Murakami Haruki

(1949- ). Novelist. Born in Kyoto Prefecture. Graduate of Waseda University. Murakami won the Gunzō Prize for New Talent in 1979 for Kaze no uta o kike (Hear the Wind Sing). His novels often have an episodic quality: his characters move through life in a desultory fashion, frequenting bars, recalling lyrics from songs, encountering and losing touch with each other. His writings have been immensely popular with younger readers. Other works include Sekai no owari to Hādo-boirudo Wandārando (Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World), Noru'ue no mori (Norwegian Wood), and Dansu dansu dansu (Dance, Dance, Dance). Murakami is also known for his translations of works by American writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Raymond Carver. (adapted from Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Tokyo: Kodansha, 1993)