The Tale of Genji
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is a classic of Japanese and world literature and a stunningly beautiful love story. Written by Murasaki Shikibu, it is unquestionably one of the world's greatest literary masterpieces and perhaps the finest achievement of classic Japanese prose narrative, unforgettable for its rich poetry, imagery, and imaginative wordplay.
Prince Genji, the “Shining Prince” - the hero of this shimmering chronicle of court life, is a complex personality and peerless lover. Genji is the son of an emperor. His tempestuous nature, family circumstances, love affairs, alliances, and shifting political fortunes form the core of this magnificent epic.
Consisting of 54 chapters, The Tale of Genji offers an unparalleled glimpse into the grandeur of the Heian era of Japan, which extended from 794 AD to 1191. During this era of peace and economic stability, an aristocracy controlled by the Fujiwara family dominated Japan, and the nation's capital was located at Kyoto. This period was a classic age of art and literature. Japan's culture was no longer one largely borrowed from China but had become distinctively Japanese. The ruling classes lived lives of luxury and prosperity, pursuing the fine arts and music. A man was measured as much by the quality of his poetry as by the strength of his sword.
Widely held to be the first novel ever written, The Tale of Genji thereby occupies a singular role in the world's literary canon.
MURASAKI SHIKIBU (circa 978-1014) was a member of Japan's Fujiwara clan, which ruled behind the scenes during the Heian Period by providing the brides and courtesans of all the emperors. Lady Murasaki's rare literary talent, particularly her skill as a poet, secured her a place in the court of Empress Akiko. "The Shining Prince" Genji's favorite consort in the 11th century, The Tale of Genji ranks among the world's greatest works of romantic prose narrative. After the death of her husband, she cloistered herself to study Buddhism, raise her daughter, and write the world's first novel: Genji Monogatari, the legend of the shining Prince Genji. It is almost universally acknowledged that this book is the finest flower of Japanese literature, past or present.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Widely recognized as the world's first novel, as well as one of its best, the 11th-century tale of Genji the shining prince has been painstakingly and tenderly translated by Tyler, a retired professor of Japanese language and literature. Genji, the son of an emperor by one of his "Intimates" and preternaturally blessed with beauty and charm, is the center of this two-volume opus though he and his heroine die some two-thirds into the book which details both his political fortunes and his many amorous adventures. Chronicling some 75 years of court life with a dizzyingly large cast of characters, it is an epic narrative; it is also minutely attentive to particulars of character, setting, emotion even costume. While two complete English translations exist (Arthur Waley's of 1933 and Edward Seidensticker's of 1976), Tyler clearly intends his to be the definitive one. It is richer, fuller and more complicated than the others indeed, Tyler's fidelity to the bygone Japanese custom of not writing proper names can sometimes make it difficult, for example, to determine which of Genji's myriad lovers he is thinking about. Unlike Waley's translation, Tyler's is unexpurgated; unlike Seidensticker's, his is heavily annotated. New line drawings of Japanese architecture and activity complement the text, while character lists at chapter beginnings, a plot summary at the conclusion and two glossaries one of offices and titles, the other of general terms orient the reader in a multigenerational and unfamiliar world. Tyler's formality of tone (contrast Seidensticker's anachronistic "He could see her point" to Tyler's simple "He sympathized") offers readers a more graceful, convincing rendering of this 1,000-year-old masterpiece. Scholars and novices alike should be pleased. 6-city translator tour.
