murakami, haruki

Presents vital information on the most-studied short stories at the high school and early-college levels. Each entry contains author biography, plot summary, characters, themes, style, historical context, critical overview, and criticism.

Provides analysis and criticism of recent novels and other works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry and drama.

"A riveting new collection of short stories from the beloved, internationally acclaimed, Haruki Murakami. The eight masterful stories in this new collection are all told in the first person by a classic Murakami narrator: a lonely man. Some of them (like "With the Beatles," "Cream," and "On a Stone Pillow" ) are nostalgic looks back at youth. Others are set in adulthood--"Charlie Parker Plays Bossa Nova," "Carnaval," "Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey" and the stunning title story. Occasionally, a narrator who may or may not be Haruki himself is present, as in "The Yakult Swallows Poetry Collection." Is it memoir or fiction? The reader decides. The stories all touch beautifully on love and loss, childhood and death . . . all with a signature Murakami twist"--Provided by publisher.

Presents a guide to the novel "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle", by Haruki Murakami, and provides biographical information on the author, an analysis of the text-- examining its most important themes and ideas, and a summary of how the novel was received when it was first published, and how it is considered today.

The author reflects on how running has influenced his life and writing, discussing the places he has trained, the people he has met, and the races he has run.

Contains seventeen short fiction stories by Haruki Murakami about people whose lives veer off the path of normalcy.

A biography of Japanese author Haruki Murakami, discussing the baseball game that inspired his first published novel, Murakami's writing style, and the international success of his works.

The author reflects on how running has influenced his life and writing, discussing the places he has trained, the people he has met, and the races he has run.