Murakami: "I’ll explain why my writing is different from AI"

The famous Japanese writer Haruki Murakami he stated that his books are “completely different” from what theartificial intelligence (AI)in an interview published this Friday to mark the launch of his new novel.

“The Story of Kaho”, the author’s first book to have a woman as the protagonist, went on sale at midnight in some bookstores in Japan, where lines of dozens of people formed.

AI and writing

“The AI ​​takes into account everything that has happened so far and establishes analogies,” Murakami assured in a conversation with the news agency Kyodo. “But the processes by which I write novels are completely different.”

Rapid advances in generative AI have made it possible for these models to write complete books and stories in seconds. However, the role of a novelist is to “bring out something new that suddenly crosses your mind,” Murakami defended.

Who is Murakami?

The author of “Tokyo Blues” and “Kafka on the Beach” is known for his complex narratives about the absurd and loneliness of modern life, translated into around fifty languages. His books have also had a great following in Italy with the spread of what many call “magical realism”, in which the everyday life of human events merges with the thousand possibilities, invisible to the eye, that magic can create or make us imagine.

When he immerses himself in writing a story, Murakami’s characters suddenly appear to him, and “it’s not something that comes from analogies,” he explained. “AI probably can’t do it,” he argued.

A woman protagonist for the first time

In his new work, a woman takes on the main role for the first time, his publishing house, Shinchosha, said on its website. “I had the sensation of seeing the world through different eyes than those I usually use”, assured the writer in another interview with the newspaper Asahi published this Friday.

“Of course, I can only imagine how women see the world,” she added. “But when I wrote ‘Kafka on the Beach,’ I was seeing the world through the eyes of a fifteen-year-old boy, and in that sense, a novelist can become anything.”

“Shortly before writing this book, I spent some time at Wellesley Collegea women’s university in the United States,” the author explained to the Japanese newspaper. “There is a lot of appreciation for women’s points of view these days, and I think being immersed in that environment also influenced Kaho this time,” he continued.

The wait for the new book

There were those who waited for midnight in front of bookshops, those who took part in nocturnal readings and those who showed up when the shops opened, like at the Sanseido bookshop, the following morning. The release of a new book by Haruki Murakami in Japan continues to be an event capable of attracting readers of all ages, ready to dive back into the writer’s narrative universe after three years of waiting.

Recently reopened after four years of renovation work, the historic Sanseido bookshop, in the Jimbocho neighborhood – the book district of Tokyo, famous for its dozens of bookshops – opened its doors to a group of enthusiasts who spent the night reading Murakami, gathered among the shelves illuminated by soft lights.

Even the main bookstore of Kinokuniya, in the lively Shinjuku district, organized a countdown until midnight to celebrate the release of the new book together with the most passionate fans. The next morning, however, there was no shortage of readers who arrived early to purchase a copy.

“Murakami focuses on the deepest part of people and shuns superficiality,” Rinako, 38, who has followed the writer for almost twenty years, told EFE. According to the reader, her simple style makes the works particularly fluid and accessible. Ohtake Hideki, 57 years old, was clutching several copies of the volume: one intended for reading and the others to be kept intact in his library. “I’m passionate about finding what lies behind Murakami’s stories,” he explained.

The main works

Among the most famous works of the Japanese writer are Norwegian Wood (published in Italy as Tokyo Blues1987), Sputnik, my love (1999) e Kafka on the beach (2002). His books have been translated into over fifty languages. Kaho’s story it will be published in Italy by Tusquets Editores in spring 2027.

For years indicated as one of the main candidates for the Nobel Prize for Literature, Murakami has received numerous international awards, including the Frank Kafka Prize and the Yomiuri Prize for Literature.