Murakami’s 1st novel in 6 years hits bookstores in April

TOKYO (AP) — A new novel by Haruki Murakami hits bookstores in April, and the publisher only revealed that the Japanese original is about 1,200 pages and deals with “a long-sealed story.”

“The city and its uncertain walls”, as its title in Japanese, will be published on April 13 in paper and digital format, the publishing house Shinchosha announced in its press release on Wednesday. Dates of appearance in translations into other languages ​​are unknown.

A cryptic promotional teaser from the publisher reads: “Gotta go to town. Whatever happens. A sealed ‘story’ begins to quietly scroll by as ‘old dreams’ awaken and unravel in an isolated archive “.

He adds that the book is “a world in motion, pure 100% Murakami”.

Publishing staff said that no plot details would be released as many Murakami fans prefer to start reading without knowing what the book is about.

It is unclear whether the new novel is related to a 1980 short story of the same title, published in a literary magazine, but never in book form.

The novel is Murakami’s first since “Kishidancho Goroshi” (“Killing the Commander”), published in February 2017 and in Spanish the following year.

A permanent candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Murakami, 74, published his first book, “Listen to the Song of the Wind” in 1979 (in Spanish in 2015), while running a jazz bar in Tokyo. His 1979 novel “Tokyo Blues” was his first English bestseller, establishing him as a young literary star. Known for his magical realism, he is the author of other bestsellers such as “The Hunt for the Wild Ram”, “Chronicle of the Bird that Winds the World” and “1Q84”. “Killing the Commander” has sold over a million copies.

Waseda University in Tokyo, where he studied, opened a library dedicated to Murakami’s writings, drafts and record collection in 2021 as a center for literary research, cultural exchange and a gathering place for his admirers.

Murakami’s vast collection of musical recordings spans genres from classical to jazz and rock. Music is a recurring literary subject in his stories. Since 2018, he hosts a radio show called “Murakami Radio” on a Tokyo FM in which he combines music with humorous commentary and data. He sometimes spoke out against leading figures.