Murasaki Shikibu: The Tale of Genji 3

Volume 3 of *The Tale of Genji* is a long novel set against the backdrop of court life during the golden age of the Japanese dynasty in the early 11th century. Written by a court lady named Murasaki Shikibu, this book vividly portrays the turbulent life of love, elegance, and anguish of Hikaru Genji, a noble prince of the royal family, as a grand epic spanning over 70 years and featuring more than 400 characters. The novel encapsulates elegant and delicate Japanese sentiments and aesthetic sensibilities. Reproduced in various cultural forms—not only in the realm of literature but also in traditional performing arts such as Noh and Kabuki, as well as art, crafts, music, and daily life including food, clothing, and shelter—it continues to live on today as a symbol of Japanese culture. Furthermore, it is characterized by its ability to fully showcase the myriad aspects of "love between men and women," a universality shared by all humanity, while simultaneously revealing the most distinctly Japanese sentiments. Dramatic portrayals of love—such as passionate love unafraid of destruction, forbidden love driven by dark passions, desperate love revealing the ugly obsession of humanity, and pure love transcending the logic of reality—emerge with literary realism and imagination, evoking empathy and deep emotion as they are closely intertwined with the issues of human destiny and salvation. “Complete Translation”

Korean title: 겐지이야기 3

Korean author: 무라사키시키부

Korean publisher: 한길사

ISBN-13: 9788935658060