Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Tale of Genji (潤一郎訳源氏物語)

by Murasaki Shikibu, Royall Tyler (Translator)

3.66 of 5 stars 3.66 · rating details · 4,194 ratings · 385 reviews

Written in the eleventh century, this portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the world's first novel. The Tale of Genji is a very long romance, running to fifty-four chapters and describing the court life of Heian Japan, from the tenth century into the eleventh.

Paperback, Deluxe Edition, 1182 pages

Published November 26th 2002 by Penguin Classics (first published 1021)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami

Best Japanese books

15th out of 348 books — 1,247 voters

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Thickest Books Ever

39th out of 565 books — 1,962 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jun 17, 2009 Nozomi rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Sigmund Freud

Shelves: own, japan

Oh yes, I totally want to read about all the affairs Genji, the "shining" prince, had with dozens of other women. Not to mention most of these women looked like his mother in some way or another. (Freud would be esctatic.) One of these women wasn't even a woman at all, but a small child he pretty much abducted. Of course, this young girl looked like his mother.

The fact that this is the first true psychological novel in the world is interesting, it really is. But just because it is so doesn't mea...more

14 likes · like · see review

Dec 05, 2012 umberto rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, japan

This epic-like Japanese novel is, of course, quite lengthy (54 Chapters, 1120 pages) and thus reading it would take your time and concentration. I thought I would never finish reading it but, after my visit to Japan for a week last April, I decided to resume reading it mixed with boredom and enjoyment.

This novel written by a court lady in the 11th century has been depicted on various, innumerable noble characters with illustrious noble titles unfamiliar to, I think, most of its readers outside J...more This epic-like Japanese novel is, of course, quite lengthy (54 Chapters, 1120 pages) and thus reading it would take your time and concentration. I thought I would never finish reading it but, after my visit to Japan for a week last April, I decided to resume reading it mixed with boredom and enjoyment.

This novel written by a court lady in the 11th century has been depicted on various, innumerable noble characters with illustrious noble titles unfamiliar to, I think, most of its readers outside Japan. Therefore, we should read its chronology (pp. 1125-1133) before/while reading each Chapter because it'd help to guide us on what happens, who're the key characters, what and why they do, what're the consequences, etc. As far as I know, only this edition translated by Royall Tyler offers this useful guide to its readers. This considerate approach, I hope, should lessen our boredom.

Surprisingly, I've never read any war scene or military campaign since it might not be her genre/expertise so we're always immersed in dream-like romance episodes related to various couples tinged by eventual psychological dilemma due to love or suffering. There are lots of Japanese-style word plays which we may read casually or skip some and I'm quite sure those readers who know Japanese may find them more enjoyable and understandable.

In brief, the whole plot of the novel essentially focused on various life cycles of those key characters, that is, from birth to death and along the way all dignitaries suffer their aging as well as illness in which all mortals simply can't escape from the ultimate cycle.

Nearing the end of this novel, I think Ukifune's decision to renounce the world by being a Buddhist nun is wistfully touching, remarkable and wise. However, her fate is similar to the young lady toward the end of Book 4 in "The Sea of Fertility" by Fukio Mishima. I wonder if he's conceived the idea of such an end from this legendary novel.

In essence, this famous Japanese 'Tale' is not a classic best-seller or page-turner, rather it's a literary treasure penned by such a formidable scholar named Lady Murasaki Shikibu as her masterpiece for those interested in Japanese court/culture/ways of life who may try reading it and enjoy some unthinkable, romantic atmosphere 10 centuries ago in ancient Japan.

Endnote: On October 13, 2009 I read the new Penguin translation by Royall Tyler from Chapter 37 The Flute onwards and stopped at page 779. Since May 3, 2012 I've resumed reading Chapter 42 The Perfumed Prince and hope to make it soon.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Nov 10, 2012 Nathan "N.R." Gaddis marked it as the-value-of-a-dollar · review of another edition

Shelves: japan, women, too-big-to-knot

"The Tale of Genji is a novel written by an aristocratic woman for other women of her rank -- men at this time read history and poetry, sometimes theology, but not fiction -- which presents the first challenge to reading it. It wasn't written for you, dear reader, but for select contemporaries who instinctively understood everything that now needs to be spelled out in annotations and commentary. . . . The modern reader doesn't so much listen to the story as eavesdrop on it, spy on it, like the c...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 13, 2008 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: worldliterature

Arguably the first novel ever written (using a modern definition of novel), and at the very least the first novel written by a woman, this essential work traces the life of a prince in medieval (Heian) Japan. The novel is intensely psychological and manages to very consistently portray the lives of hundreds of individuals across half a century or more. Aside from the insight the novel provides into the extremely rarified culture of the Japanese court in the middle ages, a reader comes away from...more

13 likes · like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 Phillip Kay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So much has been said about Genji Monogatari: some say it is the world's first novel; others, the greatest novel ever written; others again an incomparable source of information on Heian Japan. For some it is a satire, for others a great love story. All these are probably true, but it depends on your point of view, culture and even your sex as to how true.

