56 pages 1 hour read

Haruki Murakami

The Elephant Vanishes: Stories

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Adult | Published in 1993

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Background

Authorial Context: The Early Career of Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese author known for his unique blend of surrealism, magical realism, and internality. He was born on January 12, 1949 in Kyoto, Japan. His parents both taught Japanese literature, and Murakami was interested in literature himself from a young age, eventually studying drama at university. But Murakami did not actually begin writing until the late 1970s. In the years after he graduated from college, Murakami managed a jazz club in a suburb of Tokyo together with his wife, Yoko Takahashi.

In 1979, Murakami published his first literary work, the novel Hear the Wind Sing. This debut work, characterized by its minimalist prose and contemplative tone, set the stage for what would become Murakami’s hallmark storytelling style. The novel offered glimpses into the minds of its characters, often young individuals grappling with isolation, nostalgia, and the complexities of modern life, all themes that continue to resurface throughout Murakami’s oeuvre. The novel was highly acclaimed and won the Gunzo Award. Murakami followed the success of his first novel with two more novels, Pinball, 1973 (1980) and A Wild Sheep Chase (1982), which brought Murakami international attention, and A Wild Sheep Chase was his first novel translated into English.

Related Titles

By Haruki Murakami

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After Dark

Haruki Murakami

After Dark

Haruki Murakami

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A Wild Sheep Chase

Haruki Murakami

A Wild Sheep Chase

Haruki Murakami

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Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Haruki Murakami

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Haruki Murakami

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Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Haruki Murakami

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Haruki Murakami

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Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Haruki Murakami

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Haruki Murakami

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Kafka on the Shore

Haruki Murakami

Kafka on the Shore

Haruki Murakami

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Killing Commendatore

Haruki Murakami

Killing Commendatore

Haruki Murakami

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Norwegian Wood

Haruki Murakami

Norwegian Wood

Haruki Murakami

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South of the Border, West of the Sun

Haruki Murakami

South of the Border, West of the Sun

Haruki Murakami

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Sputnik Sweetheart

Haruki Murakami

Sputnik Sweetheart

Haruki Murakami

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The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Haruki Murakami, Transl. Jay Rubin

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Haruki Murakami, Transl. Jay Rubin

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What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Haruki Murakami

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

Haruki Murakami