On Sunday, October 18, 2026, members of the Vitsentzos Kornaros Shelter Reading Club met to discuss Haruki Murakami’s work ‘South of the Border, West of the Sun’, published by Psichogios.
Shimamoto, Hajime’s childhood love, reappears in his life. She is now a beautiful, passionate woman, enveloped in a veil of mystery. Hajime plunges into the past, jeopardizing everything he has achieved in the present. The discussion began with a reference to the biographical details of the author, who is considered one of the leading contemporary writers worldwide.
This was followed by a telephone interview with 19-year-old Dimitra Garefalaki, a devoted Murakami reader, who thoroughly analyzed why she enjoys this particular author. What primarily attracts her, she said, is the magical realism that characterizes his writing and its relevance to the present, an element we all need today. A discussion ensued about the book’s content, the author’s writing style, how he deals with human dissatisfaction, the search for meaning in life, obsessions, and the value of one’s constants.
A very interesting discussion about an author whose work divides opinion, as he has many devoted readers who praise him and others who deconstruct him. An author who always comes close to being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, but someone else always gets there first.
The next meeting is scheduled for November 29, featuring the novel ‘Elena Knows’ by Argentine author Claudia Piñeiro, published by Carnivora.