My reading showed me that it is one of the greatest of autobiographies. For me, Murasaki, whose own name we do not even know, is the true hero...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 18, 2009 Deborah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: want-to-buy

I simply cannot believe this book is celebrating it's 1000th anniversary this year. The characters are so complex, with such a human range of emotions. There are so many characters, yet each one is unique. She has so calculatedly dialed in each character, subtly conveying how close they come to her view of perfection - Murasaki being at the top of this, and (in my opinion) Niou and others being at the bottom.
It is so easy to see how this book still influences literary styles in Japan today... t...more I simply cannot believe this book is celebrating it's 1000th anniversary this year. The characters are so complex, with such a human range of emotions. There are so many characters, yet each one is unique. She has so calculatedly dialed in each character, subtly conveying how close they come to her view of perfection - Murasaki being at the top of this, and (in my opinion) Niou and others being at the bottom.
It is so easy to see how this book still influences literary styles in Japan today... the fatalistic & existential as well as the methods of characterization -- these same methods can be seen in anime and manga today. It is definitely not an exaggeration to say that Genji's writing has influenced Japan as much as Shakespeare has influenced English literature.

Shikibu also reveals the nature of Japanese culture with such eloquence. When I first started reading it, I was split between boredom w/Genji (and the author's obsession with his beauty) and fascination with the complexity of 9th century Japanese court. But as I read further I became more and more amazed at the beauty and subtlety of Shikibu's writing and poetry. I felt I was being spoiled - the writing felt so luxurious and conveyed so much atmosphere in each scene. It was easy to envision each room, each wilderness.
The fact that the poetry has been translated from archaic Japanese that was laden with metaphors and double meanings --which are completely lost in the translation -- and still reads beautifully says a lot. She can convey so much without directly saying it, and with such intimacy it feels like you're reading a letter from a close friend (though I'm sure part of this is owed to the translator). I love how she occasionally speaks to the reader, I love how she goes into detail about the clothes and gifts and gardens (the number one indication a woman wrote it), the nuances of each characters handwriting, and how this has bearing on the true substance of that character.

It is undeniable that -- while the plot may be dull and a bit trivial -- Shikibu's writing is truly genius.
(less)

15 likes · like · see review

Apr 29, 2008 bup rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, not-1001-but-the-list-is-stupid

Turns out "Genji"'s not the little dog. Huh.

I guess the big lesson here is that it really matters what translation you get of a thousand-year-old Japanese novel. The one published by Tuttle Classics, translated by Kencho Suematsu, is terrible. At first, I figured, hey, thousand-year-old Japanese. Going to be turgid. But then, I noticed, the footnotes couldn't write their collective way out of a paper bag either:

"Sasinuki is a sort of loose trousers, and properly worn by men only, hence some comm...more

9 likes · like · see review

Dec 21, 2012 Riana Elizabeth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"The Tale of Genji" is thought to be the first novel written in history, so the significance of that alone would save it from a one-star rating. Also, the translation was clear and easily understandable, without leading the reader into those common "Huh?" moments that come from poor translation. However, I'm a product of my (ADHD, instant gratification) times and I have to rate this book as such.
Though a classic (first published in 1021), this 1120 page Japanese tome was too ponderous for me. Th...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2009 Smenkhare rated it 1 of 5 stars

i hate this book only a little less than i hate 'twilight'. the historical and literary significances are really impressive (it was the first novel written - and by a woman, for that matter), and it's the source of pretty much everything we currently know about heian court life, but genji is the wimpiest, rapiest protagonist ever. he is literally so mind-crushingly whiny, childish and just plain unlikeable that in my opinion, he ruins what is otherwise a pretty compelling story.

also, he rapes mo...more

12 likes · like · see review

Mar 18, 2012 Amanda Spacaj-Gorham rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel is a challenge on many levels. The biggest challenge of all is not resenting (or even despising) Genji himself. It is best read in conjunction with "The World of the Shining Prince" by Ivan Morris to understand the environment(1,000 years ago at the end of the Heian Period). Also read the Diary of Lady Murasaki. I wouldn't bother taking on 1,090 pages of Genji without the assistance of these works, which are much easier to digest.

Also read ALL the footnotes. When this book was writte...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2011 Miranda rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So I finally finished The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu and I would just like you to all know that I HATED it. I definitely would not give it a place in my top 10 greatest novels of all time. I don't care if it is an 11th Century novel that revolutionized the genre by being the first novel to include feelings, and thoughts. It's horrible.

Why?

1)It has no point. The book basically follows Prince Genji throughout the course of his life and his many loves. The journey through these many loves do...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 11, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those Interested in Japanese Culture

Shelves: classics, novels, fiction, romance

This is a work I've often seen named as the first novel, as well as a work that the introduction claims greatly influenced and embodies the Japanese culture--and this by a women writer. Not many undeniably great classics, especially this old, can claim female authorship, and this one was written around the turn of the first millennium, when Europe was just emerging from the Dark Ages. The Tale of the Genji, the product of a sophisticated court, is thus close in age to Beowulf, and by and large,...more This is a work I've often seen named as the first novel, as well as a work that the introduction claims greatly influenced and embodies the Japanese culture--and this by a women writer. Not many undeniably great classics, especially this old, can claim female authorship, and this one was written around the turn of the first millennium, when Europe was just emerging from the Dark Ages. The Tale of the Genji, the product of a sophisticated court, is thus close in age to Beowulf, and by and large, in its English translation in some ways more accessible. In other ways not. The translator himself, Waley, noted it's in many ways "alien to modern sensibilities" and at times I wasn't sure of what was happening, whether I was supposed to interpret Genji's character favorably and wondered what I missed in translation despite frequent footnotes. On the other hand, that very alien sensibility is a lot of the attraction. This is very much a very different world than ours.

