{"title":"Books by Murasaki Shikibu","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780140435764","title":"The Diary of Lady Murasaki","description":"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, rivalries between the Emperor's consorts, with sharp criticism of Murasaki's fellow ladies-in-waiting and drunken courtiers, and telling remarks about the timid Empress and her powerful father, Michinaga. The Diary is also a work of great subtlety and intense personal reflection, as Murasaki makes penetrating insights into human psychology - her pragmatic observations always balanced by an exquisite and pensive melancholy.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56224126632309,"sku":"9780140435764","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780140435764_95de71c9-be73-42fb-8358-dfd78e036989.jpg?v=1786011548"},{"product_id":"9780142437148","title":"The Tale of Genji","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe world’s first novel, in a translation that is “likely to be the definitive edition . . . for many years to come” (\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, with flaps and deckle-edged paper\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 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.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56225981366645,"sku":"9780142437148","price":26.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780142437148_cd7f269e-1aa4-4708-86e7-df0896a0e625.jpg?v=1786011513"},{"product_id":"9780393427912","title":"The Tale of Genji – Norton Library","description":"About Dennis Washburn’s translation“Washburn’s version of Murasaki Shikibu’s masterpiece is lucid and engaging, irresistibly drawing the reader further and further into the story and the exquisite world it creates for us of Japan’s Heian court. A fresh and invaluable Tale of Genji for those of us reuniting with a familiar friend and those encountering it for the very first time. ”—VALERIE HENITIUK, author of Worlding Sei Shonagon: The Pillow Book in Translation","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56289642185077,"sku":"9780393427912","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780393427912.jpg?v=1786013574"},{"product_id":"9780393933987","title":"The Tale of Genji – A Norton Critical Edition","description":"This Norton Critical Edition includes:Dennis Washburn’s acclaimed and unabridged translation of Murasaki Shikibu’s eleventh-century literary masterpiece, widely considered the world’s first novel.   Editorial matter by Dennis Washburn.   Fourteen background selections—from the eleventh-century The Daughter of Sugawara no Takasue to Virginia Woolf—carefully selected to increase the reader’s understanding and appreciation of this nuanced and vibrant work.   Nine critical essays on The Tale of Genji’s central themes.   An index of songs and poetry, three chronologies and a selected bibliography.   About the SeriesRead by more than 12 million students over fifty-five years, Norton Critical Editions set the standard for apparatus that is right for undergraduate readers. The three-part format—annotated text, contexts and criticism—helps students to better understand, analyse and appreciate the literature, while opening a wide range of teaching possibilities for instructors. Whether in print or in digital format, Norton Critical Editions provide all the resources students need.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56289697530229,"sku":"9780393933987","price":28.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780393933987_4bdb74ef-7efb-4454-a5c8-f0b615c7f77c.jpg?v=1786013873"},{"product_id":"9781857151084","title":"The Tale Of Genji","description":"The Tale of Genji follows Prince Genji through his many loves, and varied passions. This book has influenced not only generations of courtiers and samurai of the distant past, but artists and painters even in modern times episodes in the tale have been incorporated into the design of kimonos and handicrafts, and the four-line poems called waka which dance throughout this work have earned it a place as a classic text in the study of poetry.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308184809845,"sku":"9781857151084","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781857151084_1e842ed2-3d30-4198-8339-22cd249c0789.jpg?v=1786029457"},{"product_id":"9784805310816","title":"The Tale of Genji","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"What Waley did create is literary art of extraordinary beauty that brings to life in English the world Murasaki Shikibu imagined. The beauty of his art has not dimmed, but like the original text itself retains the power to move and enlighten.\"—Dennis Washburn, from his foreword\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Centuries before Shakespeare, Murasaki Shikibu's \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e was already acknowledged as a classic of Japanese literature. Over the past century, this book has gained worldwide acceptance as not only the world's first novel but as one of the greatest works of literature of all time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe hero of the tale, Prince Genji, is a shining example of the Heian-era ideal man—accomplished in poetry, dance, music, painting, and, not least of all to the novel's many plots, romance. \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e and the characters and world it depicts have influenced Japanese culture to its very core. This celebrated translation by Arthur Waley gives Western readers a very genuine feel for the tone of this beloved classic.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis edition contains the complete Waley translation of all six books of \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e and also contains a new foreword by Dennis Washburn with key insights into both the book and the importance of this translation for modern readers.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309938913653,"sku":"9784805310816","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9784805310816_5bd9fff9-6781-4c8d-9626-3ea157a3cd30.jpg?v=1786031638"},{"product_id":"9784805314647","title":"The Tale of Genji","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe most famous work of Japanese literature and the world's first novel—written a thousand years ago and one of the enduring classics of world literature.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten centuries before the time of Shakespeare and even Chaucer, \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e marks the birth of the novel—and after more than a millennium, this seminal work continues to enchant readers throughout the world. Lady Murasaki Shikibu and her tale's hero, Prince Genji, have had an unmatched influence on Japanese culture. Prince Genji manifests what was to become an image of the ideal Heian era courtier; gentle and passionate. Genji is also a master poet, dancer, musician and painter. \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e follows Prince Genji through his many loves and varied passions. This book has influenced not only generations of courtiers and samurai of the distant past, but artists and painters even in modern times—episodes in the tale have been incorporated into the design of kimonos and handicrafts, and the four-line poems called \u003ci\u003ewaka\u003c\/i\u003e which dance throughout this work have earned it a place as a classic text in the study of poetry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis version by Kencho Suematsu was the first-ever translation in English. Condensed, it's a quarter length of the unabridged text, making it perfect for readers with limited time.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Not speaking is the wiser part,\u003cbr\u003eAnd words are sometimes vain,\u003cbr\u003eBut to completely close the heart\u003cbr\u003eIn silence, gives me pain.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Prince Genji, in \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56310813229429,"sku":"9784805314647","price":8.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9784805314647_ea0fe5a2-f544-43d0-8d14-afb8d659d930.jpg?v=1786031727"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-murasaki-shikibu.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}