A Wild Sheep Chase

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A Wild Sheep Chase

First edition (Japanese)
Author	Haruki Murakami
Original title	Hitsuji o meguru bōken (羊をめぐる冒険)
Translator	Alfred Birnbaum
Language	Japanese
Genre	Surreal novel, magical realism
Publisher	Kodansha International
Publication date	October 15, 1982
Publication place	Japan
Published in English	December 31, 1989
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	299 (US) 405 (JP)
ISBN	0-87011-905-2 (US) ISBN 4-06-200241-8 (JP)
OCLC	19670739
Dewey Decimal	895.6/35 20
LC Class	PL856.U673 H5713 1989
Preceded by	Pinball, 1973
Followed by	Dance Dance Dance

A Wild Sheep Chase (羊をめぐる冒険, Hitsuji o meguru bōken) (literally An Adventure Concerning Sheep^[1]) is the third novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. First published in Japan in 1982, it was translated into English in 1989. It is an independent sequel to Pinball, 1973, and the third book in the so-called "Trilogy of the Rat". It won the 1982 Noma Literary Newcomer's Prize.

While the original story of A Wild Sheep Chase was set in the 1970s, translator Alfred Birnbaum and Kodansha editor Elmer Luke wanted a story that was more contemporary and also appealed to American readers.^[2] In the novel, Murakami blends elements of American and English literature with Japanese contexts, exploring post-WWII Japanese cultural identity. The book is part mystery and part magical realism with a postmodern twist.

A Wild Sheep Chase has been defined as a parody or a renewal of Yukio Mishima's Natsuko no Bōken (夏子の冒険, Natsuko's Adventure).^[3][4][5]