Millions entery on the release - check out the comments for an interesting discussion on when the English translation will appear and if it will be cut in size, like A Wind Up Bird Chronicle

There's been a supprising amount of English language coverage - most stating how, even before 1Q84 hits the stores, Murakami's new novel is a hit in Japan:

- The Guardian
- Los Angeles Times
- Associated Press
- Mainichi Daily News
- Japan Probe (Video)
- San Francisco Chronicle
- The Australian
- Christian Science Monitor
- CBC News
- Wikipedia Page

1Q84 1Q84 1Q84

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Tuesday 26th May 2009 - 1Q84 news

1Q84 comes out in Japan on Friday (29th May) and to mark the occasion, Daniel Morales at howtojaponese.com is going to live blog the release over the weekend. You can read more about the live blog here and here and follow Daniels progress from the main page of his site.

Daniel has also posted an interesting note about the speculation around with novels subject matter. I would highly recommend checking out Daniel's site.

There's more on the 1Q84 specilation by Ben Dooley at The Millions

shinchosha's official 1Q84 site

1Q84 is described as a "complex and surreal narrative" which "shifts back and forth between tales of two characters, a man and a woman, who are searching for each other." The themes consist of murder, history, cult religion, violence, family ties and love

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Monday 27th April 2009 - 1Q84 - Japanese covers:

1Q84 (1) - New Murakami Novel 1Q84 (2) - New Murakami Novel

Available on 29th May 2009 from amazon.co.jp :

1Q84(1) (単行本)
1Q84(2) (単行本)

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Friday 10th April 2009 - News on the new novel & General Update

Very exciting news about the new novel - Shinchosha has announced that Haruki Murakami’s new book will be titled 1Q84 ( いちきゅうはちよん) - thanks to Daniel Morales for this news

Daniel's original article / Daniel's updated article / Nice Livejournal discussion by atashi_tachi

Scott Esposito take on the new novel in Conversational Reading

Shinchosha's website for the novel (in Japanese)

Interesting essay - Haruki Murakami’s Supernatural War - Quarterly Conversation by Katie Wadell added _______________________________________________________