“The Tale of Genji” by Murasaki Shikibu (translation by Edward G. Seidensticker)
This is the first novel ever written in history. It is written in the 11th century by a female writer, Murasaki Shikibu, a lady in the Heian court of Japan who served empress Akiko.
The novel shows a nuanced portrait of a refined society in 10th-11th century Heian period in Japan, where every casual romantic or sexual relationship is an act of political calculation. Chief among the players is Hikaru Genji, a handsome second son of the emperor Kiritsubo and a passionate man with impulses that often create great turmoil in his kingdom and very nearly destroy himself. This fictional story, which spans almost three-quarters of a century, is mainly about him and the people around him.
Genji was born into royalty but later demoted to a status of a commoner after the death of his mother, a low-ranking concubine. As he matures, he grows to become a master of all essential noble arts, such as calligraphy, poetry, playing the lite, scent-mixing, and courtly dance. And his handsome features and charismatic personality enables him to be entangled in complex love affairs with various women, including a scandalous affair with his stepmother.
It was a highly political era, with the kingdom fractured into the Left and Right, where some actions can lead to political exiles, deaths, and spiritual disillusionment.
This English-language translation by Edward G. Seidensticker was first published in 1976, and it is arguably the 2nd best translation that I found after hours of research comparing the reviews between the multiple translations available. Why settle for the 2nd best, and who is the best translation? Many sources are saying that the translation by Royall Tyler is the undisputed best one, and true to my tsundoku habit, I already have the physical copy of it when I bought this thick book in Japan in 2013 as a souvenir for my collection (the first ever novel, bought directly in Japan? Jackpot).
But why still buy and read this Seidensticker’s translation? The Tyler translation is the 1217 pages, fully complete, unabridged masterpiece that spans 54 chapters and traces multiple generations. Meanwhile, this Seidensticker translation is the 384 pages, abridged version with curated selection of 12 core chapters that strictly focus on Genji’s youth and early romances. Chapters 2, 3, 6, 15 and 16, for example, are omitted due to their stand apart nature that have no effect on the main narrative.
Furthermore, Seidensticker’s translation also focuses on direct and concise English prose style that chose clarity, compared to Tyler’s translation that replicates the long and winding style of classical Japanese syntax. Hence, it is the perfect introductory translation to read in order to fully understand the story.
I will eventually read the Tyler translation someday, which aimed to preserve the purity of the text, complete with the 795 poems, extensive scholar commentaries, and of course the entire narrative from the original text. But for now, anyone who wants to read the first ever novel without being discouraged before we even begun to read, due to its sheer size, this Seidensticker translation is the go-to book to read.
A little personal side note: I intentionally read this book while travelling to Japan, and visited the Uji area at the outskirt of Kyoto along the way, where the last 10 chapters of the original Tale of Genji are set. There’s something about the Uji calm environment that I really love, and reading this book there felt like a Zen experience.
THE CHAOS THEORY 