Selected Shorts: Haruki Murakami – Then and Now
Podcast date: February 26, 2026
Host: Meg Wolitzer
Featured Stories/Readers:

• “A Window” (from The Elephant Vanishes, reader: Mike Doyle; trans. Jay Rubin)
• “Kaho” (from The New Yorker, 2024, reader: Jennifer Ikeda; trans. Philip Gabriel)

Episode Overview

This themed episode of Selected Shorts explores the evolution of Haruki Murakami’s short fiction, presenting two stories separated by over three decades. Host Meg Wolitzer leads listeners through Murakami’s trademarks—loneliness, surrealism, everyday life, and gentle absurdity—showcasing how some elements persist while others shift with time. Both stories, “A Window” and “Kaho,” were recorded live, capturing stages of Murakami’s style: from understated realism to nuanced psychological exploration, even venturing into new territory with female perspective.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introducing Murakami’s Literary World

• Murakami’s Motifs:
  • “A lonely guy. A mysterious disappearance. A parallel dimension. A faceless villain. Jazz spaghetti. Talking cats. The list goes on.” (Meg Wolitzer, 01:55)
• Growth and Consistency:
  • Murakami’s obsessions are “sticky enough” to inspire cartoons, yet his stories continually surprise even his faithful fans.
• Episode Framing:
  • Comparison of early and recent stories demonstrates the hallmarks and evolution of Murakami’s writing.

Story One: “A Window”

Teller: Mike Doyle
Timestamps: [04:34]–[19:49]

Summary & Insights

• Premise:
  • A 22-year-old takes a job as a “pen master,” offering critiques and personal guidance to women longing for human connection via written letters through the PEN Society.
• Themes:
  • Loneliness; the meaning(s) created through personal exchange; the interplay of reality, artifice, and longing in relationships.
• Notable Episodes:
  • The protagonist meets one correspondent in person, shares hamburger steak, and a moment of real intimacy—one both meaningful and ultimately ambiguous.
• Reflection:
  • The story ends with wistful uncertainty: “Should I have slept with her? That’s the central question.” The protagonist ponders connection, memory, and life’s persistent ambiguities.

Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments

• On Murakami’s Early Prose:
  • “I realized now that the reality of the thing is not something you convey to people, but something you make. It is this that gives birth to meaning.” (Protagonist, 08:34)
• On Connection:
  • “In a way, I knew that I would never again have so many people opening themselves to me with such simple honesty.” (09:18)
• On Ambiguity of Encounters:
  • “Should I have slept with her? That’s the central question of this piece. The answer is beyond me. Even now, I have no idea.” (18:47)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [04:34] – Opening reflection on letter writing and the allure of a simple hamburger steak.
• [07:00] – Explaining the PEN Society and the pen master’s role.
• [13:00] – Meeting the woman, sharing lunch and life histories.
• [16:30] – The wistful goodbye; questioning the boundaries and meanings of connection.
• [18:47] – Closing meditation on memory, uncertainty, and possible futures.

Story Two: “Kaho”

Teller: Jennifer Ikeda
Timestamps: [24:28]–[56:46]

Summary & Insights

• Premise:
  • Kaho, a children’s book illustrator, is blindsided on a blind date by the man’s blunt, hurtful comment: “I’ve never seen one as ugly as you…” Her internal journey—prompted by this encounter and his subsequent manipulation—leads her through disorientation, self-examination, and ultimately creative transformation.
• Themes:
  • Curiosity as both lure and danger; the construction (and deconstruction) of self-image; modern alienation; gender roles and societal lookism; psychosexual gamesmanship.
• Narrative Structure:
  • Begins in stark realism and spirals into psychological territory, mirrored by the children’s book Kaho writes—a fable of a journey to recover one’s face.
• Shifting Perspective:
  • Unusual for Murakami, the narrative hews closely to a female protagonist’s thoughts and feelings, scrutinizing both interiority and external socio-psychological pressures.

