The New Yorker: Fiction The New Yorker: Fiction

Mohsin Hamid Reads Haruki Murakami

Aug 1, 2026 · 1h 33m

Summary

Mohsin Hamid discusses Haruki Murakami’s “Man-Eating Cats,” exploring how both authors fracture reality to reveal its constructed nature. Hamid shares how the story marked his entry into novelhood and reflects on Murakami’s ritualistic writing process. The episode concludes with Hamid reading the tale of a man and woman fleeing to Greece, where surreal events blur the lines between identity and existence.

Topics discussed

Sponsor reads for Gusto, Monarch, and Hero Bread Introduction to Haruki Murakami's Man Eating Cats Discussion on reality, Borges, and Murakami's routine Reading of Man Eating Cats by Mohsin Hamid Sponsor reads for New Yorker Radio Hour and ChatGPT Analysis of Murakami's surreal tone and Kafka influences Themes of rupture, identity, and the central void Disappearances, social media, and the story as divorce Outro and production credits Sponsor read for FX's The Bear
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