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Primary sourceBookearly 11th century (text); recording made recently

The Tale of Genji (Suematsu translation, LibriVox reading)

Murasaki Shikibu · early 11th century (text); recording made recently

A free audio reading of Murasaki Shikibu's novel The Tale of Genji, in the Suematsu English translation.

This is Murasaki Shikibu's own novel, the work for which she is remembered as a novelist.

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Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji, trans. Suyematz Kenchio. LibriVox volunteer audio reading, public domain.

About this source

What it is

This is a volunteer audio recording made for LibriVox, reading an English translation by Suyematz Kenchio of The Tale of Genji, a novel attributed to the Heian-period noblewoman Murasaki Shikibu, written in the early eleventh century.

Why it matters

The Tale of Genji is often called one of the world's first novels. It was written for aristocratic women of the Heian court and gives insight into the court life, customs, and inner emotional worlds of its time, revealing much about Murasaki Shikibu's world and skill as a writer.

Look closer

  • Why might a modern recording be useful for studying a text written a thousand years ago?
  • What might be lost or changed when a Japanese text is translated into English and then read aloud?
  • Who do you think the original audience for this story was?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Murasaki Shikibu on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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