Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji)
Murasaki Shikibu
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) is a classic work of Japanese literature attributed to the Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu in the early eleventh century, around the peak of the Heian Period. It is sometimes called the world's first novel, the first modern novel, the first romance novel, or the first novel to still be considered a classic... The Genji was written for the women of the aristocracy (the yokibito) and has many elements found in a modern novel: a central character and a very large number of major and minor characters, well-developed characterization of all the major players, a sequence of events happening over a period of time covering the central character's lifetime and beyond. The work does not make use of a plot; instead, much as in real life, events just happen and characters evolve simply by growing older. One remarkable feature of the Genji, and of Murasaki's skill, is its internal consistency, despite a dramatis personae of some four hundred characters. For instance, all characters age in step and all the family and feudal relationships are consistent among all chapters. NOTE: this is a highly condensed version of the text, running to just under 200 pages, whereas the original is nearly 1000 pages long! (Summary by Wikipedia) (8 hr 52 min)
Chapters
Introduction | 17:24 | Read by Moira Fogarty |
The Chamber of Kiri | 46:38 | Read by Moira Fogarty |
The Broom-like Tree Part 1 | 38:21 | Read by meyerli |
The Broom-like Tree Part 2 | 21:24 | Read by meyerli |
The Broom-like Tree Part 3 | 30:12 | Read by meyerli |
Beautiful Cicada | 16:57 | Read by Availle |
Evening Glory Part 1 | 34:54 | Read by mlcui |
Evening Glory Part 2 | 27:00 | Read by mlcui |
Young Violet Part 1 | 25:33 | Read by Xiph |
Young Violet Part 2 | 33:30 | Read by meyerli |
Saffron Flower | 38:50 | Read by Xiph |
Maple Fete | 19:04 | Read by Rob Marland |
Flower-Feast | 9:33 | Read by meyerli |
Hollyhock | 26:22 | Read by e.a.zokaites |
Divine Tree | 27:55 | Read by mlcui |
Villa of Falling Flowers | 2:56 | Read by meyerli |
Exile at Suma | 37:45 | Read by meyerli |
Exile at Akashi | 23:22 | Read by Availle |
The Beacon | 14:24 | Read by Timothy Lucas |
Overgrown Mugwort | 13:45 | Read by Timothy Lucas |
Barrier House | 5:45 | Read by Timothy Lucas |
Competitive Show of Pictures | 20:47 | Read by Timothy Lucas |
Reviews
um excelente retrato de época
Di Oliveira
Um livro excelente texto descritivo e muito rico em detalhes sobre a condição humana. Muito Belo !
Interesting
Unknown
I enjoyed being taken back over a thousand years to the Japanese court. The plot was a bit thin, though.
Bobby Lewis
Like an unexpectedly warm kiss on the cheek so far.