{"title":"Illustrated by PMGL","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9784805317648","title":"Haruki Murakami Manga Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eHaruki Murakami's stories in graphic novel form for the first time!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHaruki Murakami's novels, essays and short stories have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into dozens of languages. Now for the first time, many of Murakami's best-loved short stories are available in graphic novel form in English. \u003ci\u003eHaruki Murakami Manga Stories\u003c\/i\u003e is one of three short story compilations, which present a total of 9 short stories from Murakami's bestselling collections. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith their trademark mix of realism and fantasy, centering around Murakami's characteristic themes of loss, remorse and confusion, the four stories in this volume are:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSuper-Frog Saves Tokyo:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e A few days after an earthquake, Katagiri discovers a giant frog in this home. The frog promises to save Tokyo from another earthquake, but Katagiri must help him. Is this real, or is Katagiri dreaming? \"[This story has] such an engaging mix of realism and fantasy that it takes a while for you to realize what a sad undertow the story has and how much it says about Katagiri's solitary life, his feelings of powerlessness and his dread of another quake.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhere I'm Likely to Find It:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e A woman's husband goes missing so she hires detective. As the detective traces the man's whereabouts, he reflects on the meaning of his own life. \"A searching Kafkaesque parable about disappearance, loss and coping.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBirthday Girl:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e A woman tells her friend the story of a surreal encounter she has on her twentieth birthday with the owner of the restaurant where she works, who grants her a wish. \u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Seventh Man:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e The story of a man scarred by the death of his childhood friend in a tsunami. \"Although Murakami's style and deadpan humour are wonderfully distinctive, his emotional territory is more familiar—remorse, unresolved confusion, sudden epiphanies—though heightened by the surreal. In \u003ci\u003eThe Seventh Man\u003c\/i\u003e, one of his saddest stories, the narrator recalls the wave that reared up during a freak storm and engulfed his childhood friend.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese new graphic versions of classic Murakami short stories will be devoured by his fans and will provide a new window onto his work for a new generation of readers not yet familiar with it!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e**Recommended for readers ages 16+ due to mature themes and graphic content**\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309951037813,"sku":"9784805317648","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9784805317648_dba3b213-0ab8-4402-bf0d-d84cb762bdbb.jpg?v=1786031937"},{"product_id":"9784805317679","title":"Haruki Murakami Manga Stories","description":"\u003cb\u003eHaruki Murakami's best-loved stories finally in graphic novel form!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHaruki Murakami's novels, essays and short stories have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into scores of languages. Now for the first time, in this three-volume series, Murakami's best-loved stories are available in manga form in English. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith their trademark mix of realism and fantasy, centering around Murakami's signature themes of loss, remorse and confusion. The three stories in this volume are:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Second Bakery Attack\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e: A newlywed couple lie in bed, hungry. The man tells his wife about when he and a friend robbed a bakery and stole bread to feed themselves for two days. On hearing this story, the woman suggests they try the same thing again. \u003cbr\u003e\" […] exemplifies Murakami's sense of the fragility of the ordinary world.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSamsa in Love:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e An extension of the tale of Gregor Samsa in Kafka's \u003ci\u003eThe Metamorphosis\u003c\/i\u003e. The main character wakes up to find himself transformed into someone named Samsa, then falls in love with a hunchback woman who comes to fix the lock on his door. \u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eSamsa in Love\u003c\/i\u003e is part of a lineage, going back to the original publication of \u003ci\u003eThe Metamorphosis\u003c\/i\u003e in 1915 and extending up to (and beyond?) the present day.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThailand\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e: A middle-aged woman takes a break from her job as a doctor to go on holiday in Thailand. She learns from a spirit doctor that her sterile life and inability to forgive have created a rock in her gut, which will be all that remains of her after she is dead. \u003cbr\u003e\"His characters are so persuasive, and the storytelling so spacious.… Murakami's crisp, accomplished stories…have great immediacy.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese new graphic versions of classic Murakami short stories will be devoured by his fans and will provide a new window onto his work for a new generation of readers not yet familiar with it!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e**Recommended for readers ages 16+ due to mature themes and graphic content**\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309952807285,"sku":"9784805317679","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9784805317679_ea98c2c9-9001-431c-8602-ae13181a18bf.jpg?v=1786031941"},{"product_id":"9784805317686","title":"Haruki Murakami Manga Stories 3","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Enchanting…intriguing […] A wonderfully surreal quality and a hip, witty tone.\" —The Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHaruki Murakami's novels, essays and stories have sold millions of copies worldwide and been translated into fifty languages. Now for the first time, his best-loved stories are available in manga form, in three independent volumes.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese adaptations have been hailed by \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e as \"a must-read for Murakami buffs and a quirky invitation into the writer's perspective and preoccupations for newcomers,\" while \u003ci\u003eBook Riot\u003c\/i\u003e says \"Long-time fans are sure to appreciate this new approach to Murakami's work, while newcomers will find it an evocative introduction.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWith their trademark mix of realism and fantasy, centering around Murakami's signature themes of loss, remorse and confusion, the two stories in this volume are:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eScheherazade:\u003c\/b\u003e A man, Habara, is confined to his home, as though under house arrest. He is visited regularly by a woman, Scheherazade, who brings provisions then has sex with him. She tells him about a boy she was in love with in high school, and how she would break into his house. She starts re-enacting the break-ins, which further enhances their passion. At the end of the story, Habara anxiously awaits her next break-in and the continuing account of her youthful affair. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"Tortured love affairs […] are nothing new to Murakami's vast store of plotlines.\" —The New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSleep:\u003c\/b\u003e A housewife has not slept for many days, but her family doesn't notice. She stays up all night reading Anna Karenina and sees her surroundings through new eyes. Her sleeplessness provides freedom from a monotonous life looking after her husband and son. \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"A brilliant story that uses the liminality of the night to evoke the unease of being a woman in a patriarchal society.\" —The Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese graphic novel versions of Murakami's classic stories will be devoured by his fans and will provide a new window onto his work for readers not yet familiar with it!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e*This volume is shrink-wrapped and recommended for readers ages 18+ due to mature themes and graphic content.*\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309952840053,"sku":"9784805317686","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9784805317686_27ce9b4e-2f37-4dad-9d15-7160ada3fb03.jpg?v=1786031942"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/illustrator-pmgl.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}