The story involves Prince Genji and his various amours in the first four parts and his descendants, especially his purported son Kaoru and his grandchild Niou, in the last two parts. (Kaoru's greatest quality, I kid you not, is his strong "entrancing personal fragrance.") Genji reminds me of a Japanese version of Don Juan. At times things are told so obliquely though, I wasn't always sure if he was involved with various women platonically or sexually, or even whether the various relationships are consensual or not. The women are often depicted as ambivalent and Genji's beauty and accomplishments seem not to simply excuse but erase his flaws in the minds of others. But then, no male character in the book acts all that differently--they're all relentlessly sexually aggressive. When Genji kidnaps Murasaki, a ten-year-old girl he's enamored with, I wasn't sure at first of the nature of his regard and the way he grooms her into a future wife, and initiates her into sex, is indeed creepy to my "modern sensibilities." Murasaki is the major female character in the book, and by and large is too passive for me to feel a connection with her.

But then, so is just about every female character in the book. The Buddhist Japan depicted in this novel is every bit as misogynistic as the Christian Europe of this era. According to the book, Buddhist doctrine holds women are inherently evil--or they wouldn't be incarnated as women. Nor are they allowed into "Amida's paradise" in the afterlife. Women, at least of the upper classes, can only converse with men not part of their immediate family through screens or curtains or through notes or intermediaries. So by and large in this book women are not directly active but acted upon and are constantly cringing away from male attentions, weeping about (but excusing) rape, and then often starving themselves to death, willing themselves to fade away, planning to throw themselves into the river or taking vows as a nun.

I don't know that I can recommend this as a great read or one that can really give you insight into modern Japanese culture. A reviewer pointed out that, like a modern English-speaker reading Beowulf, modern Japanese can't sit down and read Tale of Genji and comprehend it without a translation and notes. This doesn't fit Western (or maybe even Japanese) expectations of what is Japanese. No geishas, samurai, haiku, manga, martial arts, kabuki, sushi, tea ceremony--or ritual suicide. In fact, suicide isn't honorable at this time, it's a disgrace. This is such a lengthy tome--over a thousand door-stopper pages, with hundreds of characters; it's hard to keep track of who is who, especially since in the original they're not named, though the translation I read mercifully gives them monikers to make it easier to follow the narrative. It's often a tedious read, and it doesn't so much end as stop. Nevertheless, I was often struck at times by the psychological complexity and the beauty of descriptions, and it gives a detailed look at the court life of the period. This isn't at all a martial culture that is described, but one with a very elaborate aesthetic where courtiers burst into impromptu verse and notes are judged not just by content but color and quality of paper, how it's scented, style and quality of handwriting, how it's folded and what flower the paper is tied up with.

Given its historical importance, I'm glad I tackled it. I took it at a pace averaging less than a hundred pages each day--slow for me. My rating tries to strike a balance between my recognition of its greatness as well as how much a slog I found most of it. It fits between the one star GoodReads "didn't like it" and the five star "it's amazing" because to be honest my reaction is both. I think this is one of those works, like The Bible or Confucius' Analects or The Koran you get more out of if you prepare yourself, and not something I should have tackled as a stand alone. Someone pointed me to an essay by Michael Dirda about his experience reading the book. Before reading it he loaded himself up with works on Japanese literature and history such as Ivan Morris' The World of the Shining Prince and Donald Keene's Japanese Literature. Others recommend Liza Dalby's Tale of Murasaki for an accessible fictional biography of Lady Murasaki and the Heian court. Maybe some day, if I'm masochistic enough, I'll give Genji another try after preparing myself better--but I doubt it.

(Oh, and as a Star Trek fan I couldn't help but be amused to see that Genji's moniker is "Hikuru." Sulu's first name is supposedly derived from it.)(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Dec 08, 2008 Ann Klefstad rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm not sure if this is the translation I have (would have to root through the shelves) but the book itself is a wonder. It's a whole planet, so far away and yet full of breath and blood perceivable even at this palpable distance. What a passionate intelligence Murasaki had, and what discipline to go with it--as a writer she knew when to hold tight and when to cut and run, and she doesn't seem to waste a lot of time. As this is the very first thing anywhere in the world in its genre, she made ea...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 29, 2008 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites

This is my favorite translation, though I still have to read the most recent one, of this magnificent book. This has been hailed as "the world's first novel," having been written in the 11th century by Lady Murasaki, a member of the Japanese imperial court. It is a completely engrossing work, drawing one into the complex and fascinating world of love, politics and courtly intrigue surrounding the "Shining Prince," Genji. I won't begin to summarize the story; suffice it to say that the juxtaposit...more

2 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2013 DW rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dutiful-classics, fiction, good-to-know, japanese, surprisingly-good, window-on-another-world

For being written more than a thousand years ago, this book wasn't that bad. It's the classic tale of a young sort-of-prince who chases every female he sees (including Violet, a little girl that he kidnaps when she's a child so he can have her when she grows up). He also takes one woman off to a solitary retreat, and she suddenly dies while they are in bed together (Downton Abbey, anyone?).

