The Korean translation of Murakami's newest novel appeared on September 7. It has been translated by Hong Ǔnju (Eun-Ju), who also translated Killing Commendatore, and published by Munhak dongne Publishing (https://www.munhak.com/). Korean translations of Murakami always appear soon after the original work, and this one, which came out after just under five months, is no exception to the rule. Apparently, due to numerous pre-orders, the book was an immediate bestseller even before its publication date. According to Yahoo News, it is already in its third printing. 130,000 copies have been printed as of September 7.
One thing
I am interested in is how different translators will handle the title. The Japanese title is 「街とその不確かな壁」(Machi to sono futashika na kabe), which
we assume will become "The City and Its Uncertain Walls" in English, since
that's what it says on the book's Japanese cover. When reading the novel (spoiler alert!), it becomes clear that the protagonist is not quite sure - uncertain? - where the city walls are. His attempts to draw a map of the city fail and there is even an occasion when the walls suddenly appear in front of him to block his passage. I take this to suggest that the walls are "uncertain" in the additional sense of being not easily identifiable (as in "uncertain origin"). "Uncertain walls" in English could also be interpreted to mean walls that are not very solid. Yet the walls in the book do appear very solid, and yet (another spoiler alert!) the protagonist is able to go through them. They are not "uncertain" in terms of crumbling easily or seeming unstable.
