1Q84

Not to be confused with Nineteen Eighty-Four.

1Q84
Cover of Book 1
AuthorHaruki Murakami
TranslatorJay Rubin
Philip Gabriel
LanguageJapanese
GenreAlternate history, parallel worlds
PublisherShinchosha
Publication date
May 29, 2009 (Books 1 and 2)
April 16, 2010 (Book 3)
Publication placeJapan
Published in English
October 25, 2011
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pages928
ISBN978-0-307-59331-3
OCLC701017688
US edition of 1Q84, first published in 2011 by Knopf

1Q84 (いちきゅうはちよん, Ichi-Kyū-Hachi-Yon, stylized in the Japanese cover as "ichi-kew-hachi-yon") is a novel written by Japanese writer Haruki Murakami, first published in three volumes in Japan in 2009–2010.[1] It covers a fictionalized year of 1984 in parallel with a "real" one. The novel is a story of how a woman named Aomame begins to notice strange changes occurring in the world. She is quickly caught up in a plot involving Sakigake, a religious cult, and her childhood love, Tengo, and embarks on a journey to discover what is "real".

The novel's first printing sold out on the day it was released and sales reached a million within a month.[2] The English-language edition of all three volumes, with the first two volumes translated by Jay Rubin and the third by Philip Gabriel, was released in North America and the United Kingdom on October 25, 2011.[3][4][5][6] An excerpt from the novel appeared in the September 5, 2011 issue of The New Yorker magazine as "Town of Cats".[7] The first chapter of 1Q84 had also been read as an excerpt in the Selected Shorts series at Symphony Space in New York.

While well received in Japan, 1Q84 was met with mixed reviews from international critics, who condemned the novel's excessive repetition, clichéd writing, clumsy styling and unyielding plot.[8] Literary Review nominated one excerpt from the book for its annual Bad Sex in Fiction Award.[9][10]

  1. ^ "Third book of Murakami's bestselling novel '1Q84' to be released in April". Mainichi Daily News. January 2, 2010. Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  2. ^ "Murakami's "1Q84" grips Japan". Reuters. June 15, 2009. Archived from the original on February 10, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
  3. ^ Wada, Akiro (October 27, 2010). "Translator sees U.S. influence in Murakami's humor and writing style". Asahi Weekly. The Asahi Shimbun Company. Archived from the original on October 29, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  4. ^ Benedicte Page (January 31, 2011). "Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 due out in English in October". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  5. ^ Boog, Jason (January 30, 2011). "Haruki Murakami's 1Q84 Coming 10/25 in Single Volume – GalleyCat". Mediabistro.com. Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  6. ^ "Book Trade Announcements – Harvill Secker And Vintage Acquire Trio Of New Novels From Murakami". booktrade.info. October 16, 2009. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  7. ^ Murakami, Haruki (August 1, 2011). "Haruki Murakami: "Town of Cats"". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
  8. ^ "1Q84 by Haruki Murakami". iDreamBooks. Archived from the original on November 23, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  9. ^ "1Q84 by Haruki Murakami: Bad sex award extract". The Guardian. November 25, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  10. ^ Kaplan, Isabel (February 1, 2012). "How (Not) to Write a Sex Scene". Huffington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2021.