The only way I could tell the story was from so long ago and far away was because the characters just made...more For being written more than a thousand years ago, this book wasn't that bad. It's the classic tale of a young sort-of-prince who chases every female he sees (including Violet, a little girl that he kidnaps when she's a child so he can have her when she grows up). He also takes one woman off to a solitary retreat, and she suddenly dies while they are in bed together (Downton Abbey, anyone?).

The only way I could tell the story was from so long ago and far away was because the characters just made up poetry all the time, in speech as well as in notes to each other (I've never heard of anybody doing that. The only equivalent I could think of was freestyle rapping. And no, this was not like Shakespeare where all the characters speak in iambic pentameter, these characters speak in prose most of the time and then make up little four-line verses, usually as love notes.) And they kept referring to Chinese stories and Buddhist books. Oh, and when Genji finally gets caught in fragrante delicto and is exiled, then the weather gets really rainy and there are lots of floods and the dead emperor comes to the current emperor in dreams. That usually doesn't happen in modern stories.

I had a lot of trouble keeping track of all the people, because they were all called by their position at court (which one, mean nothing to me, and two, kept changing), and they were all related to each other with lots of half-siblings because many (most?) of the men had multiple partners, and there were at least three generations of several families to keep track of. Basically I only knew Genji (duh), Violet (the kidnapped girl), and Cicada (the only woman who kept her morals intact and refused to be wooed by Genji).

The intro to my edition said that some extraneous material had been edited out because the novel is too long. I think they should have edited out the last part about the debate about the paintings, that was excruciatingly boring. But the four stars are for the rest of the book, before that.(less)

like · see review

Apr 23, 2013 Charlie Canning rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the world's great works of literature ...

The novel opens with the characteristic summary of the hero's background. Once that is out of the way, the tale properly begins in the second chapter with the hero Genji, his rival To no Chujo, and two other young men telling war stories about their conquests. But because this is the middle of the Heian period and there is nobody to fight, the game is courtship and winning means getting behind the screen. To no Chujo knew a woman of exceptional bea...more One of the world's great works of literature ...

The novel opens with the characteristic summary of the hero's background. Once that is out of the way, the tale properly begins in the second chapter with the hero Genji, his rival To no Chujo, and two other young men telling war stories about their conquests. But because this is the middle of the Heian period and there is nobody to fight, the game is courtship and winning means getting behind the screen. To no Chujo knew a woman of exceptional beauty and taste named Yugao. He had a child with her but now both Yugao and the child are gone. Genji is entranced by what he hears and must have her. Such begins the cycle of discovery, courtship, possession, and loss that will be played out over three generations.

As with most Japanese literature, and Kawabata comes easily to mind, the plot is not nearly as important as the descriptions of setting and a heightened sensitivity for the beauty and sadness of things (mono no aware). Genji is the hero of the story (Kaoru, of the later part) not because of his exploits with women or his machinations at court, but because he is sensitive and articulate enough to communicate what usually cannot be put into words: that life is a sad business of "unendurable beauty."

One would expect that after a thousand years, the novel would have lost much its relevance, but this is not the case. In fact, the surprising thing about The Tale of Genji is that it contains the core of what, for want of a better term, may be called the Japanese sensibility. This is not to be confused with the often-maligned notion of Japanese uniqueness. That is a political thing. The Japanese sensibility as manifested in The Tale of Genji is a habit of being coupled with an aesthetic sense.

During Heian Kyo (794-1186), value was placed on a classical knowledge of Chinese poetry, the ability to play a musical instrument, handwriting that showed one's breeding and character, sensitivity to nature and the seasons, a sense of beauty, sportsmanship, duty, and charm. It was a time when matters of state where largely aesthetic questions about what color to wear or the proper classical allusion to fit the hour. In the chapter called "The Picture Competition" Murasaki writes, "It was indeed a moment in the history of our country when the whole energy of the nation seemed to be concentrated upon the search for the prettiest method of mounting paper-scrolls." These were the things that mattered.

The extraordinary thing about The Tale of Genji is that what was once a chronicle of the lives of a few hundred select people living a thousand years ago has become the mythos for a nation of 128 million. It is almost as if the mannerisms of Heian court life have been replicated in every subsequent milieu. The hierarchy is still with us, as are the mannerly appeals, the focus on the seasons and the passing of time, the emphasis on duty, beauty, ritual, and charm. It is only that the values in the novel have been transposed into a hundred walks of life with seemingly no relation to the Heian period. But dig a little deeper, and they are there. They have just changed form. What Murasaki was able to capture and distill in The Tale of Genji was the fountainhead of a distinctly Japanese civilization (ochobunka). There have been other influences, to be sure, but no other single work of literature can possibly lay claim to being Japan's "textbook in culture." Once you have read Genji, you will see its influence everywhere.

