TOKYO, July 3 (Kyodo/APP): Internationally renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami on Friday released "The Tale of Kaho," his first full-length novel in three years. The first print run will total 250,000 copies, with a simultaneous release of an e-book edition, the publisher Shinchosha said. The novel centers on a 26-year-old author of picture books named Kaho and is the first time Murakami has depicted a woman as the lone protagonist …
Japanese author Haruki Murakami releases 1st novel in 3 years
TOKYO, July 3 (Kyodo/APP): Internationally renowned Japanese author Haruki Murakami on Friday released “The Tale of Kaho,” his first full-length novel in three years.
The first print run will total 250,000 copies, with a simultaneous release of an e-book edition, the publisher Shinchosha said.
The novel centers on a 26-year-old author of picture books named Kaho and is the first time Murakami has depicted a woman as the lone protagonist of a novel, according to Shinchosha.
The novel compiles and reimagines his four-part “Kaho” series, which was published in the literary magazine Shincho from June 2024 to March 2026.
Murakami told Kyodo News in an interview that the novel “was so much fun to write,” akin to the process of assembling short stories.
“When I finished the previous part, after a while I’d think I might be able to write the next part, and I’d connect them loosely, then make a few touches at the end. Strangely, there weren’t many contradictions, and the plot didn’t go off in a weird direction,” he said.
Murakami was born in Kyoto in 1949. He has received numerous literary awards in Japan and abroad, including the Franz Kafka Prize, and is also an accomplished translator, particularly of American literature.
His works include the bestselling novels “Norwegian Wood,” “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle,” and “1Q84.” His latest novel, “The Tale of Kaho,” is his first full-length work since “The City and its Uncertain Walls,” published in 2023.
