Japanese writer Ryu Murakami has died at the age of 74, leaving behind provocative novels about drugs, sex, and alienation

Japanese writer Ryu Murakami died at the age of 74 at his home in Japan, publishing house Gentosha announced on Friday. The author was buried on Saturday in a private ceremony, according to the Kyodo news agency. The cause of death was not made public.

Murakami, originally from Nagasaki Prefecture, became known for novels about sex, drugs, violence, alienation, and marginalization, translated in numerous countries. His debut, “Almost Transparent Blue,” published in 1976, earned him the Akutagawa Prize, one of Japan’s most prestigious literary distinctions.

Among his representative works are “Children,” a 1980 novel about identity and abandonment, “Raffles Hotel,” published in 1989, and “In the Miso Soup,” published in 1997, about the experiences of a tourist in Tokyo’s red-light district.

In addition to his literary work, Ryu Murakami was a director, screenwriter, and television presenter. Gentosha described him as a precursor of his era and an author committed to publishing provocative works aimed particularly at young audiences.