The Tale of Genji

About This Book

Written in the early eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting at the Japanese imperial court, The Tale of Genji is widely considered the world's first novel and one of the supreme achievements of Japanese literature. Spanning fifty-four chapters and some eight hundred poems, it follows the life and many loves of Hikaru Genji, the brilliant and beautiful son of an emperor who is removed from the line of succession and given commoner status.

Through Genji's romantic entanglements — each woman drawn with extraordinary psychological precision — Murasaki Shikibu created a panoramic portrait of Heian-period court life: its rituals, its rivalries, its aesthetic refinement, and its pervasive sense of impermanence. As the narrative progresses, its tone darkens, reflecting the Buddhist conviction that all worldly attachment leads to suffering. The final chapters, set after Genji's death, follow a new generation caught in the same patterns of desire and loss.

The Tale of Genji has influenced Japanese art, literature, and culture for a thousand years. Multiple English translations exist, most notably by Arthur Waley (1925–1933), Edward Seidensticker (1976), and Royall Tyler (2001). The work is in the public domain.

Excerpt

At the Court of an Emperor (he lived it matters not when) there was among the many gentlewomen of the Wardrobe and Chamber one, who though she was not of very high rank was favoured far beyond all the rest.— Opening of The Tale of Genji

What Critics Say

All comparisons between Murasaki and the great Western writers serve but to bring out her perfection and their force— Virginia Woolf

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