“I stayed in the town until early evening, and when the sun began to sink, my heart did too. This is your last chance to go back, I told myself. Once it gets completely dark, you might never be able to leave here. I went home on the same buses that had brought me there. I arrived before seven, and no one noticed that I had run away.”

Japanese writer

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer known for his novels, essays, and short stories. His work has reached readers in Japan and far beyond, and he has received many major literary awards. Murakami’s books have been best-sellers, with translations in 50 languages and millions of copies sold outside Japan. His honors include the Gunzo Prize for New Writers, the World Fantasy Award, the Tanizaki Prize, the Yomiuri Prize for Literature, the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award, the Noma Literary Prize, the Franz Kafka Prize, the Kiriyama Prize for Fiction, the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Fiction, the Jerusalem Prize, and the Princess of Asturias Awards.