Last Update: April 14, 2023, 03:26 AM IST
People line up to buy new copies of Japanese author Haruki Murakami’s new novel The City and Its Uncertain Walls at a book store in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo early April 13, 2023. (Image: AFP)
Copies of “The City and Its Uncertain Walls” were stacked on tables at the entrance of a Kinokuniya store in central Shinjuku district
Dozens of excited fans of Haruki Murakami queued outside a bookstore in Tokyo on Thursday for the release of the world-renowned author’s first novel in six years.
Copies of “The City and Its Uncertain Walls”, until now only available in Japanese, were piled on tables at the entrance of the Kinokuniya store in the central Shinjuku district.
Shunsuke Mitsumoto was among the first to get his hands on the latest title by Murakami, who has a cult following for his surreal works in pop culture terms.
“I want to read it as soon as I get home. As much as I want to savor each sentence, I’ll probably read the whole thing in one go,” the 39-year-old told AFP.
“I am excited to think that this book will again take us to a new world,” said Mitsumoto, a member of the Murakami reading group.
Murakami’s previous novel, “Killing Commendatore”, was published in February 2017.
The bestselling author is known for her complex tales of the absurdity and loneliness of modern life, which have been translated into nearly 50 languages.
In a message released by publisher Shinkosha ahead of the new book’s release, Murakami said that he created the novel in self-isolation. corona virus Epidemic.
The 74-year-old described his working process in a typically esoteric style, saying it was “like a ‘dream reader’ reading an ‘old dream’ in a library”.
Perennially tipped for the Nobel Prize, Murakami — whose best-known novels include “Norwegian Wood” and “Kafka on the Shore” — is a reclusive figure.
On the program in the early hours on Thursday, fan Chikako Muramatsu, 28, said the author was “loved by a wide range of people”.
“Many fans seem to be in my parents’ generation, but Haruki has some big fans in my generation as well,” she said.
Yuji Katayama, 54, said he has been a fan of hers for a long time.
“I feel like I’m growing old with the characters in his books. I feel sympathy for them,” he said.
“I consider his novels as my textbooks. By reading his books, I become aware of new things, such as his knowledge of foreign novels.”
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)
