Murakami is set to publish his first novel featuring a female protagonist
Japanese author Haruki Murakami will release his new novel, *The Story of Kaho*, this summer. The 352-page book tells the story of Kaho, a 26-year-old children’s book author. The novel is an expanded version of a four-part series previously published in *Shincho* magazine.
This was reported by The Guardian.
The story begins with a blind date during which a man calls Kaho “ugly.”
The book “The Tale of Kaho” is a sequel to Murakami’s novel “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” which was published in 2024.
The 77-year-old author has previously faced criticism on multiple occasions for his one-dimensional or sexualized portrayal of female characters. In a 2004 interview with The Paris Review, he explained: “In my stories, women are mediums, harbingers of the world to come. That’s why they always come to the protagonist; he doesn’t go to them.”
In a February interview with The New York Times, Murakami said that writing from a woman’s perspective was unusual for him, yet at the same time natural: “I became her.” He also noted that this novel turned out to be more optimistic than his previous works.
The writer revealed few details about the plot. According to Murakami, the main character is “a very ordinary girl” to whom and around whom many strange things happen.
Murakami is one of the most famous contemporary Japanese authors. Over the course of his 47-year career, he has written 15 novels, which have been translated into approximately 50 languages. Among his most famous works are *Norwegian Wood*, *Kafka on the Shore*, and *1Q84*. The author has won numerous international awards. He is also regularly mentioned as a potential contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature.
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