After Dark (novel)

After Dark (アフターダーク, Afutā Dāku^?) is a novel by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. It was originally published in 2004.

Plot summary

Alienation, a recurring motif in the works of Murakami, is the central theme in this novel set in metropolitan Tokyo over the course of one night. Main characters include Mari, a 19-year-old student, who is spending the night reading in a Denny's. There she meets Takahashi, a trombone-playing student who loves Curtis Fuller's "Five Spot After Dark" song on Blues-ette; Takahashi knows Mari's sister Eri and insists that the group of them have hung out before. Meanwhile, Eri is in a deep sleep.

Mari crosses ways with a retired female wrestler, now working as a manager in a love hotel (whom Takahashi knows and referred to Mari), a Chinese prostitute who has been beaten and stripped of everything in this same love hotel, and a sadistic computer expert. Parts of the story take place in a world between reality and dream.

Structure

The story is broken down in small chapters of varying length. An added element of interest—and perhaps a post-modern reference—is the fact that the book has a 'real-time' timeline, beginning at the early hours of the night.

Translations

A Russian version was published in 2005, a Dutch version in 2006, Czech and Polish versions in 2007. The Chinese (traditional characters) version was published in 2005 and translated by Lai Ming-chu (zh:賴明珠), and the Chinese (simplified characters) version was published in 2005 and translated by Lin Shaohua (林少華 / 林少华) . It was published in French on January 4, 2007, as Le passage de la nuit by Éditions Belfond. An English translation was released on May 8, 2007. In the United Kingdom, a special limited-edition hardback version exists, only available at Borders bookshops. In 2007 a Romanian version was also published by Polirom under the title In noapte. A Norwegian version was published in 2007 by Pax, translated by Ika Kaminka. A Portuguese version was released on November 2008 under the title Os Passageiros da Noite ("The Night Passengers"). In 2009 a Brazilian Portuguese version was released, titled Após o Anoitecer. A Serbian version was published in 2008; the translator was Nataša Tomić, and it was published under the title Kad padne noć. A Persian version was published in 2009 by Ketebsaraye Nik, translated by Mahdi Ghabraee under the title Pas az tariki. An Italian version was also released in 2008 by Einaudi, translated by Antonietta Pastore under the title After Dark. The Spanish translation by Lourdes Porta, titled also After Dark, was published in 2008 by Tusquets Editores under "Andanzas" series. In 2009, a Hebrew version translated by Mickey Ball was released by Kinneret Zmora Dvir. In 2009 Lithuanian version was published under the name Pernakt. It was translated by Ieva Susnytė.

References and sources

• Comprehensive After Dark resource page
• New York Times review
• The Guardian review
• Strange Horizons review
• After Dark at the Internet Book List