Haruki Murakami: Then and Now

Haruki Murakami: Then and Now

From Selected Shorts by Symphony Space

February 26, 2026 · 59 min

About this episode

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories by Haruki Murakami that showcase his emotional imagination over 35 years.

Host Meg Wolitzer presents two stories by the extraordinary Japanese writer Haruki Murakami that demonstrate the breadth of his emotional imagination over a career of 35 years. In an early story, “The Window,” a professional letter-writer recalls an intimate encounter with a woman, and a hamburger steak. The reader is Mike Doyle. In the later story, “Kahu,” read by Jennifer Ikeda, a woman goes on a blind date, only to be blindsided. Both stories were recorded at the Japan Society in New York City, as part of an ongoing collaboration with Selected Shorts.

People in this episode

Host: Meg Wolitzer

Guests: Mike Doyle, Jennifer Ikeda

Topics covered

  • Haruki Murakami
  • emotional imagination
  • short stories
  • Japanese literature
  • blind date
  • intimate encounters

Keywords

  • Haruki Murakami
  • The Window
  • Kahu
  • short stories
  • Japan Society
  • New York City

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Japan Society, Selected Shorts

Books & works: The Window, Kahu

Places: New York City

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