Sekai 99
novel · First published 2025
Author guide
Sayaka Murata Books in Order
Sayaka Murata (born 1979) is a Japanese novelist and essayist. She debuted with the story collection Junyū, whose title story won the 2003 Gunzo New Writers' Prize. Her major works include Convenience Store Woman, Earthlings, Vanishing World, Life Ceremony, and World 99. She has received the Noma Literary New Face Prize, the Mishima Yukio Prize, the Akutagawa Prize, and the Noma Literary Prize.
literary fictionspeculative fictionscience fictiondystopian fictionshort fictionessays
Catalog record updated .
Sayaka Murata's Newest Book
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Konbini Ningen
The internationally acclaimed, self-contained novel commonly published in English as Convenience Store Woman.
Chikyū Seijin
A major, self-contained speculative novel commonly published in English as Earthlings.
Seimeishiki
A representative short-story collection commonly published in English as Life Ceremony.
Shōmetsu Sekai
A major dystopian novel commonly published in English as Vanishing World.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (9)
- Mouse
novel · 2008
- Hakobune
novel · 2011
- Tadaima Tobira
novel · 2012
- Shiroiro no Machi no, Sono Hone no Taion no
novel · 2012
- Shōmetsu Sekai
novel · 2015
- Konbini Ningen
novel · 2016
- Chikyū Seijin
novel · 2018
- Kawarimi
novel · 2019
- Sekai 99
novel · 2025
Short fiction (7)
- Junyū
short-story-collection · 2005
- Gin'iro no Uta
short-story-collection · 2008
- Hoshi ga Sū Mizu
short-story-collection · 2010
- Satsujin Shussan
short-story-collection · 2014
- Seimeishiki
short-story-collection · 2019
- Marunouchi Mahō Shōjo Mirakurīna
short-story-collection · 2020
- Shinkō
short-story-collection · 2022
Essays and speeches (3)
- Kirei na Shiwa no Tsukurikata: Shukujo no Shishunki-byō
essay-collection · 2015
- Tonari no Nō Sekai
essay-collection · 2018
- Watashi ga Tabeta Hon
essay-collection · 2018
Frequently asked questions about Sayaka Murata
Who is Sayaka Murata?
Sayaka Murata is a Japanese novelist born in 1979 in Chiba, Japan. She attended Tamagawa University and is known for exploring nonconformity, gender roles, parenthood, and sexuality.
Did Sayaka Murata work in a convenience store?
Yes. Murata worked part-time in convenience stores for many years, including while writing, and drew inspiration from her observations of everyday store life.
Sources: tr.jpf.go.jp (opens in a new tab)theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Sayaka Murata’s writing?
Murata has described writing as an emotional outlet since childhood. Her fiction is also shaped by observations of everyday life and by her examination of social expectations around gender, marriage, work, and family.
Sources: theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)tr.jpf.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
What awards has Sayaka Murata won?
Her honors include the Gunzo Prize for New Writers in 2003, the Noma Literary New Face Prize in 2009, the Mishima Yukio Prize in 2013, and the Akutagawa Prize in 2016.
Sources: tr.jpf.go.jp (opens in a new tab)worthsharing.jpf.go.jp (opens in a new tab)
What is Sayaka Murata’s literary legacy?
Murata is recognized for making familiar institutions and ideas of “normality” appear strange, while questioning conformity and gender expectations. Her international reach is reflected in the translation of Convenience Store Woman into more than 30 languages.
Sources: tr.jpf.go.jp (opens in a new tab)worthsharing.jpf.go.jp (opens in a new tab)