LiteratureBook · 1008
The Tale of Genji
Murasaki Shikibu
Genji moves through the Heian court seducing, grieving and being outmanoeuvred, and then the book outlives him and follows the next generation. Written by a lady-in-waiting around the start of the eleventh century, and often called the first novel anywhere.
Why you should read this
This is widely credited as the world's first novel, written by a woman of the Heian court in vernacular Japanese rather than the classical Chinese reserved for men's serious writing. It rewards patient readers over plot-driven ones, given its scale and its interest in mood and courtly ritual over incident.
- Field
- Literature
- Form
- Fiction
- Published
- 1008
- Themes
- Japanese LiteratureLiterature
