the author

[ information taken from wikipedia ]

ryu murakami [ murakami ryu, born 19 February 1952 in sasebo, nagasaki, japan ] is a japanese novelist and filmmaker. his real name is murakami ryunosuke. he is not related to haruki murakami or takashi murakami.

his first work, a short novel titled almost transparent blue [ kagirinaku tomei ni chikai buru ] which deals with promiscuity and drug use among disaffected japanese youth, won the newcomer's literature prize in 1976. it was critically acclaimed as a new style of literature, though some observers decried it as decadent. blue also won the akutagawa prize later the same year. the novel went on to become a best seller.

in 1980, murakami published the much longer novel coin locker babies, again to critical acclaim.

his novels available in english include: almost transparent blue, translated by nancy andrew; 69, translated by ralph f. mccarthy; coin locker babies, translated by stephen snyder; and in the miso soup, translated by ralph f. mccarthy.

takashi miike's feature film audition [ 1999 ] was based on one of his novels. murakami reportedly liked it so much he gave miike his blessing to adapt coin locker babies, however, miike could not raise funding for the project. an adaptation directed by michele civetta is currently in production.

bibliography

[ translated in English ]

* almost transparent blue [ 1976 ]
* coin locker babies [ 1980 ]
* 69 [ 1987 ]
* in the miso soup [ 1997 ]
* short story I am a Novelist published in the new yorker jan. 3, 2005, translated by ralph mccarthy

[ not translated in english ]

* war begins beyond the sea [ 1977 ]
* raffles hotel [ 1989 ]
* ecstasy [ 1993) ]
* kyoko [ 1995 ] [ is translated into french by Corinne Atlan ]
* lines [ 1998 ]
* parasites [ 2000, is already translated in French by Sylvain Cardonnel ]
* melancholia [ 2000 ]
* dialogue: ryu murakami X joichi ito [ 2006 ]

filmography

[ directed by ]

* almost transparent blue [ 1979 ]
* all right, my friend [ 1983 ]
* raffles hotel [ 1989 ]
* topaz [ aka tokyo decadence ] [ 1992 ]
* kyoko [ aka because of you ] [ 2000 ]

[ written by ]

* almost transparent blue [ 1979 ]
* all right, my friend [ 1983 ]
* raffles hotel [ 1989 ]
* topaz [ aka tokyo decadence ] [ 1992 ]
* topaz II [ a.k.a. Love & Pop ] [ 1996 ]
* audition (1999)
* kyoko [ aka because of you ] [ 2000 ]
* hashire! ishiro [ 2001 ]
* 69 [ 2004 ]
* coin locker babies [ 2008 ]