A short story I have written long ago would barge into my house in the middle of the night, shake me awake and shout, 'Hey,this is no time for sleeping! You can't forget me, there's still more to write!' Impelled by that voice, I would find myself writing a novel. In this sense, too, my short stories and novels connect inside me in a very natural, organic way.

Since 2000
Sputnik Sweetheart was first publiHaruki Murakamid in 1999 followed by Kafka on the Shore in 2002 with the English translation following in 2005. Murakami said "Each of us possesses a tangible living soul. It was chosen by the New York Times as a "notable book of the year".

He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature. Murakami's fiction often criticized by Japan's literary establishment is humorous and surreal focusing on themes of alienation and loneliness.