Haruki Murakami Research Paper

Haruki Murakami was born on January 12, 1949 in Kyoto, Japan to an interesting time-period. It was just several years after the end of World War II, 1945, and the fall of the Imperial Japan and its capital, Kyoto (Anderson). The postwar events of the 20th century, including The American Occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1952 has influenced his works (Anderson).

Murakami’s parents were teachers who taught the Japanese language and literature, so at an early age, he was immersed into this literary world. As an only child with strict parents, Murakami often felt alienated and this feeling in particular is reflected and can be seen in his writings (Anderson). Growing up, he was not allowed to read comic books, so instead, his parents introduced

He graduated in 1975 and soon after, opened up a jazz bar near Tokyo, while working on his writings. Although he spent most of his live creating stories, he was filled with uncertainty and was debating on whether or not he should pursue a career in writing. In 1981, he officially left his jazz bar to focus on becoming a writer. In His first two novels were successful, but even then, he questioned his decision. In 1982, he was awarded the Noma Literary Prize for his third novel, A Wild Sheep Chase, and it was then that he realized this it is the right career for him (Rubin). Growing up in the years America occupied Japan, Murakami became the voice of his generation. He was influenced by many American writers, such as Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (“Colorful Haruki Murakami”), so his works are different from traditional Japanese writings. Traditionally, the Japanese writing style is more serious and of tragic, while Murakami’s writing style is laid-back and humorous (“Colorful Haruki Murakami”). Much of Murakami’s stories are of incidents that causes things to be out of order in a society, causing the protagonists to be confused and leaving them feeling