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Tale of Genji
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Tale of Genji Paperback - 2003

by Murasaki Shikibu. Translated by Royall Tyler

  • Used
  • very good
  • Paperback

Written in the 11th century, Lady Murasaki's account of court life in the city of Heian, Japan, stands as one of the undisputed monuments of world literature and one of the first novels in the modern sense of the term.

Description

Penguin Books, 2003. Paperback. Very Good/N/A. Later printing. VERY GOOD. Spine cocked, with mild splay from reading; wrappers handled, edgeworn, lightly soiled; wrapper and page corners bumped. xxix, 1182 pp., illus. Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition. Heavy. Size: 8vo
Used - Very Good
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Details

  • Title Tale of Genji
  • Author Murasaki Shikibu. Translated by Royall Tyler
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Condition Used - Very Good
  • Pages 1216
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Penguin Books, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
  • Date 2003
  • Features Bibliography, Glossary, Maps
  • Bookseller's Inventory # 292219
  • ISBN 9780142437148 / 014243714X
  • Weight 3.5 lbs (1.59 kg)
  • Dimensions 9.16 x 6.29 x 1.99 in (23.27 x 15.98 x 5.05 cm)
  • Ages 18 to UP years
  • Grade levels 13 - UP
  • Themes
    • Chronological Period: Medieval (500-1453) Studies
    • Cultural Region: Asian - Japanese
  • Library of Congress subjects Domestic fiction, Historical fiction
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Summary

Written in the eleventh century, this exquisite portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the world’s first novel. Genji, the Shining Prince, is the son of an emperor. He 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 superior translation is detailed, poetic, and superbly true to the Japanese original while allowing the modern reader to appreciate it as a contemporary treasure. Supplemented with detailed notes, glossaries, character lists, and chronologies to help the reader navigate the multigenerational narrative, this comprehensive edition presents this ancient tale in the grand style that it deserves.

From the publisher

Murasaki Shikibu, born in 978, 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. 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 tale of the shining Prince Genji.


Royall Tyler was born in London, England, and grew up in Massachusetts, England, Washington D.C., and Paris. He has a B.A. in Far Eastern Languages from Harvard, and an M.A. in Japanese History and Ph. D. in Japanese literature from Columbia University. He has taught Japanese language and culture at, among other places, Ohio State University, the University of Wisconsin, and the University of Oslo, in Norway. Beginning in 1990, he taught at the Australian National University, in Canberra, from which he retired at the end of 2000. He will spend the American academic year 2001-02 as a Visiting Professor at Harvard.

Royall Tyler and his wife Susan live in a rammed earth house on 100 acres in the bush about seventy miles from Canberra, where they breed alpacas as a hobby.

Royall Tyler’s previous works include Japanese Noh Dramas, a selection and translation of Noh plays published by Penguin; Japanese Tales and French Folktales, anthologies published by Pantheon; and The Miracles of the Kasuga Deity, a study of a medieval Japanese cult published by Columbia University Press.

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Media reviews

Citations

  • New York Times, 12/29/2002, Page 16

About the author

Murasaki Shikibu, born in 978, 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. 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 tale of the shining Prince Genji.

Royall Tyler (translator), an American, is retired from the Australian National University, where he taught Japanese language and literature for many years. He has a B.A. from Harvard University and a Ph.D from Columbia University and has taught at Harvard, Stanford, and the University of Wisconsin. He has also translated The Tale of the Heiki and Japanese Noh Dramas for Penguin Classics.

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