First published in English by Random House in 1993, The Elephant Vanishes" collects stories written between 1983 and 1990. Often compared to Kafka, Murakami's stories embody the aspect Russians call "ostraneniye," or "strange making." These stories represent a world which, while seeming normal, is just not quite right. Somehow. It never becomes clear how, really, and it's impossible to pinpoint anything specifically "strange."

This collection includes the stories: "The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday's Women;" "The Second Bakery Attack;" "The Kangaroo Communiqué;" "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning;" "Sleep;" "The Fall of the Roman Empire, The 1881 Indian Uprising, Hitler's Invasion of Poland, and the Realm of Raging Winds;" "Lederhosen;" "Barn Burning;" "The Little Green Monster;" "Family Affair;" "A Window;" "TV People;" "A Slow Boat to China;" "The Dancing Dwarf;" "The Last Lawn of the Afternoon;" "The Silence;" and "The Elephant Vanishes."