Few authors have captured the world’s imagination like Haruki Murakami. The Japanese author, who ditched his day job running a jazz bar in Tokyo to start writing at the age of 29, is now recognised globally for his surrealist novels, which retain an air of magic and whimsy despite their sobering themes of human isolation.
Since he published his first book in 1979, Murakami has won accolades and awards for his work, including the World Fantasy Award, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Jerusalem Prize and many others; in 2000, The Guardian referred to him as being “among the world’s greatest living novelists”.
With such a vast oeuvre – Murakami has published over a dozen novels, not to mention his short stories and non-fiction – it can be daunting to know which of his books to read first. Here, we’ve chosen a handful of his most notable works to help guide you.
What was Murakami's first book?
Hear the Wind Sing (1979)
Hear the Wind Sing is the first book that Murakami wrote, and while it was a success in Japan it is more of a hidden gem for international readers. The story – which was republished with its sequel as Wind/Pinball in a 2025 special edition – introduces a nameless narrator who spends his time drinking beer with his friend and contemplating his relationship with a woman with nine fingers. While it’s not the most quintessentially Murakami book – he himself told The Guardian he found it “immature and riddled with faults” – it is a brilliant introduction to the author’s work and its themes of beauty and alienation.
What is the most accessible Murakami book?
Norwegian Wood (1987)
If you ask any Murakami fan where to start reading his work, they will probably suggest Norwegian Wood. This is a deceptively easy-to-read, bittersweet and beautiful tale of young love and loss, told against the backdrop of student revolts in 1960s Tokyo. Norwegian Wood turned Murakami into a literary icon in Japan and is his bestselling title throughout the world. So, if you find the thought of Murakami’s more massive tomes intimidating, this is a great place to start. It was also adapted into a film by Tran Anh Hung in 2010.
Penguin Shop bundle
Murakami Collectible Classics
(Re)discover Murakami's work with these collectible editions, featuring cover designs by Japanese artists and new introductions by the author himself.
The best Murakami books to read next
A Wild Sheep Chase (1982)
The English-speaking world was first introduced to Murakami with this bizarre, magical realist story about the convoluted hunt for a VIS (Very Important Sheep), in which mysterious letters, significant photographs and perfectly-formed ears abound. The search takes our hero from the urban haunts of Tokyo to the remote and snowy mountains of northern Japan, where he confronts the confines of tradition and demons deep within himself.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1995)
This early career masterpiece ticks every Murakami box – mysterious women, vanishing cats, wells, menacing villains, supernatural influences – not to mention wisdom, ingenuity and powerful storytelling. On publication, it drew comparisons to Raymond Carver, Don DeLillo, Thomas Pynchon and even David Lynch. Many have likened Killing Commendatore, Murakami’s 2017 novel, to The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle in its mesmerising style and tone.
Kafka on the Shore (2002)
Named by the New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2005 the year it was published in English, Kafka on the Shore finesses all of Murakami’s best qualities – his humour, his magical realism, his love of music – into one novel. It’s also one of his most beautifully told tales, as it weaves back and forth between two major character plots until a number of the book’s small details combine, resulting in a single, major outcome that affects both characters.
Absolutely on Music (2011)
If you’ve already read some of Murakami’s fiction, you might be interested to know more about the author – and where better to go than this co-authored book of conversations between Murakami and his friend Seiji Ozawa, the globally acclaimed music conductor. Murakami’s passion for music is evident throughout, from their conversations about Brahms to Glenn Gould, but it’s the insights about creativity and cross-medium connections that make the book a must-read.
Men Without Women (2014)
If you’re still hesitating, why not start small and try a short story? Murakami’s briefer works offer microcosms of his artistic vision and inventiveness, and Men Without Women is his most recent collection. Across seven tales, Murakami brings his powers of observation to bear on the lives of men who, in their own ways, find themselves alone. Here are vanishing cats and smoky bars, lonely hearts and mysterious women, baseball and The Beatles, woven together to tell stories that speak to us all.
Novelist as a Vocation (2022)
If you're curious about how Murakami approaches his craft, this is the book for you. The famously reclusive writer shares with readers what he thinks about being a novelist; his thoughts on the role of the novel in our society; his own origins as a writer; and his musings on the sparks of creativity that inspire other writers, artists, and musicians.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Haruki Murakami so popular?
Murakami has earned a legion of loyal fans due to his unique writing style. Blending surrealism with magical realism and fantasy, he explores universal themes of the human condition like loneliness, love and loss. Despite being a literary heavyweight, the author uses simple prose to explore these ideas, and his protagonists are usually quirky but ordinary people who are drawn into fantastical situations.
In short, Murakami is an author who expresses complex ideas about the way we live through imaginative yet accessible prose.
What is magical realism?
Magical realism is a literary genre where elements of fantasy collide with everyday life. The setting is the real world, but there might be conflicting versions of reality, elements of magic, and a fluid sense of time. Authors usually use these otherworldly elements to underscore the absurdity of everyday life, and key writers in this genre include Haruki Murakami and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, among others.
For more information on the genre, read our comprehensive guide to magical realism.