Midnight spider monkey

Author: Haruki Murakami
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
Features: Haruki Murakami's 36 ultra-short stories, with imaginative plots, humorous and witty, full of avant-garde elements; 36 colorful illustrations by Yasuji "Monty" Ando, lively and adorable, full of fun, with a distinct Japanese charm. The collaboration between a renowned writer and a celebrated artist creates this artistic masterpiece of text and images. The book is exquisitely designed with vibrant colors, perfect for leisure reading as well as collection. The short pieces (though the term feels a bit awkward, but I can't think of a better one) were, to be honest, originally created for a series of magazine advertisements. Some of the works were used for J. Press suits, while the second part was for Parker pens. However, if asked whether the content of the works is related to suits and pens, the answer is that they have no connection whatsoever. I simply wrote whatever came to mind, resembling short stories, and Yasuji "Monty" Ando added the illustrations, casually featuring them in product advertisements. That's all there is to it. The J. Press series was published in MEN'S CLUB, while the Parker pen series appeared in Taiyo. As for how much actual effect these advertisements had, I know nothing about it, and frankly, I break into a cold sweat whenever I think about it. To be honest, I'd rather not dwell on it. The initial proposal and commission for this series of advertisements was by Kazuyo Ando. He said, "Hey, just write some short stories whenever you feel like it. It's just for fun and won't take much effort." As a result, I wrote one of these things every month for several years. The work was so enjoyable that a few years later, Monty Ando and I decided to do it again—with Parker pens as the sponsor this time. So, the Parker pen series still uses the original proposal by Kazuyo Ando, but the media has changed. Perhaps some readers might think it must be very stressful to write this short piece every month (though, interestingly, no one has actually said that), but frankly, it wasn't. This is because, when serializing these short pieces...