ABSTRACT
The Murakamian imaginary world with its peculiarly ‘normal’ – who therefore are not so normal – characters has thus travelled not only beyond that Tokyo bar kitchen, but also beyond both the Japanese language and the literary institution as medium of storytelling. While generally disconnecting himself from literary criticism in Japan, from early on Murakami has been more willing to engage with literary critics and academics outside Japan, most notably through periods of writing fellowships at three US universities. Underpinned by an astounding prolificacy with all his fictional and non-fictional works as well as interviews, essays, and speeches, his iconic authorship unites academics, translators, editors, and public readers. In this way, his works offer numerous possibilities for critical inquiry into a spectrum of social, political, cultural, linguistic, and literary topics.
