If you love Haruki Murakami’s work and are looking for similar authors, check out the list below.
While Murakami’s writing is truly unique (which is why he’s so popular!), all these authors’ works feature some similar elements that will appeal to his fans.

The first five authors in this list are Japanese authors whose work deals with similar themes and is set against similar contemporary Japanese backdrops.

The last five authors are ones who incorporate magical realism and fantastical elements into their work while dealing with similar themes of love, loss, and human connection.

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1. Banana Yoshimoto

Banana Yoshimoto is a bestselling Japanese author known for her introspective, lyrical style. She’s been described as “the voice of young Japan”.  Similarly to Haruki Murakami, her novels include themes involving love and loss, the search for identity, isolation, and spirituality.

Popular books by Banana Yoshimoto

Kitchen (1988): Yoshimoto’s debut novel centres on the story of a young woman named Mikage who is struggling to come to terms with the death of her grandmother, her last remaining relative. The novel is set in contemporary Japan and explores themes of love, loss, transsexuality, cooking, and the importance of human connection.

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Goodbye Tsugumi (1989): An offbeat, poignant coming of age story that explores the complexities of family relationships through the deep and complicated relationship between two cousins.

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Amrita (1994): When a famous actress dies under mysterious circumstances, she leaves behind an unconventional extended family, including the narrator, Sakumi, a younger brother with mythical powers, and a fiancé writing a novel that’s remarkably similar to his own life. The novel is a meditation on grief, loss, and identity.

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2. Yoko Ogawa

Yoko Ogawa is a Japanese author known for her haunting and evocative writing style. She is often compared to Haruki Murakami, though she specifically explores feminist themes in her writing. Ogawa’s writing explores the darker aspects of human nature, incorporating themes of loss, death, and the fragility of human relationships. Her stories are characterised by a quiet, understated tone, in sharp contrast to the depth of emotion and complexity of her characters.

Popular books by Yoko Ogawa

The Housekeeper and the Professor (2003): This novel tells the story of a brilliant mathematician who suffers from short-term memory loss, and the housekeeper who looks after him. As the two form an unlikely friendship, they discover the beauty and wonder of mathematics and the ways it relates to the world around us.

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The Diving Pool (1990): This is Ogawa’s debut short story collection, exploring the lives of young women in Japan and the secrets they keep from those around them. The stories are marked by a distinct sense of unease and foreboding, as the characters grapple with their desires and fears.

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The Memory Police (1994) – translated into English in 2019, this dystopian novel centres around an unnamed island where objects and memories gradually disappear. The protagonist, a young novelist, attempts to rescue her editor, who is in danger of being removed by the Memory Police.

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3. Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro is a British-Japanese novelist and screenwriter, born in Nagasaki, Japan. He has won a Nobel prize in literature, as well as the Booker prize for his works. His books have been translated into over 50 languages, and several have been made into films. He received a knighthood in 2018 for his services to literature.

Popular books by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Remains of the Day (1989): This novel is narrated by an English butler named Stevens, who reflects on his life of service to his employer and the sacrifices he has made in pursuit of his professional duties. The novel explores themes of duty, loyalty, and regret, and is widely regarded as one of Ishiguro’s masterpieces.

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Never Let Me Go (2005): This novel is set in a dystopian version of England where human clones are created for the sole purpose of donating their organs. The story follows three friends, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, as they come to terms with their fate and struggle with issues such as identity, love, and mortality.

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An Artist of the Floating World (1986): Set in post-World War II Japan, this novel follows the life of Masuji Ono, an aging artist. As Ono reflects on his past, he struggles with questions of guilt and responsibility for his actions during the war, exploring the changing cultural landscape of Japan in the aftermath of the war.

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4. Ryu Murakami

Ryu Murakami is a renowned Japanese author, filmmaker, and musician. He is best known for his novels and stories that delve into the dark and gritty underbelly of modern Japanese society. He has won numerous literary awards and is widely regarded as one of the most important voices in Japanese literature. Although he shares a last name with Haruki Murakami, the two are not related. His books are decidedly darker than Haruki Murakami’s.

Popular books by Ryu Murakami

Almost Transparent Blue (1976) – Murakami’s debut novel, which won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize. It depicts the lives of a group of young people in postwar Japan who are locked in a destructive cycle of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

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In the Miso Soup (1997) – A roller-coaster psychological thriller about a young Japanese man who becomes entangled in the dangerous, neon-lit world of Tokyo’s sex industry.

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Tokyo Decadence (2019) – A collection of 15 somewhat disturbing, often explicit short stories showing different, unexpected sides of the author. The stories take place in Japan during periods ranging from the 60s to the early 2000s.

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5. Tomihiko Morimi

Tomihiko Morimi is an award-winning contemporary Japanese novelist known for his highly imaginative novels that blend elements of fantasy, romance, and philosophy. His protagonists are often college students. Several of his works have been adapted into critically acclaimed anime series and films.

