Born in Kyoto, Japan, Murakami has been published in over 50 languages. His writing is considered un-Japanese by his native critics. He has written in several genres including science fiction, magical realism, surrealism, bildungsroman, picaresque, realism and most recently a memoir.
His first books were the Trilogy of the Rat which he began at the age of 29 that was inspired by a baseball game he attended. Prior to that he had been running a jazz club and didn’t do any kind of creating. After winning a first prize in a literary contest his life was changed and the reading world benefitted.
After reading After Dark I was hooked. I entered the surreal world of Tokyo late at night in the entertainment district of 
diners, cafes, bars and cheap hotels, filled with the people who never go home. The characters are mysterious and secretive, living lives removed from the mainstream of society, frequenting love hotels and all night eateries. Relationships are brief and dissolve with the dawn. The story left me with the dream like feeling of flowing through a fragmented sequence of unrelated scenes connected only by the nature of life after dark.
The next one of Murakami’s books I read was Kafka on the Shore. This story was markedly different. It involves the struggles of a adolescent boy to understand the world and people around hime. There is a strong spiritual thread running through the post as well a a magical realism that lends a dream like quality to the scenes. There are strong sexual overtones that create a very believable boy as he comes into manhood.
Murakami includes several life riddles as he weaves the story that could warrant several readings. The vivid scene painting and mood created is disturbing and beautiful at the same time.
Recently I read Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. This book gets away from many of the devices we see in his earlier novels and sticks with a straight forward story of a young man in search of satisfaction in life. Several intense and poignant relationships with friends and lovers weave through the plot while we experience Tsukuru’s reactions, thoughts and emotions as he unravels a mystery that has thrown his life off it’s expected trajectory during his years in college. Murakami is an outstanding storyteller and has deep insight into the human experience.
If I haven’t convinced you that Haruki Murakami is worth a try I will be deeply disappointed. Any lover of words and the beautiful pictures that can be painted by a talented artist such as Mr. Murakami will be delight with his work.
Review by Mary Donato, www.ladonnacontenta.wordpress.com – Comments welcome on my webpage!
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