Written in the eleventh century this exquisite portrait of courtly life in medieval Japan is widely celebrated as the worlds first novel
- & is certainly one of its finest. Genji the Shining Prince son of an emperor is a passionate character whose tempestuous nature family circumstances love affairs alliances & shifting political fortunes form the core of this magnificent epic. Royall Tylers superb translation is detailed poetic & true to the Japanese original while allowing the English reader to appreciate its timeless beauty. In this deftly abridged edition Tyler focuses on the early chapters which vividly evoke Genji as a young man & leave him at his first moment of triumph.