New Murakami novel out in April, 1st in 6 yrs

Haruki Murakami will release a new novel, his first in around six years, on April 13, its publisher said Wednesday, without divulging its title and plot.

The novel by the 74-year-old Japanese author, long seen as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature, will cost 2,970 yen ($22) per copy, Shinchosha Publishing Co. said, adding that an e-book version will be released the same day.

The prolific writer is known internationally for works including his 1979 debut, “Hear the Wind Sing,” “Norwegian Wood,” “1Q84,” and “Kafka on the Shore,” for which he won in 2006 the World Fantasy Award. His last novel, “Killing Commendatore,” was published in 2017.