18 Oct 2011 09:43:31
Published on Tuesday 18 October, 1Q84 is the first long-form novel for Murakami's English fans since Kafka on the Shore was published in translation in 2005. The UK's largest book chain Waterstone's is celebrating its release with a midnight opening at its flagship Piccadilly branch, preceded by a "Murakami Mastermind" quiz – "very testing", according to the bookseller – with a £750 limited edition copy of the book as a prize. Independent chain Foyles is staying open late tonight with jazz and readings to enable fans to get their hands on a copy of the novel as soon as possible, and independent bookshops are joining in as well, with north London's Big Green Bookshop screening the film version of Murakami's best-known title Norwegian Wood this evening, before selling copies of 1Q84 from 00:01 tomorrow morning.
"It's very rare for us to open at midnight. Last year we did for the release of Terry Pratchett's new novel Unseen Academicals, when Terry did a Q&A and then came back at midnight in his nightshirt. Before that though, it was for Harry Potter," said Waterstone's spokesman Jon Howells. "Murakami fans are very excited. This is his first major novel in some years, and we're opening late in response to customer demand: they want to get their hands on it very quickly."
Simon Green, who runs the Big Green Bookshop, said that although the store had never opened so late before, he "wanted to celebrate the fact that Murakami's new book is out: our customers love him". Japanese drinks and food will be served to customers at a sold-out event in the bookshop before Norwegian Wood is screened, and readers will then go home with a new copy of 1Q84 at midnight. "It is a big deal: it's really exciting that people are getting excited about a literary work," Green said.
A long drawn out love story between Aomame and Tengo – they are looking for each other aged 30 after they were parted at the age of 10 – complete with Murakami's trademark surreal touch, 1Q84 was published in three volumes in Japan, where it sold 1m copies within a month in 2009. Books one and two are released as one volume tomorrow, with book three out on 25 October. Harvill Secker said it produced an "unprecedented" number of advance reading copies of the novel for booksellers, with stores around the UK receiving "significant" pre-order numbers.
In America, where 1Q84 is not published until 25 October, bookshops across the country are also setting up midnight openings. "We don't want you to have to wait any longer than is necessary to dig in to the much-anticipated latest Murakami novel – that's why on the evening of Monday, October 24, we will stay open beyond our usual 10.30 pm closing time to celebrate this book and one of our favorite authors, and we'll start handing it out at the stroke of midnight," said San Francisco's Green Apple Books.
Murakami's UK publisher Liz Foley said she had never seen "such passionate enthusiasm" about a publication before. "People have been asking about this novel for months and the response we've had from booksellers has been phenomenal," she said. "I've never had so many emails expressing delight and gratitude for our advance reading proofs – as well as entreaties for more as everyone seems to have a friend or colleague who is desperate to read it as soon as possible. The midnight openings are the icing on the cake and I'm genuinely envious of readers who have the delight of this ahead of them."
