Thanks Cornelius for your reply, I guess you may be right how it worked out with the translator running to publisher in our case.
I agree on your ideas about Birnbaum, all his translations I had to force through. Somehow he doesn't succeed in making it sound like a simple powerfull Murakami rhythm.
The feel of the book may be different but I'm sure I missed out something very essential in this dutch translation. ( makes me wonder if english is more suitable ? what language do you read in your neck of your woods ? ).
Anyhow, I got worried in the first case by the 'dutch title' : 'after dark'.
No suitable dutch words for this ???