Haruki Murakami: ‘You have to go through the darkness before you get to the light’

The acclaimed writer on why his books resonate more potently than ever in times of chaos. "When people stop me like that, I feel very strange, because I'm just an ordinary guy. I don't really understand why people want to meet me." Haruki Murakami stories are read by millions, and yet the Japanese novelist is still bemused by his celebrity. Talking to Oliver Burkeman, from the Guardian, he discusses the strangeness of being famous, and how he realised he was going to be a successful novelist early on in his career.