Haruki Murakami Novel 1Q84 Nearly Translated into English

By Jason Boog 

In an interview with the Japanese site Asahi, translator Jay Rubin shared thoughts about working with Haruki Murakami–revealing the impending deadlines for the English translation of Murakami’s three-volume novel, 1Q84.

Rubin (pictured, via) has translated a number of Murakami novels, including Norwegian Wood and  The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. The translator turned in his translation of the first book in January and must complete the second book by November 15th.  He thought that translator Philip Gabriel had the same deadline for the third book.

Here’s more from the interview: “I e-mail him or his editor at Shinchosha Publishing Co. He is a good e-mail correspondent. Many passages of “1Q84″ could be translated into either first or third person, and I have asked him which he prefers in certain cases. He usually advises me to do whatever works best in English…Because Murakami’s style is generally simple, the challenge is to write simple sentences in English that still have rhythm and don’t sound flat or boring.” (Via Michael Orthofer)