A collection of twelve birthday stories from some of the most distinguished authors of recent years. Selected and introduced by Haruki Murakani, author of }Norwegian Wood{ What will you get for your birthday this year? A chance to see into the future? Or a reminder of the imperfect past? The author has chosen for his party some of the very best short story writers, each with their own birthday experiences, each story a snapshot of life on a single day. This title presents these stories.