The complete English translations weigh in at around 1100 pages each. Of these, the three principal ones (with their dates of publication) are those by Arthur Waley (1925-1933), Edward G. Seidensticker (1976), and Royall Tyler (2001). Although each has its own strong points, Waley's translation is especially noteworthy because it was the groundbreaking one. Before Waley published the first part in 1925, Genji was largely unknown in the West. After Waley's translation, all those people who had thought that the novel as a literary form had begun with Samuel Richardson's Pamela (1740) or even Thomas Malory's Le Morte d'Arthur (1470) had to reset their timelines. Here was something of exceptional beauty written hundreds of years before the English novel had even been thought of.

Waley's translation itself is a work of art. Critics have said that it was in fact too much art and not enough translation - that Waley had overstepped his bounds as a translator. But others, including Tanizaki Junichiro and Ivan Morris, have defended Waley. Morris writes: "Arthur Waley's version of The Tale of Genji represents the freest possible type of translation. Indeed the word `re-creation' would be more appropriate; for he has brought Murasaki's novel to life as a great work of English literature in its own right." This accounts for the strange feeling that you have while reading Genji that the novel is recalling works by Jane Austen, George Eliot, Dickens, and Hardy instead of prefiguring them.

Subsequent translators have sought to rectify some of the shortcomings of Waley's translation. Seidensticker (1976), for example, restored the forms of address commonly used at the time (the use of court titles rather than given names or surnames) and rendered the poetry in couplets set off from the text rather than as quotations within the narrative. Tyler (2001) went even further in following the original Japanese, choosing to offer the reader a great deal of supplementary material to flesh out a more literal translation. This supplementary material includes footnotes, illustrations, maps, a chronology, a glossary, as well as appendices on "Clothing and Color," "Offices and Titles," "Poetic Allusions," "Characters," and "Further Reading."

Which should you read? I'd start with Waley's The Tale of Genji because this is a classic and reading Waley is a "two-for-one" proposition. Murasaki is here in all her brilliance but so is the guy who used to sit on the steps of the British Museum in between incredible flights of scholarship and imagination. After that, read Ivan Morris's The World of the Shining Prince. This will give you a good understanding of the Heian period. Then Seidensticker and Tyler. Finally, there is William J. Puette's very helpful The Tale of Genji: A Reader's Guide (Tuttle, 1983).
(less)

like · see review

Nov 09, 2012 Elizabeth Reuter rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Genji is a literary snapshot of life in Japan over 1,000 years ago. Following Prince Genji, a handsome and accomplished courtier who the author pictured as an ideal man, the book tells us of his rise through court life, often diverting to cover his many romances and the lives of people around him.

Lady Murasaki's work is remembered because, in my opinion, of her extraordinary insight into human nature. DO NOT read this book looking for heroes; you'll find characters you relate to, but everyone is...more Genji is a literary snapshot of life in Japan over 1,000 years ago. Following Prince Genji, a handsome and accomplished courtier who the author pictured as an ideal man, the book tells us of his rise through court life, often diverting to cover his many romances and the lives of people around him.

Lady Murasaki's work is remembered because, in my opinion, of her extraordinary insight into human nature. DO NOT read this book looking for heroes; you'll find characters you relate to, but everyone is flawed and usually sabotoges themselves with their own weaknesses, just like people in the real world do. Instead, read this book for a look at very recognizable people in a completely alien culture. Even the "romantic" Genji acts so stupidly at times you'll want to hit him, is rejected by certain women he's after, and ages like anyone else, rather than existing in a bubble of perfect, youthful beauty as is common in romances.

Able to see, and express, every side of each character's story, Lady Murasaki does nothing to romanticize infidelity or rape, showing the trauma they cause. Yet Murasaki was a product of her time, and assumed these things were to be borne with grace. She tells us her opinions: Tamakatsura (to take a side story from "Blue Trousers" for an example) is wise and genteel for accepting the misery of her marriage with a man she hates, and her husband Higekuro would naturally want to pull her away from all happiness because it takes her further from him. After all, he knew how much she loathed him, so what could he do? Letting her go never occurs to him, nor Tamakatsura's father or male guardian. And Lady Murasaki, despite her sympathy and affection for Tamakatsura, didn't expect them to.

It's incredible that Lady Murasaki, understanding Tamakatsura's anguish at Higekuro's hands, never thinks that perhaps her culture is flawed to allow the near-kidnapping and total domination that allow it to happen. The psychological honesty of her writing, however, let ME see it, and opens up a lot of questions about culture as a whole. If Lady Murasaki, so brilliant, was blinded by her ideas of "normal," what are we today missing?

Amazing, thought-provoking writing.

-Elizabeth Reuter
Author, The Demon of Renaissance Drive (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 16, 2012 Jenn rated it 5 of 5 stars

A fabulous read. I've read both the Tyler and the Seidensticker translations and both have their charms. Seidensticker goes for the natural English, whereas Tyler has gone for accuracy (and all those delicious footnotes)
I'm not surprised many people will run a mile from this- in part for the fact it's practically set in a different world, and in part for the sheer length.
For those unfamiliar with classical Japanese literature or the Heian Period, the Genji Monogatari is probably extremely hard t...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 25, 2012 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a truly magnificent work, a great gift to fans of classics, romance and Japanese literature. The quotes on the inside cover say it all.: "Both epic and intimate...A landmark event", "the oldest full-length novel in existence, and still very much alive...Tyler skillfully catches the erotic flavor, the vivid characterizations, and the elusive poetry of this classic", and "superbly written and genuinely engaging".

