An (Extra) Ordinary Cosmopolitan
The Haruki phenomenon is a cosmopolitan one especially in terms of how it contributes to the development of a cosmopolitan cultural sphere. Murakami’s popularity burgeoned from the early 1990s and continues to thrive into the twenty-first century, which i
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The Haruki Phenomenon Haruki Murakami as Cosmopolitan Writer
The Haruki Phenomenon
Tomoki Wakatsuki
The Haruki Phenomenon Haruki Murakami as Cosmopolitan Writer
Tomoki Wakatsuki Tokyo, Japan
ISBN 978-981-15-7548-8 ISBN 978-981-15-7549-5 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-7549-5
(eBook)
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Foreword: Breaking Down the Wall of Japanese Literature
To me, this monograph represents the first attempt in English to apply a systematic and plausible approach to explain what has come to be known as the “Murakami Haruki genshō,” better known in English as the “Murakami phenomenon” or simply the “Haruki phenomenon.” Our current parlance has taken on some bizarre expressions, including (alas) “Murakami-mania” (does this mean there is such a thing as a “Murakami-maniac?”) and even “Harukist.” These gruesome neologisms express, however, something very real that is happening today: Murakami Haruki’s books are being read globally, by what must be one of the most diverse readerships in history. As the author of this volume notes, echoing numerous preceding scholars (Jay Rubin, for one; myself for another), Murakami is read by people around the world, from every social stratum (butcher, baker, and candlestick maker), from all religious backgrounds, from every age group. He is read, perhaps more importantly, by Japanese and non-Japanese alike. And this leads to one of the most common questions I hear—usually from bewildered Japanese news reporters—about this
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