Haruki Murakami’s new release: Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki

In case if you have not heard, Haruki Murakami is out with his new book ‘Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage.’ This is Murakami’s first long novel in the past three years since last releasing his widely acclaimed book ‘1Q84,’ which I absolutely adore as have reviewed in previous entries.

As a self-professed Murakami fan who went on my little ‘Murakami literary pilgrimage’ when I went to Tokyo (Click here for pictures), this is certainly one of the most exciting literary news I have heard in awhile.

And I know I am not in this alone. There was much hype surrounding the book prior to its release on April 12, with Asahi Shimbun reporting that a major Japanese publishing house has prepared 500 000 copies “in anticipation of high demand for Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, breaking the record of any first printing by the publisher.”

I remembered when I last read 1Q84, I was literally bringing it everywhere even when walking on the street or going to the toilet because the pseudo sci-fi romantic novel was brilliant at digging into deeper existential questions and questioning our self-consciousness. With the new 370-page book, the theme explored themes of loss and survival, casting the typical Murakami protagonist – a middle-aged loner and train geek Tsukuru Tazaki.

But alas, non-Japanese speaking fans like myself would have to contend with waiting for the English translation as there is still no word when it would be made available. But based on the last book’s experience, it might just be under a year before they will hit the shelves.

Let the (painful) wait begin.

(Click HERE for my 1Q84 review and HERE for my Murakami literary tour in Tokyo)

The Murakami literary trail [PICS]

As a Haruki Murakami fan, my recent trip to Tokyo became a semi-pilgrimage literary tour dedicated to the popular Japanese author.

I was in part inspired by a New York Times article by Sam Anderson who visited some key places from Murakami’s life and work.

This post documents the places I visited in Tokyo that have appeared in Murakami’s works.

It was crazy to relieve the experience of being in a certain location that was mentioned in a fiction because it felt like walking into the book’s storyline.