Novelist as a Vocation — Haruki Murakami

Translated from Japanese by Philip Gabriel and Ted Goossen

Hardcover | Knopf | November 8, 2022

The Gist

A literary giant reflects on a 35+-year career.

Read If You Like

• Haruki Murakami’s works

• Essay Collections

• On Writing by Stephen King

• Still Writing by Dani Shapiro

The Verdict: Borrow It

In Novelist as a Vocation, the literary titan Haruki Murakami reflects on his career. Out of the eleven essays, six have been previously published, but all are being translated for the first time. The essays are conversational and cover a range of topics about the writing life. But unlike other craft books, Murakami’s collection is less about giving advice and more about giving insight into his take on writing and his 35+ years as a novelist. In the foreword, Murakami states that he’s been writing these essays since 2010 without much intention of publishing them, and so it makes sense that Novelist as a Vocation tends to wander and weave in and out of ideas and experiences, rather than make concrete arguments. These essays were more for Murakami than anyone else. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that the free-flowing structure makes for a slow read. This isn’t the type of collection you’re going to want to devour one essay after another. But it’s a great book for those looking to spend a moment with a fellow author who’s been “in the ring,” as Murakami puts it, for a long time.