
These stories remind the reader how powerful the mind is, and I’ve remained convinced of this since my first reading of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. In each work, the characters’ lives are completely altered because of dreams, memories, nostalgia, or other manifestations of the unconscious.

These six books are my favorite works of Haruki Murakami and what I consider the best Murakami books because of the way they deal with the unconscious. SURREALIST NOVELS The Best Haruki Murakami Books – Surrealism If you’d rather read Murakami’s novels in chronological order, you find that here. I like to read these in the same general time frame because the reader gets a feel for how Murakami’s worlds function. The novels I have listed below are grouped by a general style. Each of his novels stands alone, but some work together quite well. And even though you can’t really go wrong, I will suggest what I think would work best for most readers. After that first exposure, they almost always ask what to read next. As most of you know, reading any Murakami novel is an absolute joy, even if you feel wrecked by the end.Īfter one taste of Murakami’s novels, my students are hooked. My goal is always to help reignite my student’s passion for reading. My reason is not necessarily about Haruki Murakami. I teach literature and writing courses at the college level and always try to include one of Murakami’s novels or short stories in my syllabus. The following gives you an overview of Haruki Murakami’s books and a suggested reading order for his novels and short stories. If you are interested in finding out why, but you don’t know where to start or where to go after you first dig in, this post will break it down for you. 1949) is one of the most popular and respected contemporary authors still writing. “When I open them, most of the books have the smell of an earlier time leaking out between the pages–a special odor of the knowledge and emotions that for ages have been calmly resting between the covers.” Haruki Murakami Ralph Ellison and Kenneth Burke on Race, Writing, and Friendship.Kenneth Burke on Reading for Identification.Lost in Translation: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.

Ray Bradbury on the Seduction of Space in The Rocket Man.Genius and Ink: Virginia Woolf on How to Read.Walter Benjamin on the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.Simone Weil on the Generosity of Attention in Gravity and Grace.Simone de Beauvoir on The Ethics of Ambiguity and Existential Courage.

The Role of Reciprocity in Nature in Haruki Murakami’s The Elephant Vanishes.Bridge and Door: Georg Simmel on How Separation Inspires Human Connection.Mary Oliver Finds the Antidote to Confusion in Literature.Transforming 1984: The Pursuit of Wisdom and Wonder With How We Read.Ethics of the Infinite: The Origins of Radical Responsibility in the Thought of Emmanuel Levinas.
