THE INVISIBLE ARCHITECT: TRANSLATION AS A CREATIVE AND CULTURAL FORCE IN THE FICTION OF HARUKI MURAKAMI

The global literary ascendancy of Haruki Murakami is as much a phenomenon of translation as it is of authorship. This paper argues that translation is not merely a secondary process for Murakami's work but a fundamental, constitutive element of its very form, style, and thematic core. Moving beyond the traditional view of translation as a neutral conduit, this study examines how Murakami’s unique position as a writer deeply influenced by Western literature, and his own practice as a translator, shapes his original Japanese texts. Through a close analysis of select fiction—including Norwegian Wood, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and Kafka on the Shore—this paper explores three key facets: the "translated style" of his prose, which creates a sense of cultural liminality; the thematic preoccupation with crossing boundaries between worlds, consciousness, and realities as a metaphor for the translational act; and the complex cultural dynamics at play when his "Japonisme" is re-imported to the West. By synthesizing translation theory, particularly the concepts of Lawrence Venuti, with literary analysis, this paper concludes that Murakami’s fiction exemplifies how translation in the contemporary globalized literary landscape acts as an invisible architect, constructing narratives that are inherently hybrid and whose very meaning is negotiated in the space between languages and cultures.