Haruki Murakami’s first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, was first published in June 1979.

The book was written an hour a night over a four month period, while Haruki ran his jazz cafe (“Peter Cat”) in Tokyo. At 165 pages, the English version feels quite short. It definitely feels like a first novel, but all of the regular Murakami themes appear: cooking, reading, western music, etc. In fact, it feels quite like a very early attempt at ‘Norwegian Wood’.

For Murakami fans, the most interesting thing about Hear the Wind Sing is that it is the first part in a trilogy, known as the ‘Trilogy of The Rat’. The three books that make up the trilogy are:

1. Hear the Wind Sing
2. Pinball, 1973
3. A Wild Sheep Chase
4. (Dance, Dance, Dance)

Strangely, though the other are fairly easy to get hold of (albeit one available as a PDF on the web), Hear the Wind Sing has never had a ‘proper’ English language release. The main version you’ll find is published by the Kodansha English Library, and was originally meant for people learning English.

If you’re looking for a copy, the best places to pick it up are:

1. ebay
2. Amazon USA
3. Abebooks – though expect to pay at least £1000 for a signed first!