Writer and translator Haruki Murakami is among Japan's best known authors, and is beloved of readers the world over, especially for his fiction, which combines realism and fantasy, the spiritual with the surreal, and has attained a cult following.

His first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, was published in 1979, when the author was 30, and was followed by a string of critically acclaimed novels and short stories, including The Wild Sheep Chase, Norwegian Wood and The Wind-up Bird Chronicle. His many awards include the Franz Kafka Prize (2006) and the Jerusalem Prize (2009).

October 18th sees the publication of his much anticipated new novel, Q84, a hypnotically addictive, mind-bending ode to George Orwell's 1984.

Haruki has given us permission to use a line from his new book. 'Carrying a single bag, the young man is travelling alone at his whim with no particular destination in mind.'

Now it's over to you. Create a short story using this as an opening line and let your imagination take you where it will. There are no rules except to keep within the 1500-word limit and submit your entry by the closing date of midnight on October 18th 2011.

The entries will be judged by Liz Foley, Haruki's publisher at Harvill Secker. The winner will be announced early in 2012 and the winning story will be published on the Foyles and Random House websites. The winner will receive a complete set of Haruki Murakami's backlist and a copy of Foyles' exclusive red-edged limited edition copy of 1Q84.

Write a story starting with this line from Haruki Murakami's new novel: 'Carrying a single bag, the young man is travelling alone at his whim with no particular destination in mind.'

Further details here.

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