Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari)

The most famous work of Japanese literature and the world's first novel-written a thousand years ago and one of the enduring classics of world literature.Written centuries before the time of Shakespeare and even Chaucer, The Tale of Genji marks the birth of the novel-and after more than a millennium, this seminal work continues to enchant readers throughout the world. Lady Murasaki Shikibu and her tale's hero, Prince Genji, have had an unmatched influence on Japanese culture. Prince Genji manifests what was to become an image of the ideal Heian era courtier; gentle and passionate. Genji is also a master poet, dancer, musician and painter. The Tale of Genji follows Prince Genji through his many loves and varied passions. This book has influenced not only generations of courtiers and samurai of the distant past, but artists and painters even in modern times-episodes in the tale have been incorporated into the design of kimonos and handicrafts, and the four-line poems called waka which dance throughout this work have earned it a place as a classic text in the study of poetry.This version by Kencho Suematsu was the first-ever translation in English. Condensed, it's a quarter length of the unabridged text, making it perfect for readers with limited time."Not speaking is the wiser part, and words are sometimes vain, but to completely close the heart In silence, gives me pain."-Prince Genji, in The Tale of Genj. Another book, The Tale of Taketori (Taketori Monogatari, Tale of the Bamboo Cutter) is often touted as one of the first examples of science fiction and was written in Japan during the Heian Period in the tenth century.

Summary: The Tale of Genji mainly follows the lives of two central characters. Shining Genji is the son of an emperor who is removed from the line of succession for political reasons and becomes an official in the imperial court. The other main character is a low-ranking but lovable concubine named Lady Kiritsubo.

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Reprint edition (3 April 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4805314648
• ISBN-13: 978-4805314647

 

Murasaki Shikibu (紫 式部, English: Lady Murasaki; c. 973 or 978 – c. 1014 or 1031) was a Japanese novelist, poet and lady-in-waiting at the Imperial court during the Heian period. She is best known as the author of The Tale of Genji, written in Japanese between about 1000 and 1012.

Late 16th-century (Azuchi–Momoyama period) depiction of Murasaki Shikibu, by Kanō Takanobu