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Quote by Murasaki Shikibu

“We are not told of things that happened to specific people exactly as they happened, but the beginning is when there are good things and bad things, things that happen in this life which one never tires of seeing and hearing about, things which one cannot bear not to tell of and must pass on for all generations. If the storyteller wishes to speak well, then he chooses the good things; and if he wishes to hold the reader's attention he chooses bad things, extraordinarily bad things. Good things and bad things alike, they are things of this world and no other.”

Quote by Murasaki Shikibu

Work

The Tale of Genji

Written by Murasaki Shikibu, this novel is considered a foundational work of Japanese literature, offering a detailed look into the lives of the Heian court elite during the 11th century. more

Author

Murasaki Shikibu
Murasaki Shikibu

The author of 'The Tale of Genji,' a renowned female novelist from the Heian period of Japan, born around 973 AD. more

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