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The Tale of Genji

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The Tale of Genji

Written by: Murasaki Shikibu, Suematsu Kencho - translator
Narrated by: Elaine J. Sepani
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About this listen

Japanese noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji in the 11th century to entertain the other women in the court. It follows the romantic exploits of the title character, an emperor’s son, as he navigates life within aristocratic society and eventually outside of it. Praised for its psychological insight into the characters’ motivations, the book greatly influenced Japanese culture and is widely considered the world’s first novel. In 1882, Suematsu Kencho translated a condensed version of the text into English, allowing this classic tale to reach a wider audience.

Public Domain (P)2018 Woodkeep Audio Action & Adventure Classics Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction World Literature Military

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Few mispronounciations but a good story

Dowager is pronounced as "dowagrrr," but, otherwise, this is read at a good clip and well enunciated.

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Not Complete Enough

First of all, this covers only 17 of the 54 chapters of the Tale of Genji. From the end of this reading it would've and should've continued with Hikaru Genji's descendants beyond his own death.
The narrator's soft and sultry voice is befitting of this story. I'd very much like to here her for the remainder of the 54 chapters. Despite this, like many recordings, diligence was not taken to learn the Japanese pronunciation of names. Such as Tō-no-Chūjō coming out as "tono-chi-o-ji-o", even Hikaru, though little referred, sounded as "hakall". I had to look up repeatedly to understand who or what place was being referred to.

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