Svetlana's Reads and Views

Name of Book: The Tale of Genji Author: Murasaki Shikibu (Translated by Edward G Seidensticker) ISBN: 0-394-73530-7 Publisher: Borzoi Book Alfred A Knopf Type of book: Japan, Heian Court Era, wealth, generations, women, men, 800s-900s?, cloistered, marriage, love, courting Year it was published: 900s?- 1000s? (Version I have 1976) Summary: The Tale of Genji was written in the eleventh century by Murasaki Shikibu, a lady of the Heian court. It is universally recognized as the greatest masterpiece of Japanese prose narrative, perhaps the earliest true novel in the history of the world. Until now there has been no translation that is both complete and scrupulously faithful to the original text. Edward G Seidensticker's masterly rendering was first published in two volumes in 1976 and immediately hailed as a classic of the translator's art. It is here presented in one unabrdiged volume, illustrated through-out by woodcuts taken from a 1650 Japanese edition of The...

Title of the book:  The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon: The Diary of a Courtesan in Tenth Century Japan Author:  Sei Shonagon, Arthur Waley Publisher: Tuttle Publishing Date: 2011/ written sometime in 10th to 11th century. ISBN: 978-4-8053-1108-0 Summary: Japan in the 10th century stood physically and culturally isolated from the rest of the world. Inside this bubble, a subtle and beautiful world was in operation, and its inhabitants were tied to the moment, having no interest in the future and disdain for the past. In a small diary, a young courtesan of the Heian period gives her account of the Japanese courts of the day, providing perspective on a unique time in Japanese history. A contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, the author of The Tale of Genji, Sei Sho-nagon's commentary brings an added dimension to that timeless and seminal work. In a place and time where poetry was as important as knowledge and beauty was highly revered, Sei Shonagon's private writings g...