Tags: book_notes

Murakami’s newest novel is “The Tale of Kaho” (Japanese: released July 3, 2026, by Shichosha), his 16th novel and first in three years since The City and Its Uncertain Walls (2023). The Tale of Kaho is an expansion of four interlinked short stories first serialised in the Japanese magazine Shincho, starting in 2024. Only the first of these stories, Kaho, has as yet been translated into English, by Philip Gabriel for The New Yorker.

Japanese writer Haruki Murakami told Kyodo about his illness:

“I don’t want to go into details. I lost 17 kg and could barely walk. I thought I might never be able to write again.”

However, as the 77-year-old writer admitted, after his discharge, he “felt the desire to write again and was very happy.” Speaking about his future plans, Murakami said that “he doesn’t know how long he will live,” but he wants to continue writing.