Haruki Murakami was born on January 12, 1949, in Kyoto, Japan. His parents taught high school Japanese literature and allowed their only child to read whatever he wanted. From an early age, Murakami was drawn to the works of Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoevsky, preferring them to writers of classic Japanese literature. He made good grades despite a laissez-faire attitude toward teachers and studying. He spent a good amount of time pursuing his interests in Western literature (especially the novels of Raymond Chandler, Truman Capote, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Kurt Vonnegut), jazz, rock 'n' roll, and film. Before graduating from Waseda University, he and his new wife opened a jazz club called Peter Cat. Murakami continued running the club after graduating from Waseda in March 1975.

The story behind Murakami's decision to become a writer has become lore among his fans. It was April 1978, and Murakami was at a...