Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji)


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.2 stars; 30 reviews)

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


(5 stars)

Um livro excelente texto descritivo e muito rico em detalhes sobre a condição humana. Muito Belo !

Interesting


(3.5 stars)

I enjoyed being taken back over a thousand years to the Japanese court. The plot was a bit thin, though.


(5 stars)

Like an unexpectedly warm kiss on the cheek so far.