The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami

“The Elephant Vanishes” is a collection of short stories by Japanese author Haruki Murakami. The collection was first published in Japan in 1990, and later translated into English and published in the United States in 1993.

The stories in “The Elephant Vanishes” are characterized by Murakami’s signature blend of realism and surrealism, and often explore themes of loneliness, alienation, and the search for meaning in modern society. Some of the stories are rooted in everyday life, while others venture into more fantastical territory.

One of the most famous stories in the collection is “The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday’s Women,” which later became the first chapter of Murakami’s novel “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.” The story follows a man named Toru Okada as he searches for his missing wife, Kumiko, and encounters a series of strange and surreal characters along the way.

Other notable stories in “The Elephant Vanishes” include “Barn Burning,” which follows a man who becomes obsessed with a woman who sets fire to barns, and “The Second Bakery Attack,” which tells the story of a couple who break into a bakery to steal bread in the middle of the night.

Overall, “The Elephant Vanishes” showcases Murakami’s unique voice and his ability to blend the mundane with the surreal, resulting in stories that are both thought-provoking and entertaining.