Haruki Murakami is a contemporary Japanese author and translator whose works invoke classical music. The critics describe his writing style as ‘an easily accessible, yet profoundly complex’. Murakami is inspired by Western culture, music and literature. Since he grew up reading American writers, his works are very different from the conventional Japanese authors. He was a drama student at Tokyo’s Waseda University. After completing his education, he joined a record studio, where he got inspired to write Toru Wantabe’s character in Norwegian Wood. This is how he began his literary career. Meanwhile, he ran a coffeehouse cum evening jazz bar named ‘Peter Cat’ in Kokubunji. Since then, he has published several fiction and non-fiction books like A Wild Sheep Chase (1982), Kafka on the Shore (2002), The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (1994-95), 1Q84 (2009-2010). He also translated the famous works of Salinger, Carver and other English authors to Japanese. Some of Murakami’s bestselling works sold millions of copies worldwide and were translated into 50 different languages. He achieved critical appreciation and numerous awards like World Fantasy Award (2006), Franz Kafka Prize (2006), Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award (2006) and Jerusalem Prize (2009). His musical works are not just surrealistic but melancholic and inspiring for young authors. The Guardian named him as the greatest living novelists of postmodern literature. We have curated a collection of best quotes from Murakami’s brilliant career by combing through all of his novels and writings to get his best thoughts and quotes. Here are some of his most inspiring quotes on life, loss, and everything in between.
But I didn't understand then. That I could hurt somebody so badly she would never recover. That a person can, just by living, damage another human being beyond repair.
I was always hungry for love. Just once, I wanted to know what it was like to get my fill of it -- to be fed so much love I couldn't take any more. Just once.
Every one of us is losing something precious to us. Lost opportunities, lost possibilities, feelings we can never get back again. That’s part of what it means to be alive.
In this world, there are things you can only do alone, and things you can only do with somebody else. It's important to combine the two in just the right amount.
