Haruki Murakami

Novelist as a Vocation

A charmingly idiosyncratic look at writing, creativity, and the author’s own novels.

Haruki Murakami’s myriad fans will be delighted by this unique look into the mind of a master storyteller.  In this engaging book, the internationally best-selling author and 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. Readers who have long wondered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas and what inspires his strangely surreal worlds will be fascinated by this highly personal look at the craft of writing.

Gems to take away for any creative process. Really appreciated his straight forwardness. 

Shanik Tanna

JoAnna

I enjoyed this window into Murakami's writer life: how he started writing, how his process evolved (from writing whatever he felt like to using narrative frameworks; from writing around his work schedule to selling his cafe and writing full time), and how he broke into the American market, not through the process set aside for "translated writers," but the way any English-language writer would. I get the sense he's faced a lot of criticism domestically throughout his career, and this is reflected in the different essays. My favorite essays were the ones that spoke purely about his philosophy on writing, and less the ones that detailed his thoughts on literary prizes, originality, etc.

Simona Paunova

A charmingly idiosyncratic look at writing, creativity, and the author's own novels. Haruki Murakami's myriad fans will be delighted by this unique look into the mind of a master storyteller. In this engaging book, the internationally best-selling author and 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. Readers who have long wondered where the mysterious novelist gets his ideas and what inspires his strangely surreal worlds will be fascinated by this highly personal look at the craft of writing.

Novelist as a Vocation

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