--- product_id: 3225778 title: "The Elephant Vanishes: Stories (Vintage International)" price: "€ 25.50" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.gr/products/3225778-the-elephant-vanishes-stories-vintage-international store_origin: GR region: Greece --- # Universal themes 15 short stories Award-winning author The Elephant Vanishes: Stories (Vintage International) **Price:** € 25.50 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📚 Unlock the Mysteries of Life with Every Turn of the Page! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Elephant Vanishes: Stories (Vintage International) - **How much does it cost?** € 25.50 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.gr](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/3225778-the-elephant-vanishes-stories-vintage-international) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Explore the Unseen:** Delve into themes of loss, love, and the surreal. - • **Portable Inspiration:** Take this collection anywhere for a dose of literary magic. - • **Masterful Storytelling:** Crafted by Haruki Murakami, a literary genius of our time. - • **Perfect for Book Clubs:** Engage in thought-provoking discussions with friends. - • **Unforgettable Narratives:** Dive into 15 captivating stories that linger in your mind. ## Overview The Elephant Vanishes: Stories is a collection of 15 short stories by acclaimed author Haruki Murakami, exploring themes of existentialism, love, and the surreal. This book is perfect for readers seeking profound insights and engaging narratives. ## Description In the tales that make up The Elephant Vanishes , the imaginative genius that has made Haruki Murakami an international superstar is on full display. In these stories, a man sees his favorite elephant vanish into thin air; a newlywed couple suffers attacks of hunger that drive them to hold up a McDonald’s in the middle of the night; and a young woman discovers that she has become irresistible to a little green monster who burrows up through her backyard. By turns haunting and hilarious, in The Elephant Vanishes Murakami crosses the border between separate realities—and comes back bearing remarkable treasures. Includes the story "Barn Burning," which is the basis for the major motion picture Burning. Review: Like a CD album with 17 tracks that you never have to skip. - Murakami's short stories deal with big themes so precisely and delicately that they barely intrude for the enjoyable first reading and then they flood in on me for the more enjoyable second reading. The third story of the collection is The Kangaroo Communique. It is a second person narrative between a male department store employee who is responding to a letter of complaint from a female customer. This story is followed by another, called On Seeing The 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning, which is a narrative, within a narrative, within a story. They both are love stories Murakami-style, reality and subjective experience communicated simultaneously. My personal favorite of the collection is called The Silence. In it a man recounts his experience of being shunned in high school on the basis of a slanderous lie. He remains undefeated by his tormentors due to the mental lessons he received from the martial art of boxing. Murakami's fiction is informative in so many ways; full of psychological, historical, and cultural facts. Amazingly, this short-fiction may be fuller than his five-hundred plus page novels. Review: Definitely the kind of stories I like - This is the first Murakami book I've read and I would give him five stars if it wasn't for the fact that I found his writing somehow depressing. This depressing touch that he has doesn't make him a bad writer, on the contrary, he's incredible and utterly profound, and his stories are deeply thought provoking. I actually started reading a novel of his, so despite the fact that you won't find a regular 'happy-ending' in his stories, you definitely would go for more. I actually would like to read the book again. His stories are full of symbolism. ## Features - Used Book in Good Condition ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #36,894 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #402 in Magical Realism #427 in Contemporary Fantasy (Books) #639 in Short Stories (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,806 Reviews | ## Images ![The Elephant Vanishes: Stories (Vintage International) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81Q2BP9rKoL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Like a CD album with 17 tracks that you never have to skip. *by J***I on August 4, 2014* Murakami's short stories deal with big themes so precisely and delicately that they barely intrude for the enjoyable first reading and then they flood in on me for the more enjoyable second reading. The third story of the collection is The Kangaroo Communique. It is a second person narrative between a male department store employee who is responding to a letter of complaint from a female customer. This story is followed by another, called On Seeing The 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning, which is a narrative, within a narrative, within a story. They both are love stories Murakami-style, reality and subjective experience communicated simultaneously. My personal favorite of the collection is called The Silence. In it a man recounts his experience of being shunned in high school on the basis of a slanderous lie. He remains undefeated by his tormentors due to the mental lessons he received from the martial art of boxing. Murakami's fiction is informative in so many ways; full of psychological, historical, and cultural facts. Amazingly, this short-fiction may be fuller than his five-hundred plus page novels. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Definitely the kind of stories I like *by V***T on October 7, 2017* This is the first Murakami book I've read and I would give him five stars if it wasn't for the fact that I found his writing somehow depressing. This depressing touch that he has doesn't make him a bad writer, on the contrary, he's incredible and utterly profound, and his stories are deeply thought provoking. I actually started reading a novel of his, so despite the fact that you won't find a regular 'happy-ending' in his stories, you definitely would go for more. I actually would like to read the book again. His stories are full of symbolism. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Me and Murakami *by V***A on January 7, 2002* One of my favourite Japanese writers. There is no one else who can write about loneliness the way he does. Murakami's collection of stories is simply superb! I was struggling to find a good blip from this book, one that will give a proper sense of Murakami's style and material. It's a problem, because when I pick something out of context, it sounds plain and ordinary. If I pick something from his dream-like sequences it sounds kitschy. This would be messing with the impact of his stories, which aren't even close to being simple or over-cute... Profound is a better description fo Murakami's work, and mystic in an urban, understated kind of way. The Washington Post Book Review says (on the book cover) that Murakami "takes big risks." and one can see why they might say that. My strong impression is that fully half of his stories are drawn from his dreams, and you know how wonky dreams can get. His work often takes a sudden shift, or it stops, without full resolution. But it's okay, dangling bits can add to the richness of a good story. The story titles are quite illustrative: -The Wind-Up Bird and Tuesday's Women -Sleep -The Fall of The Roman Empire, The 1881 Indian Uprising, Hitler's Invasion of Poland, and The Realm of Raging Winds -The Little Green Monster -TV People -The Dancing Dwarf Aside from these dream-like stories he's got more matter-of-fact ones (see more titles below). One of Marukami's strengths is that he can write a story almost as one tells one in conversation, starting with the bit that made you think of it in the first place, mentioning 'real life' asides and in the process including the reader in a subtle and complex experience. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.gr/products/3225778-the-elephant-vanishes-stories-vintage-international](https://www.desertcart.gr/products/3225778-the-elephant-vanishes-stories-vintage-international) --- *Product available on Desertcart Greece* *Store origin: GR* *Last updated: 2026-09-03*