1Almost Transparent Blue (Ryu Murakami, 1976)
No. 1 — Almost Transparent Blue (Ryu Murakami, 1976). On the lists of 5 of 6 AIs; median place there: 1.
Did you know
Murakami also made the 1979 film of his own novel. It was his directing debut. He wrote the script too, and the article says he was 26.
Why it is here
Its publisher-side book description says the 1976 novel won a major literary award and sold over a million copies. That is why it sits at the top of a list ranked by copies sold.
Did you know
The book won first prize in the debut contest of the literary magazine Gunzo. It won the Akutagawa Prize the same year. The Japanese title means "Almost Infinitely Transparent Blue."
History
Murakami sent this novel to the Gunzo debut contest in 1976. It won first prize, and the same year it also won the Akutagawa Prize, Japan's top literary honor.
What people say
"what renders the whole thing so disturbing is not the explicitness of it all, but the joylessness." — Meike, Goodreads
Where to go further
Open the Goodreads page to see reader reviews. Start with the friends in a port town near an American base. Notice the mood of boredom and alienation that reviewers say runs through the book.