The Diary recorded by Lady Murasaki (c. 973 c. 1020), author of The Tale of Genji, is an intimate picture of her life as tutor and companion to the young Empress Shoshi. Told in a series of vignettes, it offers revealing glimpses of the Japanese imperial palace the auspicious birth of a prince, riva[...]

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 [...]

This is the first complete new translation for 25 years of the acknowledged masterpiece of Japanese literature. Lady Murasaki's great 11th century novel is a beautifully crafted story of love, betrayal and death at the Imperial Court. At the core of this epic is Prince Genji, the son of an emperor, [...]

Murasaki Shikibu?s The Tale of Genji, written in Japan in the early eleventh century, is acknowledged to be one of Japan?s greatest literary achievements, and sometimes thought of as the world?s first novel. It is also one of the earliest major works to be written by a woman. This introduction to th[...]

Berättelsen om Genji är ett av världens äldsta romanverk. Det skrevs på 1000-talet av en hovdam vid kejsarens hov i Kyoto. Murasaki Shikibu är en pseudonym, där Shikibu står för hovdamens sociala ställning.I den japanska originalversionen består Berättelsen av Genji av nästan 2500 sidor[...]