From the First Person

Haruki Murakami – a Japanese writer who became a classic during his lifetime. During a baseball game in 1978, Murakami suddenly realized that he could write a book. He created his first texts at night in his jazz bar. This collection of stories is the quintessence of the author's creativity. Is this an autobiographical book? Yes and no. Murakami will tell you eight stories, and you will decide for yourself whether you believe him. On the pages of the book, you will encounter a girl writing tanka and shouting someone else's name at the peak of pleasure. An old man who will tell about the cream of creams – the essence of life. On the shelves of the store, there will be a nonexistent record by The Birds. The narrator will meet the ugliest woman and listen to all the recordings of Schumann's "Carnival" with her. A beautiful girl with a record of "With the Beatles" will pass through the school corridor and will dissolve into oblivion forever. And a talking monkey from Shinagawa will confess over a mug of beer that it stole names from women.