I think maybe if the reference is actually to the famous author... I know I've avoided both of those books for various reasons.
In the Murakami, though, the reference is actually to a character who adopts the name. Which I guess is tangentially a reference to the writer, but at the same time, not like in the other two books where part of the plot seems to hinge on characters sitting around reading those authors. (Not sure about the Fowler book, but I've read part of "Balzac" and IIRC it has to do with young Chinese peasants reading forbidden books that have been smuggled in, like Balzac.)
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In the Murakami, though, the reference is actually to a character who adopts the name. Which I guess is tangentially a reference to the writer, but at the same time, not like in the other two books where part of the plot seems to hinge on characters sitting around reading those authors. (Not sure about the Fowler book, but I've read part of "Balzac" and IIRC it has to do with young Chinese peasants reading forbidden books that have been smuggled in, like Balzac.)