Japanese Author Haruki Murakami

From the Jury’s Decision:

Murakami’s minimalist and lucid prose style makes him a highly accessible writer, but the full complexity of his literary world is evident even as one begins to read him (…) one of the great world authors of our generation despite his native land’s centrality to his creative work (…) In recognition of his love of people and his humanism, and out of esteem for his artistic achievements, it was unanimously decided to confer on Murakami the 2009 Jerusalem Prize.