Notable Quotes / Memorable Moments

• Opening Shock:
  • “I’ve dated all kinds of women in my life, the man said. But I have to say I’ve never seen one as ugly as you.” (First line, 24:34)
• The Man’s Rationale:
  • “I tell all the women I meet exactly what I said to you… With this kind of thing, timing is everything.” (Sahara, 34:57)
  • “I am sick. That’s an undeniable fact. But depending on how you look at it, being sick can also be enjoyable. Sick people have their own special place that only sick people can enjoy, like Disneyland for the disturbed.” (Sahara, 38:21)
• Kaho’s Realization:
  • “My own life may be taking a clever revenge on me... When the right time comes, my life may simply take away what I owe. Credit and debit.” (Kaho, 44:15)
• Transformation & Art:
  • “The story was about a girl who goes in search of her face… All sorts of experiences, all kinds of emotions and thoughts had joined together to create her face… This was her face and her face alone.” (Kaho’s inner narration, 51:50)
• Closure:
  • “I can live in this world as me, just as I am. She realized there’s nothing to fear.” (Kaho, 55:50)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [24:34] – The devastating opening lines; Kaho’s initial numbness and curiosity.
• [34:57] – Sahara reveals his cruel “experiment.”
• [38:21] – His monologue on sickness, lookism, and societal judgment.
• [44:15] – Kaho’s psychological spiral, increased focus on her own appearance.
• [51:50] – Kaho writes her best children’s book, about a girl searching for her face.
• [55:50] – Emotional healing and creative renewal.

Host Reflections & Literary Context

Meg Wolitzer’s Commentary:

• On Early Murakami:
  • “They’re fun, ruminative, accessible, and maybe just as importantly, as fixated on Western culture as Westerners are.” ([19:49])
• On Evolution and Experimentation:
  • “Not only does Murakami take on a female protagonist in that story, exceedingly rare for him, but he renders Kaho’s thoughts and feelings with precision… the care and subtlety Murakami exhibits in rendering Kaho makes her feel like a new and exciting invention in his work.” ([56:46])
• On Story Intent:
  • Shares Murakami’s own comment: “My goal in this story was first off to present the reader with a suitably intriguing question. But my intention was never to hand down an authoritative answer to it… I think that readers should find their own response.” ([56:46])

Notable Quotes by Speakers and Timestamps

• “A lonely guy. A mysterious disappearance… Jazz spaghetti. Talking cats. The list goes on.” – Meg Wolitzer, [01:55]
• “I realized now that the reality of the thing is not something you convey to people, but something you make. It is this that gives birth to meaning.” – “A Window” (protagonist), [08:34]
• “Should I have slept with her? That’s the central question of this piece. The answer is beyond me. Even now, I have no idea.” – “A Window” (protagonist), [18:47]
• “I’ve never seen one as ugly as you.” – Sahara, “Kaho,” [24:34]
• “I am sick. That’s an undeniable fact. But depending on how you look at it, being sick can also be enjoyable… like Disneyland for the disturbed.” – Sahara, “Kaho,” [38:21]
• “I can live in this world as me, just as I am. She realized there’s nothing to fear.” – “Kaho” (narration), [55:50]
• “My goal in this story was first off to present the reader with a suitably intriguing question. But my intention was never to hand down an authoritative answer to it... readers should find their own response.” – Haruki Murakami (quoted by Meg Wolitzer), [56:46]

Takeaways & Episode Flow

• Narrative Breadth: Juxtaposing “A Window” and “Kaho” demonstrates both Murakami’s consistency (exploration of human loneliness, oddity in the everyday) and evolution (new perspectives, deeper psychological nuance, more central roles for female protagonists).
• Art as Transformation: In both stories, reflection—through writing and storytelling—offers partial solace from life’s ambiguities and wounds.
• Leaving Questions Open: True to Murakami’s spirit, both stories resist pat conclusions; listeners are left to ponder the lingering ambiguities of relationships, identity, and self-creation.

For Listeners New and Seasoned

This episode offers a graceful gateway for Murakami newcomers, while also rewarding longtime fans with subtle demonstrations of his literary growth. The stories, performances, and host commentary together chart a generous arc across Murakami’s career—funny, strange, and deeply moving.

Further Engagement

• Submit stories for the 2026 Stella Kupferberg Memorial Short Story Prize: Entry deadline March 6, 2026.
• Connect: @selectedshorts on X, Instagram, Facebook.
• More info: selectedshorts.org

Production credits and upcoming live events are detailed at episode’s end.