The 10 Most Loved Books by Author Haruki Murakami

The novel "1Q84" is set against the backdrop of late 1980s to early 1990s Japan, delving into the unsettling themes of minority religious groups—a sensitive topic highlighted by the 1995 Aum Shinrikyo attack. This daring narrative explores the clash between political ideologies, religious beliefs, and the human soul.

The fictional setting spans Tokyo from April to December 1984. The story unfolds through two main characters' perspectives: Aomame and Tengo, akin to the narrative structure seen in "Kafka on the Shore." In Volume 3, a secondary storyline emerges from Ushikawa's point of view.

Two decades ago, in an empty classroom after school, Aomame and Tengo silently held hands. Though no words were exchanged, an unshakable bond began to form. Yet, life's twists and turns led them apart.

By 1984, Aomame had become a renowned fitness instructor, secretly doubling as an enforcer punishing domestic abusers under the guidance of a woman who ran a shelter for abused women. One April day, after confronting a violent man, Aomame noticed peculiar differences in her world—things like guns and the moon seemed unfamiliar. She named this new reality "1Q84," suspecting the change occurred when she used an emergency stairway in Shibuya.

As Aomame and Tengo navigate this alternate world, their intertwined fates draw them toward a shared nexus: the Sakigake religious group and enigmatic Little People.

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A silent fear deeply affects the male characters in the 1927 short story collection, "Men Without Women" by Hemingway. This challenging emotion would later become the foundation for Hemingway’s style. The stories explore the idea that men should never place themselves in a position where they risk losing someone close to them. An Italian soldier, having lost his loved one, serves as a warning throughout the central character, Nick Adams: instead, a man "should find things he cannot lose." Ninety years later, Haruki Murakami’s version of "Men Without Women" draws a similar conclusion, emphasizing this as a postmodern way of life.

Kafuko, a middle-aged actor who had once been married, recalls the painful betrayal of his wife’s affair. Despite the hurt — "his heart was deeply cut and bleeding" — he never confronted her about it, nor did he ask for her attempts to make amends. Now, it's too late for any questions.

In another story, Kino, a jazz enthusiast, catches his wife in bed with his best friend. Surprisingly, it doesn’t cause him as much pain as it does confusion. He decides to restart his life by opening a bar in the other side of town. With great care, he prepares the space for the grand opening, then sits quietly in the bar, listening to his favorite records, awaiting his first customer. His actions reflect a deep, fragile need for assurance amidst the uncertainties and frailties of his life.

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Dance Dance Dance continues the story from "A Wild Sheep Chase," with its surreal and dreamlike elements blending into reality. This installment follows the protagonist on a new journey, seeking out "KiKi," a missing model who was the protagonist's girlfriend, and vanished at the end of the previous story. The adventures in this sequel are both bizarre and haunting.

With "Dance Dance Dance," Haruki Murakami earned praise from the Independent on Sunday, which noted: "How does Murakami manage to maintain his poetic style while writing about modern life and contemporary emotions? I am almost speechless with admiration."

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Released in early 2021, Kill the Knight Commander is a two-volume novel by the renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Spanning over 1,000 pages, it's not an easy read, but as always, Murakami's work pulls readers into a strange, dreamlike maze, where reality and fantasy blur.

In this novel, Murakami continues to weave a world where the real and the surreal collide. Elements of adventure and horror, mixed with Japanese comic influences, create a unique narrative. Historical events, such as the Nazi occupation of Austria and the Nanjing Massacre, are intricately woven into the story.

Murakami cleverly infuses his work with philosophical metaphors, drawing on Buddhist principles of causality and the search for meaning in life. The Knight Commander symbolizes the journey of self-discovery, as the protagonist searches for their true identity. Along with his deep knowledge of art, Murakami integrates music—particularly jazz—into the narrative, a reflection of his own musical background.

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Set in 1980s Japan, the novel follows an unnamed protagonist who has divorced his wife, holds a well-paid but dull job, and is intelligent yet feels no excitement or purpose in life. A Wild Sheep Chase is rooted in the familiar reality of modern life.

