IDENTIFY OR BLEND: Elements of Buddhism in the fiction of Haruki Murakami

Haruki Murakami is not the typical Japanese writer. His works have long been criticized for not being Japanese enough, and for the blended way in which he mixes high and low culture with Western and Asian influences. His works are also Kafka-esque, being nightmarish, dystopic and surreal. He is, for some critics, just too stylish to be taken seriously.