What I want to focus on is why a modern reader should attempt to navigate 1,12...more This is a truly magnificent work, a great gift to fans of classics, romance and Japanese literature. The quotes on the inside cover say it all.: "Both epic and intimate...A landmark event", "the oldest full-length novel in existence, and still very much alive...Tyler skillfully catches the erotic flavor, the vivid characterizations, and the elusive poetry of this classic", and "superbly written and genuinely engaging".

What I want to focus on is why a modern reader should attempt to navigate 1,120 closely packed pages, and why this book is not for everyone.

Why should you care? This is the earliest novel in the world, written between 1009 and 1016. It was written by Murasaki Shikibu, a gentlewoman to the Empress and probably her daughter. The chapters were handed around the court and the earliest surviving version comes from over 200 years later. Not only is this the first novel ever written it is a great story, and is just as alive today.

The Story: The story follows the life of Lord Genji, a son to the Japanese emperor. Because his mother dies when he is young and she was only a lower Intimate, Genji is made a commoner, but as he is a favorite of the Emperor he is also very well connected. This gives him the maximum flexibility, able to pursue life without the ritual obligations of a royal family member but also able to become politically influential.
We follow Genji and his offspring throughout the trials and tribulations of their lives. The narrator gives several perspectives throughout the book, which bring vividness to this tale. There are parts where the story sags, and the transition from the focus on Genji to his grandson Kaoru when the author changes (this is a controversial point in Japan, but the book really changes after chapter 41) is a little rough - but perseverance is rewarded, and the story does pick up. Editors were in short supply I suppose. The ending is also abrupt, they think the second author died suddenly.

Three premises:
Sex:Genji has a prodigious sexual drive and the first part of the book focuses on his love life. Don't read this if you bring modern sexual perspectives to the story, the romance is successful if you can think of the perspectives of the time.
Genji: Also Genji is a true romantic hero. He is never described - he is just beautiful and gorgeous, and smells great and plays the kin (7-string musical instrument) wonderfully and recites moving poetry and sings like an angel. If you can't believe that, don't start the book. You need to accept the basic romantic premise that Genji is the man.
Women:Like in Shakespeare, women are more powerful than their station in society would make them appear, and this shows up more clearly later in the story. Women are not helpless, and this story is not sexist.

The Poetry: One important characteristic of high court literacy at that time was memorizing hundreds of tanka - short 3 line poetry a little longer that haiku. The characters frequently either recite or refer to well-known tanka. Tyler's notation of the poems are detailed and bring the story to life. My favorite poem is from Kokinshuu 611: "My love knows no destination and has no end, the only boundary, to me, is the next time we meet". Poems seem to appear on almost every other page, and are a crucial feature of the book.

The Translation: After reading this book, I have looked up Royall Tyler on the web. A distinguished professor in classical Japanese, this is his final work before retiring. I tried to read an earlier translation but had to give up, this translation just sings, and seems to balance the work of Seidensticker (accurate but dull) with Waley (inaccurate but interesting). This is translated from a language that included very few pronouns and the convention of listing all the characters at the start of each chapter and their current title was very helpful in following the story. Several times I got lost on who the subject of a particular sentence was but those notes really helped.

The Takeaway: Reading Genji takes commitment and patience but your effort will be rewarded many times over. There are a few times in the book where the authors speak directly to the reader, and they always made me smile. To think that Murasaki Shikibu, 1,000 years later was speaking to me about how she felt about her own characters was amazing.
The is an abridged 400-page version out there too, but as a purist I can't recommend it.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 18, 2011 Heatherwilliamson rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've come back to this huge saga repeatedly over the years, but I never actually have finished it. (I peter out around the time that Genji dies and the story continues with his son.) But it doesn't matter, as this novel is so episodic it can easily be read in installments.
I first read the Arthur Waley translation in the Modern Library edition, and since that time have also read the Seidensticker translation, and more recently I have also read bits of Helen McCullough's combined Tales of the Hei...more

like · see review

May 30, 2011 Gary rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: japanese

This very long and very old book was written 1,000 years ago during the famous Heian period of Japan. Without turning all geeky and writing out a no-doubt poorly understood bit of history, it’s sufficient to say that this was, like many periods of history, a time of astonishing beauty and artistic achievement yet also absurdly dangerous, unhealthy and exploitative. It’s well worth reading up about it on the Internet because you will be enamoured.

This book is unusual for those in the West because...more This very long and very old book was written 1,000 years ago during the famous Heian period of Japan. Without turning all geeky and writing out a no-doubt poorly understood bit of history, it’s sufficient to say that this was, like many periods of history, a time of astonishing beauty and artistic achievement yet also absurdly dangerous, unhealthy and exploitative. It’s well worth reading up about it on the Internet because you will be enamoured.

