Murakami has a great imaginative power. His books have been accompanying me during my young adulthood. As I surf from one refreshing wave of literature to another, his cats, love for jazz and women's ears make for the familiar feelings in very distinct stories. They are his symbols, and his message. Stories of love, illusion, introspection and deep microcosmos that only a very sensitive and inquisitive person can convey make for the rest of the picture. My favourites so far are the Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world, Kafka on the shore and the new trilogy 1Q84 (still on book two).
In literature, as in science, it is important to convey the same essential simple message through different forms, or experiments. Murakami, you are a scientist!