Popular books by Tomihiko Morimi

The Tatami Galaxy (2004) – Groundhog Day meets The Midnight Library in this surreal novel telling the tale of an unfulfilled college student hurtling through four different realities in search of the perfect college life.

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Tower of the Sun (2002) – A young college student’s life is ripped apart when the woman he loves breaks up with him. Bracing for a lonely Christmas, he tears through the streets of Tokyo with  only his powerful (or should that be delusional?) imagination for company. The perfect fantasy novel for those suffering from heartbreak.

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Penguin Highway (2010) – A novel about a young boy who becomes obsessed with the sudden appearance of penguins in his town and sets out to investigate their origin.

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6. David Mitchell

David Mitchell is a British author known for his inventive and genre-blending novels. His works often blend elements of historical fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and magical realism, and frequently explore themes of interconnectedness, identity, and the nature of reality.

Popular books by David Mitchell

Cloud Atlas (2004) – A complex and ambitious novel that interweaves six different stories spanning several centuries and explores themes of interconnectedness, reincarnation, and the cyclical nature of history. Now also a blockbuster film.

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The Bone Clocks (2014) – A New York times bestseller. This multi-layered novel follows the life of a young woman and the mysterious forces that shape her destiny over several decades.

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Ghostwritten (1999) – Mitchell’s debut novel, which features nine interconnected stories that take place in different locations around the world and explore themes of identity, spirituality, and globalization.

 

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7. Junot Diaz

Junot Diaz is a Dominican-American author whose writing style is known for its unique blend of humour, raw honesty, magical realism, and experimentation with language. He is known for his unflinching exploration of themes such as race, class, and gender.

Popular books by Junot Diaz

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) –  Time Magazine #1 Fiction Book of the Year, this is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel that tells the story of a Dominican-American family and their struggles with identity, love, and loss.

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This Is How You Lose Her (2012) – A collection of interconnected short stories that explore themes of love, infidelity, and masculinity, often set against the backdrop of the Dominican-American experience.

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 Drown (1996) – Diaz’s debut collection of short stories, which explores the lives of Dominicans living in the United States and the cultural clashes and disconnections that come with the immigrant experience.

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8. Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon is an American author who is known for his literary fiction. Chabon’s writing often explores themes of Jewish identity, masculinity, and pop culture, and he often incorporates elements of magical realism into his novels.

Popular books by Michael Chabon

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000) – An award-winning novel that tells the story of two Jewish cousins in the comic book industry during the 1930s and 40s. It explores themes of love, art, and identity.

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Wonder Boys (1995) – A bold and humorous novel that follows the misadventures of a struggling writer and professor at a small university, as he grapples with writer’s block, his relationships, and his own identity.

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The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (2007) – A detective novel set in an alternate history where Jewish refugees settled in Alaska instead of Israel, following a detective who investigates a murder in a Jewish settlement in Sitka.

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9. Gabriel García Márquez

One of the best-known Latin American writers in history, Márquez is famous for his unique storytelling style and use of magical realism. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982 and is widely regarded as one of the most significant writers of the 20th century. His modern classics are widely known, but are included here as they are essential reading for fans of magical realism and works dealing with the human condition.

Popular books by Gabriel García Márquez

One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967): This novel is often hailed as Marquez’s finest work and follows the Buendia family over several generations in the fictional town of Macondo. The book explores universal themes such as family, love, and the cyclical nature of life, and has been translated into countless languages.

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Love in the Time of Cholera (1985): This novel tells the story of the love between Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza over the course of several decades. Although they fell in love in their youth, Fermina ultimately chose to marry a wealthy doctor. When Fermina’s husband dies, many years later, Florentino intends to declare his love once more. The book explores themes of love and the passage of time.

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Chronicle of a Death Foretold (1981): A novella telling the story of the murder of Santiago Nasar in a small Colombian town. It involves themes of honour, guilt, and the nature of truth. The book is noteworthy for its use of multiple perspectives and non-linear storytelling.

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10. Jose Saramago

Jose Saramago was a Portuguese author and journalist, known for his distinctive writing style, which frequently blurred the lines between reality and fiction.  In 1998, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his innovative use of language and imagination. Saramago frequently addressed political and social problems in his writing, such as the fight for justice, class conflict, and criticism of authoritarian regimes.

Popular books by Jose Saramago

Blindness (1995) –  This novel tells the story of an epidemic of blindness that spreads throughout a city and the social collapse that follows as a result. The book explores themes of social decay, humanity, and the power of both love and imagination.

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The Gospel According to Jesus Christ (1991) – A reimagining of the life of Jesus Christ, telling the story of his life from birth to the crucifixion. The book is notable for its controversial depiction of Jesus Christ and its exploration of faith and free will.

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Death with Interruptions (2005) –  This novel explores the consequences of immortality by imagining a world where death suddenly stops happening. The book is a meditation on the nature of life and death, the power of the state, and the importance of individual freedoms.

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Do you know of more authors whose writing will appeal to fans of Haruki Murakami? Let us know in the comments below!