Reached million seller status in the shortest period of time!
#1 overall bestseller for 19 consecutive weeks!

What you desperately want, that's what makes it 'real'

* #1 book that received the most attention from Naver bloggers * #1 overall book of the year selected by Yes24 and Aladdin netizens
* Libro Book of the Year * Japan's Asahi Shimbun, "Da Vinci" and "Da Capo" Book of the Year

Nine o'clock in the morning, April 16, 2010.
A bizarre scene unfolded in front of major bookstores in Japan.
Readers lined up in front of the bookstore to buy the third volume of 『1Q84』, which was released that morning.

Did Aomame pull the trigger? Where did the girl Tengo witnessed in his father's bed go? Countless Japanese readers, who had been unable to sleep due to the unsolved mysteries of Volumes 1 and 2, rejoiced at the news of Volume 3's release.

Like volumes 1 and 2, volume 3 ranked first on the overall bestseller list on the first day of pre-orders in Japan.
The first edition was planned to be printed with 500,000 copies, but due to the enthusiastic response, an additional 200,000 copies were immediately produced.
Additionally, Haruki Murakami ranked first in overall sales by author in the Oricon Book Rankings, which summarizes book sales for the first half of 2010.
According to the Sankei Shimbun, the record of "1Q84" selling a total of 3,777,000 copies of volumes 1-3 in Japan alone as of July 1, 2010 is simply astonishing.


Korea's reaction was no different.
Volumes 1 and 2, published in 2009, ranked first in the overall rankings of major online and offline bookstores for 19 consecutive weeks, and sold over a million copies in just eight months, becoming the fastest-selling book in Korean publishing history.
Additionally, the three volumes, which began pre-orders at online bookstores on July 16, 2010, rose to the top of the overall bestseller list within two days of pre-orders, and have set an unprecedented record of selling a total of 30,000 copies, one day before the end of pre-orders.


Tengo, where are you now?
Find me quickly.
Before someone else finds me… …

The reaction of Japanese readers who read Volume 3 before us was unanimous.
“I ended up getting sucked into it.
As the distance between Aomame and Tengo gradually narrowed, I kept exclaiming, "This is amazing, this is truly amazing!" I was so satisfied. (Japanese Amazon reader cocoapple) "I thought I'd forgotten all about it as an adult, but I felt that way again when I first saw a great manga, novel, or movie as a child. (Japanese Amazon reader はちみつ大好) "I think this is the most different novel I've ever read." (Japanese Amazon reader tommy) "Murakami's world never disappoints, and I couldn't help but read all three volumes in one sitting. (Japanese Amazon reader Tagaga)

What will the long-awaited third volume contain? The first thing that stands out is the changed composition.
Haruki Murakami, who had Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" in mind when writing Volumes 1 and 2, revealed that he referenced Bach's "Three-Part Inventions" when composing Volume 3.
Unlike volumes 1 and 2, where Tengo and Aomame's chapters intersect, each chapter alternates between Tengo, Aomame, and a third character who surprises the reader.
The author says that this gave the work a more 'polyphonic voice'.

“Starting with BOOK3, as the story unfolds through three voices, the relationships between them become more complex.
There is a point where each of these voices responds and meets each other.
Like chasing and being chased by each other.
Temporality also becomes more complex.
“As I was writing, I felt like I was using a new muscle in my brain.”

As the voices of the three characters intersect, the third volume becomes richer in temporality and plot, and is about 100 pages longer than volumes 1 and 2.
Still, the pages turn breathlessly with Aomame trying to leave the world of 1Q84, the 'pioneer' chasing Aomame, Tamaru and the old woman protecting Aomame, Tengo trying to uncover the secrets of the world surrounding him, Fukaeri protecting Tengo, and a third person chasing both Tengo and Aomame.


Will Tengo and Aomame ever meet again? And will they be able to escape the world of 1Q84, where two moons rise?

A never-ending well of stories that call for longing,
Will BOOK4 be published?

Even after reading the beautiful and shocking ending of Volume 3, readers' curiosity continues.
The narrative of the new and vast world of '1Q84', where two moons rise in the dark forest and the little people, seems to elicit from readers an 'endless longing' for stories.
Haruki Murakami says this about readers' reactions:


“If you are reading my novel and a question arises out of curiosity, I think the most accurate way to read it is to paraphrase that enigmatic question with another enigmatic question.
Each reader interprets the riddle in his own way.

A novel is originally a work of substitution.
It is about replacing the images in your mind with the form of a story.
The substitution may seem puzzling in some cases.

In principle, it doesn't matter if someone other than me continues writing BOOK3 after reading BOOKs 1 and 2.
This BOOK3 is an example of “If I were you, I would write like this.”
It wouldn't be strange if someone said, "I can write BOOK3 better."
BOOK3, which I wrote, is a deep pursuit of the landscapes that the worlds of 1 and 2 evoked within me.
I think we've gone pretty deep."

