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[/floatr]AP: Murakami's novel a hit in Japan before it arrivesEverything is secret, except the author and title. But the first novel in five years by Japan's Haruki Murakami has become a hit even before its arrival in stores Friday. "It is amazing. People are craving his latest novel," said Takashi Machii, spokesman for the book's publisher Shinchosha, which has raised its first printing to 480,000 copies, up from 380,000 after orders flooded in. Murakami, 60, is one of the most widely translated Japanese writers alive, with global best-sellers such as "Norwegian Wood,""Kafka on the Shore" and "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle." He is considered a top Japanese candidate for the Nobel Prize in literature. In a clever marketing scheme, the contents of his new novel have been kept secret. Fans ordering the book know nothing but the title, "1Q84," which can be read as "1984" in Japanese. "I don't care a bit," longtime Murakami fan Michiyo Sato said Thursday of the book's mystery, after buying the 1,000-page, 3,600 yen novel at one of a handful of stores that began selling it Wednesday ahead of its nationwide rollout...more...