This book is unusual for those in the West because not only is it very old, but it was also written by a woman. However, the Heian period is famous for pumping out quite a lot of women’s fiction and I believe that this is because the Heian period was when the Hiragana syllabary was developed by women, for use exclusively by women. FWBW.

It concerns the Shining Price Genji and his development from boy to old man. It is sensual, sexual, poetic and moving. Poetry is in fact the key point here – the story contains over 700 individual poems, sadly mostly very underwhelming due to the difficulties in translating from one language to another. However, the copious notes go some way towards explaining the meaning and word trickery that takes place in the original language and if you’re in the right frame of mind then it is possible to vaguely understand the overreaching concept of what’s happening in that try-not-to-focus-on-one-point-too-hard manner familiar to anybody who has spent time reading about various art movements or, in fact, any book written by Alfred Bester.

I can only speak for myself as a Westerner, but this book provides a double hit of culture shock curiosity. I read a lot of Japanese fiction and I still come across prose – even in contemporary fiction – that make me realise that in many arenas, some subtle and some not, our societies developed in very different ways and have not really converged yet. Perhaps they never will.

Being Japanese, The Tale of Genji frequently shows motivations and outcomes to thought processes that leave me a little puzzled and occasionally mediating on why I think in the way that I do that is so at odds with the characters I’m reading about. However, it also gives this the even more compelling/frustrating (delete as appropriate) twist of describing this within a society that is entirely alien to all but the experts in Heian culture.

To make things even more difficult, plenty of the chapters overlap each other and incorporate different characters or points of view. The careful reader will go mad trying to fit this into their mental timeframe. I just ploughed ahead as I always do and made it fit retrospectively.

It would be a waste of time to go into too much detail. Suffice to say that I’m talking about the bewildering amount of official, non-official titles and alternative names that each character carries but the very drives and ambitions and reactions to situations that are a fundamental part of a person’s being. We are talking about a society that on one hand judged a woman’s worthiness on the quality of her handwriting while on the other was perfectly happy to have these extremely delicate living monuments to a beautiful ideal shit in a box in the corner of the room.

Normally I wouldn’t bother to discuss this kind of thing and focus instead on what makes the story and characters worthy of your time, but The Tale of Genji is steeped in an ancient and mysterious culture that is at once gorgeous to behold and terrifying in its callousness. It’s the same length as War and Peace but will take you twice as long to read. It’s important to know what you’re getting yourself into with this.

Personally I found the first 300 pages or so to be engaging and insightful. As ever with a very old book, it was a thrill to read and recognise parts of modern humanity among the dust, and the Heian period, for all of its many, many faults, gives the story a powerful, moving, almost erotic charge. The next 400 pages were a struggle. There was a point where I was reading 4-5 pages a morning on the bus to work and falling asleep for the rest of the journey. While I could understand how it was a good read on a technical level, it was too much of a product of its time, delving into the detail of diplomatic affairs and subtleties of relationships that, to my shame, left me flummoxed. The rest of the book picked up again though, and I was hesitant to turn over the last page.

The Tale of Genji is, according to the 2 Japanese people I know who have read it, a tough, complex read that not many people finish. The English translation wasn’t convoluted or knotted in any sense – indeed, the language is simple enough and there are plenty of notes that explain some of the more obscure scenes (perhaps too many, but this is a frequent complaint of mine with Japanese books). It’s just a bit of a drag in places. I can’t even pretend that I’ll read it again any time soon, but one thing is certain – I’m very glad I have read it and don’t consider the considerable amount of time it took me to be a waste. It’s an incredibly valuable insight into a very strange society and so rich in detail and imagery at times as to be quite staggering. It is, objectively, a beautiful achievement. It’s just not that entertaining. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2010 Bryan marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Many times it is the earliest efforts that are the best.: The Tale of Genji, or Genji monogatari, was written in the tenth century by Shikibu Murasaki. In it, there is a deep look at the culture and way of life of the highest classes in Heian-era Japan.

The tale itself is about the 'shining prince'; Genji. Son of the emperor and one of his lowest consorts, Genji is fated to be one of the most important men of the age, but never able to truly ascend to royalty. This story, all thousand plus pages

...more

like · see review

Feb 17, 2010 Isabelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

I do not think that the point is really whether one likes "the Tale of Genji" or not... it is supposed to be the first novel ever written, it definitely is the first novel written by a woman, and it is a seminal book in the world's literary culture.
While events abound, the plot is rather thin: we just follow the hero Genji, a man of royal birth through the vicissitudes of court life during the Heian period of Japanese History... and Genji lives for love, or at least for women, and pleasure as it...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 13, 2011 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in Hiean Japanese day to day life in the upper class

Recommended to Andrea by: James Koehnline

This is a fabulous snapshot of court life in Japan. In many ways the story is as frivolous as a soap opera and bawdy as a Greek myth- full of love affairs and underhanded dealings amongst those ranking high enough in society to afford them! Murasaki Shikibu's gift to us through her 1216 modern english pages of text are the details of this life; the interactions of people across lines of class and division of sex, activities undertaken, objects of value. A point that has stayed with me from readi...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 02, 2012 Fiona Robson rated it 1 of 5 stars

