Order of Book Series
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Haruki Murakami Books in Order

Haruki Murakami has written 44 books, published between 1979 and 2025. The first book is Hear the Wind Sing (1979) and the newest is Super-Frog Saves Tokyo (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
44
Published
1979–2025
Confirmed
37 of 44 titles
Pages on record
8,222 in 27 of 44 books
Reading time
137–206 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 8,222 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 27 of 44 titles with a page count on record.

See all 44 books in order Printable Haruki Murakami checklist
Photo of Haruki Murakami, author

Haruki Murakami writes Japanese literary fiction in novels and short stories, much of it translated into English and much of it psychological with a fantastic edge. The catalogue holds 44 titles, opening with Hear the Wind Sing (1979) and taking in Pinball, 1973 (1980), A Wild Sheep Chase (1982), Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (1985) and Norwegian Wood (1987). The Rat books and Kishidancho Goroshi are the named sequences, and Super-Frog Saves Tokyo is the most recent entry.

Murakami's novels explore loneliness, love and the search for meaning, blending Eastern and Western influences with a dreamlike, philosophical style. Kafka on the Shore is among his titles alongside Norwegian Wood.

How many Haruki Murakami books are there?

Haruki Murakami has 44 books, released between 1979 and 2025. They include 2 series and 39 titles listed outside any series.

Haruki Murakami Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 44 Haruki Murakami books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami, book 1 of the Rat series (1979)
  2. Cover of Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami, book 2 of the Rat series (1980)
  3. Cover of A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami, book 3 of the Rat series (1982)
  4. Cover of Desire by Haruki Murakami (1984)
  5. Cover of Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (1985)
  6. Cover of Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (1987)
  7. Cover of Dance, Dance, Dance by Haruki Murakami, book 4 of the Rat series (1988)
  8. Cover of The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami (1993)
  9. Cover of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami (1997)
  10. Cover of South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami (1999)
  11. Cover of Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami (2000)
  12. Cover of Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami (2001)
  13. Cover of After the Quake by Haruki Murakami (2002)
  14. Cover of Vintage Murakami by Haruki Murakami (2004)
  15. Cover of Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (2005)
  16. Cover of Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami (2006)
  17. Cover of After Dark by Haruki Murakami (2007)
  18. Cover of What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami (2008)
  19. Cover of 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (2011)
  20. Cover of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami (2014)
  21. Cover of Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami (2015)
  22. Cover of Haruki Murakami Goes to Meet Hayao Kawai by Haruki Murakami (2016)
  23. Cover of Absolutely on Music by Haruki Murakami (2016)
  24. Cover of Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami, book 1 of the Kishidancho Goroshi series (2017)
  1. 1
    Hear the Wind SingRat #11979 · confirmed 3/4
    1979–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Pinball, 1973Rat #21980 · 215 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1980215
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl on One Beautiful April Morning1981 · confirmed 2/4
    1981–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    A Wild Sheep ChaseRat #31982 · 299 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1982299
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Vampire Cabbie1983 · confirmed 2/4
    1983–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Desire1984 · confirmed 3/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World1985 · 400 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1985400
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Kangaroo Weather1986 · confirmed 3/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Norwegian Wood1987 · 298 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1987298
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Sleep1987 · confirmed 2/4
    1987–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Dance, Dance, DanceRat #41988 · 393 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1988393
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    The Elephant Vanishes1993 · 327 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1993327
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle1997 · 607 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1997607
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    South of the Border, West of the Sun1999 · 213 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1999213
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche2000 · 366 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2000366
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Sputnik Sweetheart2001 · 210 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2001210
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    After the Quake2002 · 160 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Vintage Murakami2004 · 182 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2004182
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Kafka on the Shore2005 · 480 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2005480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman2006 · 362 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2006362
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Tony Takitani2006 · confirmed 2/4
    2006–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    After Dark2007 · 240 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2007240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    What I Talk About When I Talk About Running2008 · 179 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2008179
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Murakami Diary 20092008 · 176 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2008176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    1Q842011 · 1158 pages · confirmed 3/4
    20111158
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    The Strange Library2012 · 96 pages · confirmed 3/4
    201296
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Drive My Car2013 · confirmed 3/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage2014 · 336 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2014336
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    村上さんのところ2015 · confirmed 2/4
    2015–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Novelist as a Vocation2015 · confirmed 3/4
    2015–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Haruki Murakami books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Rat in order

4 books
  1. 1. Hear the Wind Sing
  2. 2. Pinball, 1973
  3. 3. A Wild Sheep Chase
  4. 4. Dance, Dance, Dance

Kishidancho Goroshi in order

1 book
  1. 1. Killing Commendatore

Standalone books

39 books

39 Haruki Murakami titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Haruki Murakami Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Haruki Murakami books run from Hear the Wind Sing (1979) to Super-Frog Saves Tokyo (2025), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Haruki Murakami in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Haruki Murakami books in order?

You only need to read Haruki Murakami books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Haruki Murakami

Start with Hear the Wind Sing (1979), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Haruki Murakami book?

Super-Frog Saves Tokyo (2025) is the newest Haruki Murakami book released so far.

Is there a new Haruki Murakami book coming?

No next Haruki Murakami book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Haruki Murakami has won

Wikidata records 11 awards for Haruki Murakami. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Princess of Asturias Literary Prize2023Won
  • Prix mondial Cino Del Duca2022Won
  • Hans Christian Andersen Literature Award2016Won
  • Ignotus Award for Best Foreign Novel2012Wonfor 1Q84
  • Jerusalem Prize2009Won
  • Premio Arcebispo Xoán de San Clemente de novela estranxeira2008Wonfor Kafka on the Shore
  • Franz Kafka Prize2006Won
  • World Fantasy Award for Best Novel2006Wonfor Kafka on the Shore
  • Yomiuri Prize1995Won
  • Tanizaki Prize1985Won
  • Noma Literary New Face Prize1982Won

Haruki Murakami at a glance

Still publishing
Haruki Murakami published a book as recently as 2025.
Release pace
Haruki Murakami books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
8,222 pages across the 27 of 44 books with a recorded length, a median of 240 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Haruki Murakami books, 12 of 44, were published in the 2010s.

What the Haruki Murakami books are about

27 of the 44 Haruki Murakami books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: japan is tagged on 5 of 27. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Japan 5 of 27 books
  • Man-woman relationships 5 of 27 books
  • Short stories 5 of 27 books
  • Japanese Authors 4 of 27 books
  • Literary 3 of 27 books
  • Social life and customs 3 of 27 books
  • Belletristische Darstellung 2 of 27 books
  • Biography 2 of 27 books
  • Fantasy, contemporary 2 of 27 books
  • Interviews 2 of 27 books
  • Japanese fiction 2 of 27 books
  • Japanisch 2 of 27 books