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The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker
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The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker Hardcover - 1993

by Murasaki Shikibu; Edward G. Seidensticker (Translator); Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker


Summary

"Superbly written and genuinely engaging . . . one of those works that can be read and reread throughout one's life." —Liza Dalby, Los Angeles Times Book Review Written in the eleventh century, this exquisite portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the world's first novel—and is certainly one of its finest. Genji, the Shining Prince, son of an emperor, is a passionate character whose tempestuous nature, family circumstances, love affairs, alliances, and shifting political fortunes form the core of this magnificent epic. Royall Tyler's superb translation is detailed, poetic, and true to the Japanese original while allowing the English reader to appreciate its timeless beauty. In this deftly abridged edition, Tyler focuses on the early chapters, which vividly evoke Genji as a young man and leave him at his first moment of triumph.

From the publisher

In the early eleventh century Murasaki Shikibu, a lady in the Heian court of Japan, wrote what many consider to be the world's first novel, more than three centuries before Chaucer. The Heian era (794--1185) is recognized as one of the very greatest periods in Japanese literature, and The Tale of Genji is not only the unquestioned prose masterpiece of that period but also the most lively and absorbing account we have of the intricate, exquisite, highly ordered court culture that made such a masterpiece possible.

Genji is the favorite son of the emperor but also a man of dangerously passionate impulses. In his highly refined world, where every dalliance is an act of political consequence, his shifting alliances and secret love affairs create great turmoil and very nearly destroy him.

Edward Seidensticker's translation of Lady Murasaki's splendid romance has been honored throughout the English-speaking world for its fluency, scholarly depth, and deep literary tact and sensitivity.

Details

  • Title The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker
  • Author Murasaki Shikibu; Edward G. Seidensticker (Translator); Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker
  • Binding Hardcover
  • Edition First Edition
  • Pages 1224
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Everyman's Library, New York
  • Date January 11, 1993
  • Abridged Yes
  • ISBN 9780679417385 / 0679417389
  • Weight 2.29 lbs (1.04 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.3 x 5.39 x 2.2 in (21.08 x 13.69 x 5.59 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Parables, Romances
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 92052930
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Media reviews

“[The Tale of Genji is] not only the world’s first real novel,
but one of its greatest.” –Donald Keene, Columbia University

“Edward Seidensticker’s translation has the ring of authority.” –New York Times Book Review

“A triumph of authenticity and readability.” –Washington Post Book World

About the author

Murasaki Shikibu, a lady in the Heian court of Japan, is best known as the author of The Tale of Genji-written in the eleventh century and universally recognized as the greatest masterpiece of Japanese prose narrative and possibly the earliest true novel in the history of the world.
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The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker (Everyman's Library Classics Series)

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The Tale of Genji (Everymans Library)
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The Tale of Genji (Everyman's Library)

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The Tale of Genji (Everyman's Library Classics Series)

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The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker (Everyman's Library Classics Series)
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The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker (Everyman's Library Classics Series)

by Murasaki Shikibu

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The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker (Everyman's Library Classics Series)
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The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker (Everyman's Library Classics Series)

by Murasaki Shikibu

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THE TALE OF GENJI Everyman's Library

THE TALE OF GENJI Everyman's Library

by Murasaki Shikibu & Edward G. Seidensticker

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The Tale of Genji (Everyman's Library Classics Series)

by Murasaki Shikibu; Edward Seidensticker [Translator]

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