“For novelists or musicians, if they really want to create something, they need to go downstairs and find a passage to get into the second basement. What I want to do is go down there, but still stay sane.”

Japanese novelist and short story writer, 1949–present. His work blends surrealism with everyday life, exploring themes of isolation and the uncanny. Known for novels like *Norwegian Wood* and *Kafka on the Shore*, which have earned him global literary acclaim.