The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari) The Genji is an important fictional work of Japanese literature and numerous modern authors have cited it as inspiration. It is noted for its internal consistency, psychological depiction, and characterization. The novelist Yasunari Kawabata said in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: “The Tale of Genji in particular is the highest pinnacle of Japanese literature. Even down to our day there has not been a piece of fiction to compare with it.”
Home / Questions / Sometimes called the world’s first novel, what 11th century work of Japanese literature is attributed to Murasaki Shikibu?