HARUKI Murakami is famous throughout the world for his novels, but I admire his short stories more than his longer works. His stories are collected in 'After the Quake,' 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman,' 'The Elephant Vanishes,' 'First Person Singular' and 'Men Without Women.'

His stories offer a diverse array of narratives, each with its strange blend of the surreal and the mundane. From mysterious disappearances to encounters with talking cats, they cover a spectrum of genres. In these flights of fancy, Murakami maintains his distinctive style while exploring different facets of experience.