Nagaru Tanigawa

Nagaru is a Japanese author, best known as the creator of the Suzumiya Haruhi series. In high school, he was part of an art club but would also visit a literary club once a week. He graduated from the Faculty of Law in Kwansei Gakuin University. After graduating from university, he became a manager at a women's clothing store but decided to quit to pursue a writing career.

He would spend time being unemployed and reading books at the library, until he made his debut in March 2003 with his novel "Dengeki!! Aegis 5" in the magazine "Dengeki Moeou". That same year, two of his other novels Escape From School! and The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi were released, with The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi winning the Sneaker Taisho literary prize.

His work is strongly influenced by the science fiction novels he read while in middle school. He has mentioned that authors who influenced him in particular were Hideyuki Kikuchi, Baku Yumemakura, Ellery Queen, Van Dine, Isaac Asimov, as well as the director of Urusei Yatsura, Mamoru Oshii.