Norwegian Wood is still the one Murakami book that "everyone" in Japan has read. Norwegian Wood seemed to be "just" a love story.
Determined Murakami readers abroad may have succeeded in obtaining copies of Alfred Birnbaum's earlier translation of Norwegian Wood, which was produced for distribution in Japan, with grammar notes at the back, to enable students to enjoy their favourite author as they struggled with the mysteries of English. Although the novel has appeared in French, Italian, Chinese, Korean, Norwegian and Hebrew, the present edition is the first English translation that Murakami has authorized for publication outside Japan.
