Murakami has become one of my favorite living authors. His novels can roughly be divided into two groups: realist and magic realist. In his realist novels he explores psychological and relational themes. In his magic realist novels characters end up in a dreamlike environment with symbolical meanings, influenced by Freud, Jung, fables or myths. His longer novels often jump between two or three protagonists from chapter to chapter, relating simultaneous events or telling the same thing twice from a contrasting perspective. Short stories are another important part of his work.
His writing is spontaneous and unconventional. Although Japanese he's heavily influenced by Western culture. Think of his many references to pop, jazz and classical music. It's often about an ordinary, middle-aged man who has to deal with a painful past or social isolation. A recurring element are animals, often cats. They disappear, talk, or announce a mysterious event.
My top 7 of Murakami novels:
- The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
- 1Q84
- Norwegian Wood
- Killing Commendatore
- Kafka on the Shore
- South of the Border, West of the Sun
- A Wild Sheep Chase
My top 7 of Murakami short stories:
- Barn Burning
- Drive My Car
- Tony Takitani
- The Second Bakery Attack
- Super-Frog Saves Tokyo
- Samsa in Love
- Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova
Now I'm looking forward to his new novel, but it will probably take time to translate those 1200 pages.