David Karashima discusses Who We’re Reading When We’re Reading Murakami (Soft Skull Press, 2020), his acclaimed new book on the translators, editors and publicists whose work underpins the global success of Japan’s leading contemporary writer.

Karashima’s careful look inside the making of the “Murakami Industry” analyses how a loner destined for a niche domestic audience became one of the most famous writers alive.  It addresses larger questions, too: What role do translators and editors play in framing their writers’ texts? What does it mean to translate and edit “for a market”? How does Japanese culture get packaged and exported for the West?

This is a free online event; pre-registration via Eventbrite is required.