The tale of Genji: A novel in six parts (UNESCO collection of representative works. Japanese series) (v. 1)

Literature & Fiction

Murasaki, Shikibu

Contemporary

Allen And Unwin

The Tale of Genji is the Japanese classic written by the noblewoman Lady Murasaki in the 11th century. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first psychological novel, or the first novel still to be considered a classic. While hard to classify precisely, it is universally considered a masterpiece in both Western and Eastern fiction. The novelist Yasunari Kawabata said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: "The Tale of Genji in particular is the highest pinnacle of Japanese literature. Even down to our day there has not been a piece of fiction to compare with it." Critics have often described The Tale of Genji as the oldest, first, and/or greatest novel in Japanese literature.

The tale of Genji: A novel in six parts (UNESCO collection of representative works. Japanese series)

“A graceful, lucid translation of the world’s first, and one of its greatest, novels.”―Alan Tansman, University of California, Berkeley
Murasaki Shikibu, born into the middle ranks of the aristocracy during the Heian period (794–1185 CE), wrote The Tale of Genji―widely considered the world’s first novel―during the early years of the eleventh century. Expansive, compelling, and sophisticated in its representation of ethical concerns and aesthetic ideals, Murasaki’s tale came to occupy a central place in Japan’s remarkable history of artistic achievement and is now recognized as a masterpiece of world literature.
The Tale of Genji is presented here in a flowing new translation for contemporary readers, who will discover in its depiction of the culture of the imperial court the rich complexity of human experience that simultaneously resonates with and challenges their own. Washburn sets off interior monologues with italics for fluid reading, embeds some annotations for accessibility and clarity, and renders the poetry into triplets to create prosodic analogues of the original.

The Tale of Genji (unabridged)

United States

W.W.Norton

The classical novel of court life in tenthand eleventh-century Japan centers on the life and loves of a nobleman known as the shining Genji, son of an emperor, and those of Kaoru, grandson of Genji's best friend

The Tale of Genji (2 Volume Set in Art Slipcase) (English and Japanese Edition)

Mythology & Folk Tales

Random House, Inc.

One of the world's oldest novels and the greatest single work of Japanese literature, this 11th-century romance centers on the lives and loves of an emperor's son. It offers a vast tapestry of the intrigues and rivalries of court life, as well as an exquisitely detailed portrayal of a decaying aristocracy.

The Tale of Genji

World Literature

Vintage

The Tale of Genji was written in the eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady of the Heian court. It is universally recognized as the greatest masterpiece of Japanese prose narrative, perhaps the earliest true novel in the history of the world. Until now there has been no translation that is both complete and scrupulously faithful to the original text. Edward G. Seidensticker's masterly rendering was first published in two volumes in 1976 and immediately hailed as a classic of the translator's art. It is here presented in one unabridged volume, illustrated throughout by woodcuts taken from a 1650 Japanese edition of The Tale of Genji.

KNOPF

Because women in ancient Japan enjoyed high status, they were well-educated and reasonably independent. They also produced much of the country's best literature. Three of these amazing ladies wrote these diaries, among them the highly skilled writer Murasaki Shikibu (ca. 973-1025 a.d.). A lady-in-waiting to the Japanese Empress, she became very adept at observing the daily activities and attitudes of the upper classes. Her diary is a remarkable record of events staged with rare and exquisite taste. The Sarashina Diary, filled with an appreciation of nature, begins with a nine-year-old girl's dreams and ends with the grown woman's account of her husband's funeral (1009-1059 a.d.). Izumi Shikibu's diary is a delicately written work, with poetic thoughts characteristic of the lady's shy reserve. Brimming with poetry and understated social observations, all three provide an extraordinary glimpse of court life in old Japan. Unabridged republication of the edition originally published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston and New York, 1920. 2 color illustrations. 12 black-and-white illustrations. Appendix.

Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

Biographies & Memoirs

Dover Publications

Derived from the journals of an empress's tutor and companion, this unique book offers rare glimpses of court life in eleventh-century Japan. Lady Murasaki recounts episodes of drama and intrigue among courtiers as well as the elaborate rituals related to the birth of a prince. Her observations, expressed with great subtlety, offer penetrating and timeless insights into human nature. 
Murasaki Shikibu (circa AD 973–1025) served among the gifted poets and writers of the imperial court during the Heian period. She and other women of the era were instrumental in developing Japanese as a written language, and her masterpiece, The Tale of Genji, is regarded as the world's first novel. Lady Murasaki's diary reveals the role of books in her society, including the laborious copying of texts and their high status as treasured gifts. This translation is accompanied by a Foreword from American poet and Japanophile Amy Lowell.

The Diary of Lady Murasaki (Dover Thrift Editions: History)

Community & Culture

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.

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

Literary

Everyman"s Library

The classical novel of court life in tenth and eleventh-century Japan centers on the life and loves of a nobleman known as the shining Genji, son of an emperor, and those of Kaoru, grandson of Genji's best friend

The Tale of Genji (Modern Library)

Modern Library

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Murasaki, Shikibu. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Murasaki, Shikibu

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Murasaki, Shikibu. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The tale of Genji: A novel in six parts (UNESCO collection of representative works. Japanese series) (v. 1)

The tale of Genji: A novel in six parts (UNESCO collection of representative works. Japanese series)

The Tale of Genji (unabridged)

The Tale of Genji (2 Volume Set in Art Slipcase) (English and Japanese Edition)

The Tale of Genji

The Tale of Genji

Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan

The Diary of Lady Murasaki (Dover Thrift Editions: History)

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

The Tale of Genji (Modern Library)