{"product_id":"the-tale-of-genji-introduction-by-edward-g-seidensticker-9780679417385","title":"The Tale of Genji: Introduction by Edward G. Seidensticker","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the early eleventh century Murasaki Shikibu, a lady in the Heian court of Japan, wrote what many consider to be the world's first novel, more than three centuries before Chaucer. The Heian era (794--1185) is recognized as one of the very greatest periods in Japanese literature, and \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji \u003c\/i\u003eis not only the unquestioned prose masterpiece of that period but also the most lively and absorbing account we have of the intricate, exquisite, highly ordered court culture that made such a masterpiece possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGenji is the favorite son of the emperor but also a man of dangerously passionate impulses. In his highly refined world, where every dalliance is an act of political consequence, his shifting alliances and secret love affairs create great turmoil and very nearly destroy him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdward Seidensticker's translation of Lady Murasaki's splendid romance has been honored throughout the English-speaking world for its fluency, scholarly depth, and deep literary tact and sensitivity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMurasaki Shikibu, a lady in the Heian court of Japan, is best known as the author of \u003cb\u003eThe Tale of Genji\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e-\u003c\/i\u003ewritten in the eleventh century and universally recognized as the greatest masterpiece of Japanese prose narrative and possibly the earliest true novel in the history of the world.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Everyman's Library","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50412791038226,"sku":"9780679417385","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dde90028-216a-4568-b988-e75c8d42441f.jpg?v=1729328318","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-tale-of-genji-introduction-by-edward-g-seidensticker-9780679417385","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}