The question most frequently asked of author Haruki Murakami is whether the fourth volume will be published following the third volume.
Haruki Murakami said this in an interview with the Japanese literary magazine The Thinker, published by Shinchosha.


“I get asked a lot when there will be a next volume, but at this stage I don’t know.
When I write a novel, I write almost every day without stopping.
I don't use anything else at all.
Because my head has already completely become a ‘novel brain’.
After doing that for nearly three years, I realized that in order to bring something out of myself and create something, I needed to take some time to gather various things together.
The next time something piles up inside me, I have no idea what I'll write or how I'll write it.
I just wait, sleeping like a hibernating bear.
So, as of now, I can't say anything about whether there will be a 'BOOK4' or 'BOOK0' in '1Q84'.
What I can say at this point is that 'there was a story before that, and there will be a story after that.'
That story is vaguely conceived in my head.
In other words, I can't say that there is absolutely no possibility of writing a next volume."

Finally, in response to the editorial department's request for a message to Korean readers eagerly awaiting his visit to Korea, Haruki Murakami sent the following message.


“Actually, I’ve never been to Korea before, and I often get asked why I don’t come.
Why is that? I think the biggest reason is that it's so close that I never had the chance to go, and so I couldn't go.
There is absolutely no special reason why I don't go.
The honest reason is that I haven't had a chance to go until now.
But I've been thinking about going there once, and I'm thinking of going there on my own while competing in the marathon (I heard that marathons are being held in Korea too).


I don't like being in front of people, attending receptions, being photographed a ton, or having to do press conferences.
I want to avoid such things as much as possible.
Hearing people say, "Be prepared for a grand welcome when you go to Korea," might be one of the reasons I hesitate to go to Korea.
Of course, it's nice to be welcomed (though it would be awkward if no one welcomed you).
But in noisy places, you quickly become tired.
Even in Japan, I rarely (never) stand in front of people.
Please understand.


When I was at university in the United States, I often talked with Korean students studying abroad.
I was very happy that everyone was reading my novel so diligently.
They were all young and quite a bit older than me, but we were still able to enjoy talking about various topics.
Such exchanges between individuals are always very welcome.
But when the story takes on a formal tone, various difficult problems arise.
It would be nice if there were a good alternative to these things.


In Japan, too, there is a readership ranging from people in their 60s, the same age as me, to teenagers.
We often hear that parents and children are reading the same books at home.
It's a happy thing for me.
I have little idea what teenagers are thinking these days, but still, 'story' is a deep and powerful device that functions beyond generations and languages.
I want to believe in that power.
“If I could share this story with my Korean readers, there would be no greater joy.”

Praise poured in for this book

Everything that is 'Haruki-esque' is melted into it.
But above all else, this novel is a poignant love story. _Hankook Ilbo

Readers who have experienced the unfortunate twists and turns of love and fate will feel even greater empathy.
_Chosun Ilbo

It appears to be Haruki Murakami's masterpiece.
The power of a strong story development creates a curiosity that keeps the reader glued to the book.
_Hankyoreh

The mysterious past wounds and secrets woven like a thread by the characters with distinct personalities are unraveled in a savory way.
_Dong-A Ilbo

As the work took a long time to create, it contains a complex mix of novel elements that Haruki has shown so far.
The skillful writing style that moves between reality and fantasy is also like that, as is the skill with which the male and female protagonists' heartbreaking love story is subtly interwoven. _Seoul Shinmun

Beyond his previous work, a new world has been created within Haruki Murakami's world! It feels like the pinnacle of Haruki Murakami's unique readability, making it impossible to put down once you start. _Movie Week

There is no disagreement that it is a 'really fun book'.
The reason I passed the bus stop where I had to get off several times was because I couldn't stop reading.
_Naver Blogger Freedom

This is real.
This novel is real._Yes24 reader hynews20

Oh, Haruki really brought something amazing.
〈1Q84〉 is a work that can only be said to be the culmination of Haruki Murakami’s literature.
_Yes24 Reader Bankotsu

After reading it all, I feel a great sense of loss at the thought that there is nothing left to read.
This is absolutely the best!! _Aladdin reader donuts76

If it's an 'interesting novel' like '1Q84', I welcome it even if it goes up to 10 volumes.
_Aladdin Reader Liatris

When I read the climax part, I was under the illusion that it was not me reading the writing, but the writing reading me.
It embraces the reader so strongly.
_Aladdin Readers Cherry Blossom Season

Haruki Murakami of "A Time of Loss" is back.
_Aladdin reader mcwivern

I am now in the 200Q world.
_Aladdin Reader spica