The Tale of GenjiThe Tale of Genji
Score Classic
What it's about
Written by a lady at the Japanese imperial court about a thousand years ago, the story follows Genji, the brilliant, beautiful son of an emperor, through his many love affairs and his rise and fall at court. After his death, later chapters follow his descendants, in a darker, sadder world.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and is often called the world's first novel.
You'll love it if you liked
Kokoro
The Sound of the Mountain
KitchenGood to know
It's enormously long, with characters known by titles rather than names. Royall Tyler's and Dennis Washburn's translations are good choices. Some of Genji's affairs are coercive.
By the numbers
- Readers3 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics55 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller19 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #385 of the 459 fantasy books we rank
- #711 of the 762 classics we rank
- #2502 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Epic, Moving
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Quick answers
Is The Tale of Genji worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Bokklubben list of the 100 greatest books and is often called the world's first novel. It ranks #2,502 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 58.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Tale of Genji about?
Written by a lady at the Japanese imperial court about a thousand years ago, the story follows Genji, the brilliant, beautiful son of an emperor, through his many love affairs and his rise and fall at court. After his death, later chapters follow his descendants, in a darker, sadder world.
How long does it take to read The Tale of Genji?
About 34 hours (1360 pages), or about 10 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Tale of Genji?
If you liked it, try Kokoro by Natsume Sōseki, The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata or Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto.