Japan’s most popular author, Haruki Murakami is an international star of modern literature. But how much do you know about his life and work. Test your knowledge with our fun Murakami Quiz
“Even chance meetings are the result of karma… Things in life are fated by our previous lives. That even in the smallest events there’s no such thing as coincidence.” Haruki Murakami
The Wind-Up Murakami Quiz
Results
#1. Which of these translators has not translated a Murakami Novel?
Unlucky! Donald Steele never translated any of Murakami’s work
#2. Haruki Murakami's favorite musical genre which appears in many novels is ?
Unlucky! Jazz is his favorite music genre, before writing he ran a Jazz Club
#3. Murakami's first published Japanese novel in 1979 was?
Unlucky! Hear the Wind Sing was his first published novel
#4. Which of these titles is not a short story collection?
Unlucky! Dance Dance Dance was the odd one out
#5. The lead female character in 1Q84 is a hitwoman named?
Unlucky! Aomane was the female character
#6. In Sputnik Sweetheart, K travels to which European country to look for Sumire?
Unlucky! Greece is the correct answer
#7. In Kafka on the Shore, Satoru Nakata can talk to which animals?
Unlucky! He could talk to cats
#8. Which of these titles is not part of his Rat Trilogy?
Unlucky! Killing Commendatore is the odd one out
#9. Drive my Car, the 2021 Japanese movie, was an adaptation of which collection of Murakami stories
Unlucky! It was adapted from the Men Without Women collection
#10. In April 2023 Murakami released his latest novel in Japan, what will its English title be?
Unlucky! The City and Its Uncertain Walls is the title
Haruki Murakami Best Books
You can check out our new feature on Haruki Murakami Books where we rank all his novels.
Samsa in Love by Haruki Murakami
He woke to discover that he had undergone a metamorphosis and become Gregor Samsa.
He lay flat on his back on the bed, looking at the ceiling. It took time for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. The ceiling seemed to be a common, everyday ceiling of the sort one might find anywhere. Once, it had been painted white, or possibly a pale cream. Years of dust and dirt, however, had given it the color of spoiled milk. It had no ornament, no defining characteristic. No argument, no message. It fulfilled its structural role but aspired to nothing further.
There was a tall window on one side of the room, to his left, but its curtain had been removed and thick boards nailed across the frame. An inch or so of space had been left between the horizontal boards, whether on purpose or not wasn’t clear; rays of morning sun shone through, casting a row of bright parallel lines on the floor. Why was the window barricaded in such a rough fashion? Was a major storm or tornado in the offing? Or was it to keep someone from getting in? Or to prevent someone (him, perhaps?) from leaving?
An excerpt from Samsa in Love by Haruki Murakami, read the full short story here
