World literature is full of many hidden and open treasures. In order to get to know this world better without getting stuck with some classical works, it is necessary to examine alternative cultures. Japanese literature, which is one of them, is not known by many, but you must have heard the name Haruki Murakami. Haruki Murakami is considered one of the world’s most famous authors of Japanese literature and one of the island’s gateways to the world.
Born in 1949, Haruki Murakami is not only a writer but also a translator and journalist. He is known for bringing many important works of world literature into Japanese, as well as his works that pierce the heart of the reader. If you have never read a Haruki Murakami book before or if you want to get to know the author much better, we have listed the 10 best books for you and briefly talked about their subjects.
Best Haruki Murakami books:
- To Kill the Commander
- Kafka on the Beach
- Dance Dance Dance
- Wouldn’t Write If I Didn’t Run
- First Person
- Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki’s Years of Pilgrimage
- Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
- Listen to the Song of the Wind
- Sputnik Darling
- Zemberekkuş’s Diary
To Kill the Commander: A masterfully crafted mysterious story
To Kill the Commander, first published in Turkish in 2018. It tells a masterfully crafted mysterious story. The hero of the story lives alone on a mountain top. When the reader is involved in the story, he is accompanied by a literary wind from the masters of world literature along with many music. The story of those who are not afraid of loneliness and love it. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
Kafka on the Shore: Making a prophecy come true
When our hero in the book Kafka on the Shore, first published in Turkish in 2015, wakes up one morning, he finds himself transformed not into a giant cockroach, but rather as a giant cockroach. He finds himself old enough to have run away from home. Our hero, who follows a prophecy that his father told him years ago, encounters a murder during his journey and watches the prophecy he heard years ago come true. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
Dans Dans Dans: A story of disappearance
Published in Turkish for the first time in 2020, Dans Dans Dans is one of the most popular novels of the author. An attractive woman disappears, of whom little is known except that she works at an expensive call girl service, works as a part-time proofreader, and is an occasional ear model. A mysterious world, as they have never seen before, comes before the readers who chase after this disappearance. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
If I Didn’t Run, I Couldn’t Write: Murakami’s book about himself
Published in Turkish for the first time in 2014, I wouldn’t be able to write if I didn’t run, master writer Haruki, who is described as a shy person by many A book by Murakami about himself. A perfectly healthy person, Murakami has boldly penned his thoughts about an unhealthy body and an unhealthy mind as an author. It is a piece of advice for those who want to be writers. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
First Person Singular: Both stories and poems
First Person Singular, published in Turkish for the first time in 2021, is a rather interesting book consisting of the author’s stories and poems. In the book, we encounter extremely extraordinary heroes. The author’s passion for baseball, a monkey falling in love with women, the man who saved the life of a jazz artist by making up articles, and a young girl who wrote poems about death; Here are some of the characters and stories that await readers in First Person. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki’s Years of Pilgrimage: On fate and loneliness
Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki’s Years of Pilgrimage, first published in Turkish in 2016, master writer Haruki A sophisticated work by Murakami on fate and loneliness. Through the character of Tsukuru Tazaki, subjects such as how people bond with each other, how these bonds get stronger and how the same bonds break quickly are examined masterfully throughout the book. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: Imagine that there are hours left to the end of the world
In the book Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, which was first published in Turkish in 2011, science fiction and A story is told in which the world of fairy tales is masterfully intertwined. A man who has lost his shadow, who dreams of dead people by looking at skulls, and a hero who tries to live when there are only a few hours left to the end of the world, questions life with the readers in his book Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
Listen to the Song of the Wind: Murakami’s book written in his youth and translated many years later
Published in Turkish for the first time in 2018, Listen to the Song of the Wind is Haruki Murakami’s It is her first novel, which she wrote when she was still in her 20s, but allowed it to be translated after many years. In the book, which has a narration far from the naivety of the first novel, we read the lament of a young lover for his lost lover. This lament arouses curiosity and sweet sadness rather than pain in the reader. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
Sputnik Darling: A love story stretching from Japan to Greece
Sputnik Darling, first published in Turkish in 2016, is a story that starts in Japan and is miles away. It tells a love story that goes back to the Greek island. Undoubtedly, our character, who wholeheartedly believes that he has found love, true love, not only lives this love, but also leaves his signature on a story that touches the hearts of the readers by telling it line by line. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
Zemberekkuşu’s Diary: The story of Okada looking for his wife’s cat
The character Toru Okada, first described in Turkish in the book Zemberekkuşu’nun Diary, published in 2015, Tokyo He is an ordinary young man living in the suburbs of. The journey to search for his wife’s cat suddenly turns into an adventure of searching for his wife. During this adventure, Okada goes to places of his city that he never knew before; He encounters a psychic prostitute, an evil media mogul, a 16-year-old girl and a war-torn veteran. You can find the book’s Amazon page here.
We listed the top 10 books of Haruki Murakami, one of the world’s most famous authors of Japanese literature, and briefly talked about the subjects of his books. If you have read Haruki Murakami, you can share your favorite book by the author in the comments.