The story pulls readers into a languid, detached atmosphere, never leaving them even as it escalates to the bizarre events surrounding the hunt for a wild sheep or the poignant, melancholy moments shared with a mysterious girl with unusually beautiful ears. Murakami blurs the line between reality and fantasy, creating a dreamlike narrative that resonates deeply. Perhaps this novel should be read as one experiences a vivid dream—where the conscious mind recognizes it’s unreal, but a part of the heart lingers even after waking.

Haruki Murakami, the celebrated Japanese author, is known for his bestselling novels, many of which have received critical acclaim. His works, such as Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, South of the Border, West of the Sun, Kafka on the Shore, Sputnik Sweetheart, and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, have been translated into Vietnamese and are beloved by readers.

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Hear the Wind Sing, released in 1979, is the debut novel of Haruki Murakami. The story takes place around 1970 and follows a 21-year-old unnamed student and his friend, known as Rat. The two friends frequently visit a bar called Jay's Bar.

This first novel marks the beginning of Murakami's literary career, exploring themes of love and loss. Like many of his later works, Hear the Wind Sing is filled with familiar Murakami motifs: cooking, eating, and listening to Western music. However, it is the only one of Murakami’s novels not to directly depict sexual relationships, a theme common in his later books.

In 1981, the novel was adapted into a film by director Kazuki Omori. In 1987, it was translated into English under the title Hear the Wind Sing, with a very limited release. The book received several accolades, including the Gunzo Literary Award, a nomination for the Akutagawa Prize, and the Noma New Literature Prize.

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Love becomes the only true refuge. Enveloped by love and the liberation of the body, it allows a man and a woman to love each other with all they have, knowing their time together is brief and precious. In this sense, the love triangle between Naoko, Toru, and Midori has deeply touched millions of readers worldwide, making this novel one of Murakami’s finest works.

Originally published in Japan in 1987, Norwegian Wood became an unexpected phenomenon, selling 4 million copies. To this day, statistics show that 1 in 7 Japanese has read the book. In China, it became a cultural phenomenon with over a million copies sold, and is considered one of the 10 most influential books of the 20th century.

Publisher Weekly noted, “For over twenty years, Norwegian Wood has remained among the top 10 most sought-after novels by young readers in Japan and Korea.” The Time Literary Supplement described it as “capturing the passion and urgency of youthful love... quietly pulling in the reader and ultimately stirring the heart.”

Gentle, seductive like poetry, tense like a tragedy, and erotically captivating. It is a magical novel with a self-guided, voluntary resonance. The protagonist falls in love with the girlfriend of his best friend, who committed suicide in his youth. Later, he also finds himself falling for a female student from his class... This book is a must-read.

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Originally released in October 2007, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Running" is Haruki Murakami's memoir reflecting on his personal experience with running. The book delves into his thoughts on the physical and mental aspects of running, offering a profound meditation on the meaning of movement and physical discipline.

This work reads like a journal, a project that Murakami had hoped to complete for years, finally brought to life after reviewing his personal running logs. Unlike his fiction, this book opens with a clear dedication: “This book is for all the runners I have encountered along the way—those I’ve passed and those who’ve passed me. Without you, I doubt I could have kept running for so long.”

The reflections of this novelist on the parallels between running (a physical act) and writing (a mental act) offer valuable insights for aspiring writers. Through his personal reflections, Murakami presents a humanistic philosophy: “Pain is inevitable, but suffering is a choice.”

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“Kafka On The Shore,” published in 2002, is Murakami's most complex and elusive novel. Its narrative structure is unique, revolving around three individuals from three different generations, each facing their own tragic shock. Despite their differences, these characters are united by their struggles, with one emerging as the strongest among them.

The brilliance of this work earned Murakami the Franz Kafka Prize in 2006. The Vietnamese translation by Dương Tường was completed and released in 2007.

Murakami incorporates a wide range of literary techniques and references to various fields of knowledge, as noted by translator Dương Tường in the introduction. To use a martial arts metaphor, Murakami employs an abundance of “moves” in his storytelling.

Unlike his previous works translated into Vietnamese, the structure of this novel is quite unusual. The story is split into two parallel storylines: the odd-numbered chapters follow Kafka Tamura, while the even-numbered ones focus on Nakata, an elderly man. Initially, the two seem unrelated, but as the narrative progresses, their connection becomes increasingly clear.

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