Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami (born January 12, 1949, Kyoto, Japan) is a renowned Japanese novelist, translator, and essayist whose work blends magical realism, surrealism, and postmodernism, earning him global literary acclaim. After graduating from Waseda University, he ran a jazz café and published his debut novel Hear the Wind Sing in 1979. Murakami gained international fame with novels such as Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Kafka on the Shore, 1Q84, Men Without Women, and After Dark. His books have been translated into over 50 languages and sold millions of copies worldwide. He is also known for nonfiction works like Underground (about the Tokyo subway sarin attack) and What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Murakami has received prestigious awards including the Franz Kafka Prize, Jerusalem Prize, and Princess of Asturias Award