Naturally I have zero friends. I've built a wall around me, never letting anybody inside and trying not to venture outside myself. Who could like someone like that? They all keep an eye on me, but I'm just glad they didn't bother me. They might hate me, or even afraid of me.

Since 2000
Sputnik Sweetheart was first publiHaruki Murakamid in 1999 followed by Kafka on the Shore in 2002 with the English translation following in 2005. Murakami said "Each of us possesses a tangible living soul. It was chosen by the New York Times as a "notable book of the year".

He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature. Murakami's fiction often criticized by Japan's literary establishment is humorous and surreal focusing on themes of alienation and loneliness.