Famed Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami will be awarded an honorary doctorate by his alma mater Waseda University in recognition of his creative works, according to the prestigious academic institution in Tokyo.
The 75-year-old, known internationally for his novels including “Norwegian Wood,” will join the ranks of some 150 people from Japan and abroad who have been conferred the doctorate for their significant contributions to academia, culture, society or humanity.
Murakami is a “novelist who continues to impress readers around the world with ingenious literary works,” the university said in a recent press release.
After graduating from Waseda, Murakami debuted with the novel “Hear the Wind Sing” in 1979, which won him the Gunzo literature prize for up-and-coming writers.
He shot to fame after writing the best-selling “Norwegian Wood” in 1987. Other novels include “Kafka on the Shore,” “1Q84,” and “Killing Commendatore.”
Past recipients of Waseda’s honorary doctorate include U.S.-born Japanologist Donald Keene and Sadako Ogata, a former U.N. high commissioner for refugees.