I absolutely detested every moment of reading this book. I only read it because it's on the "1001 Books you Need to Read Before you Die". Whilst this list of books has helped me to discover books I love and may never have otherwise read ... there are pitfalls such as this dull book. I think, perhaps, that it was added to prove that the East also has a long history of the novel form, but I don't think I really needed to know that before I shuffle off this mortal coil. The book is vaguely interest...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 09, 2011 Cornerofmadness rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a classic piece of literature dating back to the eleventh century at the height of the Heian period in Japan. The authorship of this is debated by scholars but as it’s attributed as noted above. It is concerned the first true modern novel by many as it has an actual plot. It was also written by a woman. However, direct translations have certain issues such as at the time this was written to refer to the high ranking people in the book by name would have been considered insanely rude so e...more

like · see review

Jan 25, 2013 Mohammad Awny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

don't know but it reminded me of Casanova's diaries, I want to read the complete version one day, in general it was good but I think I cann't Judge it by nowadays standards (as a novel)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 19, 2011 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Well, of course, I haven't actually READ this whole book but I've read enough to say that I do like it. It was written almost precisely a millenium ago, which is a good part of its fascination ... It's wild to read something that old and be reminded of some of the early courtly novels from France or England written seven centuries later (think Princess of Cleves) but with more psychological depth. That, and everyone at court is soooooo into making up poems on the spot, usually with double or tri...more

like · see review

Mar 10, 2013 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Yes, I must second the reviews in regards to several common complaints:

1) That the morality of the character's values or actions are considered largely deplorable by today's standards; even the most liberal people for instance, who don't find the promiscuity offensive, will likely find the misogyny to be rather repugnant.
2) That the book is overly long, tedious and repetitive.
3) That there is no real plot or conclusion.

That being said, Genji has several merits:
1) It is well written for what it i...more

like · see review

Jan 06, 2012 Tominda Adkins rated it 4 of 5 stars

My enjoyment of this book is two-fold, and it has nothing to do with whiny, insufferable Genji. I was truly enthralled with the descriptions of Japanese courtesan life--however tedious it seemed to be (a woman had to spend her whole life writing scented poetry behind screens? I'd kill myself!). What I liked most about "the world's first novel" was imagining Ms. Murasaki's excitement as she composed it. How she must have sifted characters around in her head, erected scenes over and over again bef...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
The World's Liter...: Spirit Possession in Genji	1	12	21 oct. 08:43
The World's Liter...: Chapters 14-33	14	44	30 sept. 15:19
The World's Liter...: Chapter 6	4	23	29 sept. 10:17
The World's Liter...: Chapters 1-5	11	40	18 sept. 14:41
The World's Liter...: The Tale of Genji: Pre-Reading	39	41	29 août 22:11
The World's Liter...: Chapters 42-44	1	3	28 août 15:50
The World's Liter...: Chapter Summaries	3	9	28 août 15:34

combine
Other Editions (76)

More editions...

Genres

Classics

255 users

Cultural > Japan

175 users

Asian Literature > Japanese Literature

98 users

Historical Fiction

49 users

Literature

49 users

Cultural > Asia

23 users

Romance

20 users

Literature > Asian Literature

19 users

Novels

18 users

Academic > School

13 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu, or Lady Murasaki as she is sometimes known in English, was a Japanese novelist, poet, and a maid of honor of the imperial court during the Heian period. She is best known as the author of The Tale of Genji, written in Japanese between about 1000 and 1008, one of the earliest and most famous novels in human history. "Murasaki Shikibu" was not her real name; her actual name is unkn...more

More about Murasaki Shikibu...

Books by Murasaki Shikibu

The Tale of Genji: Scenes from the World's First Novel (Illustrated Japanese Classics)

A String of Flowers, Untied . . .: Love Poems from The Tale of Genji

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Tale of Genji

4 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Tale of Genji

“Real things in the darkness seem no realer than dreams.” — 22 people liked it

“The bond between husband and wife is a strong one. Suppose the man had hunted her out and brought her back. The memory of her acts would still be there, and inevitably, sooner or later, it would be cause for rancor. When there are crises, incidents, a woman should try to overlook them, for better or for worse, and make the bond into something durable. The wounds will remain, with the woman and with the man, when there are crises such as I have described. It is very foolish for a woman to let a little dalliance upset her so much that she shows her resentment openly. He has his adventures--but if he has fond memories of their early days together, his and hers, she may be sure that she matters. A commotion means the end of everything. She should be quiet and generous, and when something comes up that quite properly arouses her resentment she should make it known by delicate hints. The man will feel guilty and with tactful guidance he will mend his ways. Too much lenience can make a woman seem charmingly docile and trusting, but it can also make her seem somewhat wanting in substance. We have had instances enough of boats abandoned to the winds and waves.
It may be difficult when someone you are especially fond of, someone beautiful and charming, has been guilty of an indiscretion, but magnanimity produces wonders. They may not always work, but generosity and reasonableness and patience do on the whole seem best.” — 13 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Tale of Genji
avg rating	preview: The Tale of Genji Goodreads rating: 3.66 (4194 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7042.The_Tale_of_Genji?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309376788l/7042.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7042.The_Tale_of_Genji?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu[/url]

The Tale of Genji (潤一郎訳源氏物語)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website