Adnkronos (Adnkronos) – Japanese writer Ryu Murakami, one of the most provocative voices in his country's contemporary literature, famous for novels such as "Almost Transparent Blue" (Atmosphere Libri) and "Tokyo Decadence" (Mondadori), which depicted the dark side of Japanese society, including transgression, violence, and youthful distress, died at the age of 74 on October 17 at his home in Tokyo.
The news of his passing was announced today, Friday, October 23, by the Gentosha publishing house. The funeral was held privately, with a ceremony reserved for family members.
Born on February 19, 1952 in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Murakami achieved fame in 1976 with “Almost Transparent Blue,” his debut novel that addressed drug use and promiscuity among young Japanese without filters.
The work won the Gunzo Prize for new authors and the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, bringing the author to the attention of critics and the public: the first to grasp the essence of the new contemporaneity and to be born under the influence of Western cinema, music and literature of the 60s and 70s, it is an essential point of reference in the recent history of Japanese literature.
His writing, characterized by harsh atmospheres and an explicit representation of social contradictions, earned him the definition of the 'enfant terrible' of Japanese literature.
In 1980, he published “Coin Locker Babies,” the story of two children abandoned at birth who become protagonists of a journey marked by alienation and violence. The novel won the Noma Prize for New Authors in 1981. Throughout his career, Murakami has explored themes of loneliness, rebellion, desire, and the disintegration of human relationships. Among his best-known works are “69. Sixty-nine,” a manifesto of a youth dreaming to the rhythm of arthouse cinema and rock and roll; “Audition,” a breathtaking psycho-thriller; “Exodus to the Land of Hope,” on globalization and its dangers; “Piercing,” “Tokyo Soup,” “The Greatest Hits of the Showa Era,” and “Love & Pop.” His work has been translated into Italian by Atmosphere Libri.
Ryu Murakami has also dedicated himself to music and cinema, playing drums in a rock band, writing several screenplays and directing some films based on his novels. He directed the films based on his books “Almost Transparent Blue” (1979), “Good Friend” (1983), “Raffles Hotel” (1989), “Tokyo Decadence” (1991) and “Because of You” (2000). His works have also inspired films made by other filmmakers, including “Audition” (1999) by Takashi Miike, “Love & Pop” (1996) by Hideaki Anno, “69” (2004) by Lee Sang-il and “Piercing” (2018) by Nicolas Pesce.
An essayist and observer of contemporary society, Murakami has also addressed economic and cultural issues, keeping the transformations of Japan and the anxieties of the new generations at the center of his research.
Interestingly, Ryu Murakami was not related to writer Haruki Murakami, a long-time nominee for the Nobel Prize in Literature, nor to artist Takashi Murakami. (by Paolo Martini)
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