The Tale of Genji

An enormous achievement. The New York Times Book Review Both epic and intimate, [Genji] is a gorgeous evocation of a time and place that have long since disappeared. But its also an exploration of feelings and relations between men and women, as fresh and beguiling to readers today as when it was first written. A new translation that makes Genji accessible to contemporary readers is a landmark event. [Tylers translation] has clearly been a labor of love. In his beautifully written translation he tries to get as close to the original as possible, immersing us in eleventh-century Japan. Mr. Tylers translation is richly embellished with footnotes that flag for us everything that Murasaki and her contemporaries would have taken for granted. All in all, Mr. Tylers translation is likely to be the definitive edition of The Tale of Genji for years to come. The Wall Street Journal The Tale of Genji set an insanely high standard for anything that came after it. This latest edition is reader friendly at every turn, with generous footnotes, character lists and lots of illustrations to show what robes looked like, or swords, or houses. You have to reach for comparisons to Tolstoy or Proust to convey just what a captivating experience this story can be. Newsweek Tylers delicate ear for the language of the original helps breathe new life into the story of Genji. The New Yorker Though [Murasakis] setting was the royal Japanese court of one thousand years ago, her characters managed to draw the reader into their passion and terrors in an uncannily modern way. [Tylers translation is] beautifully readable . . . it sets a new standard. Not only is this new English edition the most scrupulously true to the original, it also is superbly written and genuinely engaging. . . . We are blessed to have Tylers help in reading it. The Los Angeles Times Book Review The remarkable thing about Genji is . . . that it is a masterpiece, the oldest full-length novel in existence, and still very much alive. It is even livelier in the new translation by Royall Tyler. Tyler skillfully catches the erotic flavor, the vivid characterizations, and the allusive poetry of this classic. . . . Readers will quickly find themselves immersed in a strange and distant culture whose inhabitants loves, rivalries, suffering and follies we can identify with our own. The Philadelphia Inquirer An astonishingly rich, absorbing drama that has stood, and will doubtless continue to stand, the severest tests of time and changing literary fashions. There is nothing else on earth quite like The Tale of Genji. Utterly irresistible. Kirkus Reviews (starred review) One of the undisputed monuments of world literature. Tyler offers a version that effectively captures the indirection and shades of Murasakis court language. A major contribution to our understanding of world literature; highly recommended. Library Journal (starred review) Widely recognized as the worlds first novel, as well as one of its best . . . painstakingly and tenderly translated by Tyler. An epic narrative, it is also minutely attentive to particulars of character, setting, emotioneven costume. Tyler clearly intends his [translation] to be the definitive one. It is richer, fuller, and more complicated than the others. Tylers formality of tone offers readers a more graceful, convincing rendering of this one thousand-year-old masterpiece. Scholars and novices alike should be pleased. Publishers Weekly (starred review) Tyler has long shown himself to be one of the finest translators of Japanese in our era. In producing this new Genji translation, he has been able not only to draw upon his own skills as a writer, but also to build on the efforts and accomplishments of his predecessors . . . the Tyler version is by far the most helpful to the general reader. The Washington Post Book W

Murasaki Shikibu (c. 970-1015) was a member of one of the most powerful dynasties in Japan and the author of a diary which reveals much about court life in Japan. Royall Tyler taught Japanese religion and literature at the Australian National University and has published widely on Japanese literature. He translated Japanese No Dramas for Penguin Classics.

The Tale of Genji - Murasaki Shikibu Translated by Royall TylerAcknowledgments List of Maps and Diagrams Introduction 1. The Paulownia Pavilion (Kiritsubo) 2. The Broom Tree (Hahakigi) 3. The Cicada Shell (Utsusemi) 4. The Twilight Beauty (Yugao) 5. Young Murasaki (Wakamurasaki) 6. The Safflower (Suetsumuhana) 7. Beneath the Autumn Leaves (Momiji no Ga) 8. Under the Cherry Blossoms (Hana no En) 9. Heart-to-Heart (Aoi) 10. The Green Branch (Sakaki) 11. Falling Flowers (Hanachirusato) 12. Suma (Suma) 13. Akashi (Akashi) 14. The Pilgrimage to Sumiyoshi (Miotsukushi) 15. A Waste of Weeds (Yomogiu) 16. At the Pass (Sekiya) 17. The Picture Contest (Eawase) 18. Wind in the Pines (Matsukaze) 19. Wisps of Cloud (Usugumo) 20. The Bluebell (Asagao) 21. The Maidens (Otome) 22. The Tendril Wreath (Tamakazura) 23. The Warbler's First Song (Hatsune) 24. Butterflies (Kocho) 25. The Fireflies (Hotaru) 26. The Pink (Tokonatsu) 27. The Cressets (Kagaribi) 28. The Typhoon (Nowaki) 29. The Imperial Progress (Miyuki) 30. Thoroughwort Flowers (Fujibakama) 31. The Handsome Pillar (Makibashira) 32. The Plum Tree Branch (Umegae) 33. New Wisteria Leaves (Fuji no Uraba) 34. Spring Shoots I (Wakana 1) 35. Spring Shoots II (Wakana 2) 36. The Oak Tree (Kashiwagi) 37. The Flute (Yokobue) 38. The Bell Cricket (Suzumushi) 39. Evening Mist (Yugiri) 40. The Law (Minori) 41. The Seer (Maboroshi) Vanished into the Clouds (Kumogakure) 42. The Perfumed Prince (Niou Miya) 43. Red Plum Blossoms (Kobai) 44. Bamboo River (Takekawa) 45. The Maiden of the Bridge (Hashihime) 46. Beneath the Oak (Shiigamoto) 47. Trefoil Knots (Agemaki) 48. Bracken Shoots (Sawarabi) 49. The Ivy (Yadorigi) 50. The Eastern Cottage (Azumaya) 51. A Drifting Boat (Ukifune) 52. The Mayfly (Kagero) 53. Writing Practice (Tenarai) 54. The Floating Bridge of Dreams (Yume no Ukihashi) Chronology General Glossary Clothing and Color Offices and Titles Summary of Poetic Allusions Identified in the Notes Characters in The Tale of Genji Further Reading