The Tale of Genji

The world’s first novel in a translation that is “likely to be the definitive edition . . . for many years to come” (The Wall Street Journal). A Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition with flaps and deckle-edged paper Written in the eleventh century this exquisite portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the world’s first novel. Genji the Shining Prince is the son of an emperor. He is a passionate character whose tempestuous nature family circumstances love affairs alliances and shifting political fortunes form the core of this magnificent epic. Royall Tyler’s superior translation is detailed poetic and superbly true to the Japanese original while allowing the modern reader to appreciate it as a contemporary treasure. Supplemented with detailed notes glossaries character lists and chronologies to help the reader navigate the multigenerational narrative this comprehensive edition presents this ancient tale in the grand style that it deserves.