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Psychology & SocietyThe Tale of GenjiMurasaki ShikibuThe Tale of Genji

The Tale of Genji

Murasaki Shikibu

Psychology & SocietyEnglish
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Genji, 'the Shining Prince', is the beautiful, gifted son of a Japanese emperor and one of his lesser wives, removed from the line of succession and made a…

Catalogue details

Author
Murasaki Shikibu
Category
Psychology & Society
Language
English
Source
Project Gutenberg

About this book

Genji, 'the Shining Prince', is the beautiful, gifted son of a Japanese emperor and one of his lesser wives, removed from the line of succession and made a commoner. This first part of the tale follows his youth at the imperial court of Heian Kyoto: his secret love for his stepmother, the empress Fujitsubo, his many affairs, and his discovery of the young girl Murasaki, whom he raises to become his ideal wife, in a world of poetry, music, perfumes and refined feeling.

Context and significance

Written around the year 1000 by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady-in-waiting at the Japanese court, the Tale of Genji is often called the world's first novel. This is the first volume of Arthur Waley's celebrated translation, published in 1925, containing nine chapters; the story continues in five further volumes. Compare Okakura's The Book of Tea.

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