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Title: The Tale of Genji by Edward G. Seidensticker, Shikibu Murasaki ISBN: 0-679-72953-4 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 16 June, 1990 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (9 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Is this the greatest novel of all time?
Comment: If you are reading this it is probably because you have enjoyed Liza Dalby's "Tale of Murasaki" and are wondering if you can handle something of this size. Or perhaps you are already familiar with the scintillating Waley or Seidensticker translations (also worth acquiring and reading) and curious as to why Tyler has even bothered to produce another one. In fact, even in Japan there have been several recent attempts to render the obscure language of the Heian Court into modern Japanese. Junichiro Tanizaki, for example, managed the feat twice. With such a precedent Tyler therefore, perhaps, needs no justification. Anyway, what you need to know is that the new translation surpasses Seidensticker's in being faithful to the poetic economy of Murasaki's prose (though "economy" here still leaves room for some marvellously glutinous, clause-laden sentences) and even succeeds in maintaining the shifting identities of the characters (which change when they receive promotion within the court) without leaving the reader lost. There are also some wonderful and irreverent moments, such as when Tyler has the libidinous Genji complain "I'm not out for hanky panky; all I want to do is sit for a while on her creaky veranda." But the main thing is that this translation is utterly absorbing, wonderfully readable, and as difficult to put down as many a bestselling novel I have come across. It will guarantee around two months of enjoyment to those who like a good psychological story and therefore represents excellent value, even in hardback. For me personally it is simply the best novel I have read and I recommend this translation without any reservations.
Rating: 4
Summary: The Reviews Should be Reviewed!
Comment: It's amazing how so many of the people writing negative reviews on this book are focused on what they see as moral or philosophical content.
They seem to miss the fact that Lady Murasaki was writing in the context of the society at that time, and exploring those same moral conflicts within the reality of both society and individual consciousness. Genji is not a hero placed on a pedestal, Murasaki examines him in the most honest way, showing both the good and the bad, the beauty and the beast; and that's what makes it such a great novel. It has integrity of subject rarely seen in our modern formulas and Hollywood endings.
In modern texts the writing formulas is a hero who goes through a series of climaxes, culminating in a victory or defeat where the protagonist discovers something about themselves, but with Genji, the reader discovers something about themselves, and maybe that's too disturbing for some people.
In addition, it passes on an abundance of information on Japanese history and culture of the Heian area. It is a significant work relating to the Japanese Incense Ceremony called Kodo, of which today the most famous game is called "Genji Koh" or "Incense of the Genji."
Rating: 1
Summary: Glorified Incest
Comment: This book disgusted me. I have never read anything so incestuous. 'Tale of Genji' is an overindulgent, horrific story. Any man who covets a girl of approxiamately age seven for a wife is what I would call a 'pedophile' not a prince. Not to mention that he impregnates his step mother. I have to wonder about those who gave this book 5 stars. Spare yourself the disgust, and use your money more wisely.
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Title: A Brief History of Japanese Civilization by Conrad Schirokauer ISBN: 0155002821 Publisher: International Thomson Publishing Pub. Date: January, 1993 List Price(USD): $51.95 |
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Title: Autobiography of Yukichi Fukuzawa by Yukichi Fukuzawa, Eiichi Kiyooka ISBN: 0231083734 Publisher: Columbia University Press Pub. Date: 15 October, 1980 List Price(USD): $28.50 |
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Title: Black Rain by Masuji Ibuse, John Bester, Shaw ISBN: 087011364X Publisher: Kodansha International Pub. Date: July, 1994 List Price(USD): $12.00 |
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Title: A Brief History of Chinese and Japanese Civilizations by Conrad Schirokauer ISBN: 0155055690 Publisher: International Thomson Publishing Pub. Date: December, 1988 List Price(USD): $61.95 |
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Title: The Koran (Penguin Classics) by N. J. Dawood ISBN: 0140445587 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: 01 July, 2000 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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