The Problem of Loneliness in the Works by Haruki Murakami

Abstract

Haruki Murakami was born in Kyoto, Japan, in 1949. He grew up in Kobe and then moved to Tokyo, where he attended Waseda University. After college, Murakami opened a small jazz bar, which he and his wife ran for seven years. His first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, won the Gunzou Literature Prize for budding writers in 1979. He followed this success with two sequels, Pinball, 1973 and A Wild Sheep Chase, which all together form “The Trilogy of the Rat.” Murakami is also the author of the novels Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World; Norwegian Wood; Dance Dance Dance; South of the Border, West of the Sun; The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle; Kafka on the Shore and others. In a general sense, the concept of loneliness can be divided into two perceptions. The first one is positive. In the sense of temporary, short-term solitude and isolation from the outside world and contact with other people, mastering your own emotions, experiences or basically resting. The second one is negative, which is more often used to define the word “loneliness.” It’s forced solitude, the causes of which are many. This feeling arises from long-term superficial communication with the society, which does not really have a special emotional load. Sometimes this feeling occurs with young people who could not find a suitable partner, a second half, find their love. This is a common problem in the works of Haruki Murakami.