I am so excited! These two novels (Hear the Wind Sing & Pinball, 1973) have finally been translated in English and will be coming out on August 4th in one volume. As part of the Trilogy of the Rat which includes A Wild Sheep Chase & unofficially Dance, Dance, Dance (both I’ve already read), this volume will complete the collection. Look at that cover!

Why is it a trilogy when there are actually four novels? Dance, Dance, Dance was written as a sequel, but it’s actually not a part of the trilogy.

Blurb courtesy of the Book Depository:

The debut short novels–nearly thirty years out of print– by the internationally acclaimed writer, newly retranslated and in one English-language volume for the first time, with a new introduction by the author. These first major works of fiction by Haruki Murakami center on two young men–an unnamed narrator and his friend and former roommate, the Rat. Powerful, at times surreal, stories of loneliness, obsession, and eroticism, these novellas bear all the hallmarks of Murakami’s later books, giving us a fascinating insight into a great writer’s beginnings, and are remarkable works of fiction in their own right. Here too is an exclusive essay by Murakami in which he explores and explains his decision to become a writer. Prequels to the much-beloved classics “A Wild Sheep Chase “and “Dance Dance Dance, ” these early works are essential reading for Murakami completists and contemporary fiction lovers alike.

He’s so famous now, that they don’t even need to include the full title on the cover! I am so freakin’ excited! Is it August yet?