The Tale of Genji (or Genji Monogatari) is a classic work of Japanese literature written in the early 11th century by the noblewoman and lady-in-waiting Murasaki Shikibu. The work recounts the fictional life of Hikaru Genji, or "Radiant Prince", who is the son of an ancient Japanese emperor (known to readers as Emperor Kiritsubo) and a low-ranking concubine called Kiritsubo Consort. Due to the intense political conflicts at the court and out of protection for his son, the emperor removes Genji from the line of succession, demoting him to a commoner by giving him the surname Minamoto, so that he pursue a career as an imperial officer. The tale concentrates on Genji's romantic life and describes the customs of the aristocratic society of the time. With us today is Prof. Edward Kamens, Sumitomo Professor of Japanese Studies, East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University. Prof. Kamens will share his expertise on the history of the work’s translations as well as how other modes of interpretation shape our understanding of the work.

Reading List:
Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji

Edward Kamens, "Flares in the Garden,Darkness in the Heart: Exteriority, Interiority, and the Role of Poems in The Tale of Genji," in Studies in Modern Japanese Literature: Essays and Translations in Honor of Edwin McClellan

For aficionados interested in Japanese versions:
Shin Nihon koten bungaku taikei
Shin Nihon koten bungaku zenshu

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The Tale of Genji and Its Translation