Customer Reviews

The Tale of Genji (Penguin Classics)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've been reading Genji for 50 years. I'm no scholar and do not read Japanese, but I have kept coming back to it. It is one of the world's greatest novels, and the earliest one. I have both the Waley and Seidensticker translations. I had hand surgery this summer and have been discovering the joys of one handed reading with my Kindle. I thought this an ideal time to revisit an old favorite. Wrong. This sad, truncated version lacks complexity, depth and charm. It breaks off incomprehensibly before the deaths of Murasaki and Genji, and the whole last third of the novel, the most psychologically interesting part, is missing. There are parts that Tyler usefully omitted, like those concerned with poor dreary Suetsumuhana, but if I had encountered it in this form 50 years ago I would never have given it a second reading. Also I think I do not like the translation as well, but that is a judgement formed without the ability right now to compare this version with the other translations. My advice is go for Seidensticker. The Waley translation is my sentimental favorite but he for some reason left out a chapter.

ps: I did enjoy the notes, but anyone wishing to understand the background would do well to read Ivan Morris' World of the Shining Prince.

"The Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikibu is recognized as the world's first true novel. Written in the late 10th or early 11th century, it is a story of the life of "Genji", who is the son of an Emperor of Japan in the 9th century. Known as "The shining Prince", the story follows Genji's exploits over the course of his lifetime. The book gives insight into the lifestyle of a young, strikingly handsome prince who is revered by those he comes in contact with.

The true author, known as Murasaki Shikibu, was the daughter of a governor of several provinces. She is recognized as writing the entire tale, which consists of 54 chapters in its original format. Because all of the original versions were handwritten, the version we know of today are edited and compiled from multiple versions that were copied from the original, copied by an unknown scholar during the 13th century.

The story gives insight as to royal life during the time period. Its unabashed views of the lifestyle of Genji, and those around him, do not spare the reader of the downsides of royal life. In fact, much of what is portrayed in the book could be considered scandalous in nature, given the positions of importance many of the characters in the book have in Japanese society of that time period.

What strikes me as fascinating with this book is the obvious parallels to the life and human nature of those who live in today's world. The real life drama and adventure presented in this novel is compelling, if not somewhat scandalous. It is an absolutely compelling read, considering the time period it was written in, and it provides a fascinating look into the formality of royal life of the time period. The details are immaculate, and the romanticism of the era, even if somewhat misguided, are enough to make the most stoic reader feel the emotions of the characters in the book.

The many references to poetry, music, and writing styles are reminiscent of the way Japan imported much of its early style and influence from the Chinese and Koreans. Reading this book is like reading a history novel, but from the standpoint of being part of history. It is an excellent supplement to college level history classes, which is how I came to read it myself.

This book by far stands on its own when compared to other novels, if not for the quality of the content, then simply for consideration of the time period it was written in. The sheer detail and manner of writing are second to none, and rivals the quality of the product of today's writers. I would definitely recommend it to others, and I would absolutely without hesitation rate this as one of the better novels I have read.

The hard cover version is nearly 1200 pages long while the Kindle edition is listed at 400 pages. How does the publisher/author justify cutting out 2/3 of what is judged a masterpiece of literature. I have the print edition and was looking for an electronic copy. I won't find it here.

Buyer beware.

Being a huge fan of Japanese Literature and owning several different translations of the Tale of Genji in DT (Dead Tree) format (the big three Arthur Waley, Edward Seidensticker, Royall Tyler) , I was initially thrilled to see a Kindle edition.

My disappointment with the reality is worth mentioning. Due to poor formatting for the Kindle version the Table of Contents is not only lacking text linking, but is formatted such as to be essentially useless. It is merely a barrier you have to page through until you get to the main text - about 1307 locations in. (Not to mention the first 69 locations are just publisher advertising.)

It does seems to be the full 54 chapters of Genji and while it doesn't mention the translator (another nit against them for that) it is most definitely the Edward G. Seidensticker translation from the 1970s. Which is an excellent one (Genji is one of those works that reading more than one translation is a enlightening experience.)

So three stars overall. It would have been a solid 4 - 5 (call it 4 & 1/2) for the content by Lady Murasaki and the Seidensticker translation- but I really had to knock off 1 to 1 1/2 for the TOC of problem in the Kindle edition which in book of this size is considerable. When you have to spend several minutes just trying to find the actual start of the book, that is a significant issue. A book as important in the history of world literature as the Tale of Genji, deserves no less.

But I now have two of the three translations I want, come on publishers get us Waley and Tyler!

I cannot comment on the actual translation as I downloaded the sample using the Kindle for iPhone App. I was expecting the terrible table of contents (thanks to an earlier review - although said review was too kind/polite as what is suppose to pass as a table of contents has the appearance of gibberish). However the absolute deal breaker for me were the pages of hyperlinked ads at the beginning of the book that you must page through as well as the useless table of contents - adding insult to injury. I sincerely hope that these "ad" placements are few and far between for Kindle editions.

This version was not labeled as abridged when I ordered it. Amazon please be more careful about things like that, I didn't really want the cliff's notes version. Hopefully they are cool with exchanging it.

Edit: They were indeed cool with exchanging it for the unabridged, even though I was past the usual return period!

This is a great novel but the kindle version is not labelled as abridged, which it is. Amazon needs to label kindle versions correctly.

Fantastic novel and beautifully translated even though I was under the assumption that this was the full version of this epic but its the abridged but its perfectly fine with me though.

The Tale of Genji is a historical fiction book about Minamoto Yoshisune's relationship with his family and with his lovers. The book talks about how he meets Benkei and how he grows up. Minamoto Yoshitsune and Benkei were real people at one time. I read this book for Asian history class. I learned a lot about how Yoshitsune's weakness was women and how court life was like in ancient Japan. This book helped me to learn about Murasaki Shikubu's novel, considered by many to be the world's first novel. I recommend this book to all that like history, literature, and Japanese culture.

This textbook arrived quickly as I signed up for student speed, so to say. It was in good shape and packed very well.