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Article: The tale of Murasaki Shikibu.(the world's first modern novelist wrote 'The Tale of Genji' in Japan in 1001)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- December 25, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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1001-19
The modern novel was born at the imperial court of Japan
ALMOST exactly 1,000 years ago, a young woman in a small town in Japan began to write the story of an imagined prince who had just about everything--brains, looks, charm, artistic talent and the love of well- born ladies. He was Genji, "the shining one", so dear to his father, the emperor, that the latter reduced his rank to that of a commoner, to spare him the malice at court.
Born in the first chapter of "The Tale of Genji", the prince reinvents himself as the most powerful commoner in the kingdom. When last seen, by now aged 52, he is planning to seclude himself in a mountain ...