The Nile on eBay FREE SHIPPING UK WIDE The Tales of the Heike by Haruo Shirane, Burton Watson
Written in the mid-thirteenth century, this book chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike clan and changed the course of Japanese history. It depicts the emerging world of the medieval samurai.
FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description
The Tales of the Heike is one of the most influential works in Japanese literature and culture, remaining even today a crucial source for fiction, drama, and popular media. Originally written in the mid-thirteenth century, it features a cast of vivid characters and chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike and changed the course of Japanese history. The Tales of the Heike focuses on the lives of both the samurai warriors who fought for two powerful twelfth-century Japanese clans-the Heike (Taira) and the Genji (Minamoto)-and the women with whom they were intimately connected.The Tales of the Heike provides a dramatic window onto the emerging world of the medieval samurai and recounts in absorbing detail the chaos of the battlefield, the intrigue of the imperial court, and the gradual loss of a courtly tradition. The book is also highly religious and Buddhist in its orientation, taking up such issues as impermanence, karmic retribution, attachment, and renunciation, which dominated the Japanese imagination in the medieval period.In this new, abridged translation, Burton Watson offers a gripping rendering of the work's most memorable episodes. Particular to this translation are the introduction by Haruo Shirane, the woodblock illustrations, a glossary of characters, and an extended bibliography.
Notes
Burton Watson is one of the premier translators of both Chinese and Japanese literature and history. His rendering into English of selected passages from The Tales of the Heike is a great boon for those of us in medieval Japanese studies. The translation provides an exciting new look at this famous tale of warrior and courtier life in late-twelfth-century Japan. -- Paul Varley, professor emeritus, Columbia University and Sen Soshitsu XV Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii Burton Watson has, at last, given us an English version of this stirring tale of glory gained and lost that is both accurate and reader-friendly. In turn poignant, elegant, or brisk, his translation strikes the appropriate note in each of the varied anecdotes that compose the work. The abridgement retains all the most memorable scenes and the complicated subplots, and the glossary of characters is an extremely thorough and welcome reference tool. The result is that great clarity has been brought to a text of daunting complexity. -- Margaret H. Childs, associate professor of East Asian language and cultures, University of Kansas This new abridged translation of The Tales of the Heike is one of the most approachable versions of this classic war tale; it retains the sense of sweep and grandeur of the original and includes extensive and valuable reference materials. -- H. Mack Horton, professor of East Asian languages and cultures, University of California, Berkeley
Author Biography
Burton Watson has taught Chinese and Japanese literature at Columbia, Stanford, and Kyoto Universities. He is the winner of the PEN Translation Prize and in 2005 was awarded an American Academy of Arts and Letters Prize in literature. His translations include Chuang Tzu: Basic Writings, Ryokan: Zen Monk-Poet of Japan, and The Lotus Sutra, all published by Columbia University Press. He lives in Tokyo, Japan. Haruo Shirane is Shincho Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture at Columbia University. He is the author and editor of numerous works on Japanese literature, including Early Modern Japanese Literature: An Anthology, 1600-1900 (Columbia University Press); Inventing the Classics: Modernity, National Identity, and Japanese Literature; Traces of Dreams: Landscape, Cultural Memory, and the Poetry of Basho; The Bridge of Dreams: A Poetics of The Tale of Genji; Classical Japanese: A Grammar (Columbia University Press); and the forthcoming Traditional Japanese Literature: An Anthology, Beginnings to 1600 (Columbia University Press).
Table of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction Book One Book Two Book Three Book Four Book Five Book Six Book Seven Book Eight Book Nine Book Ten Book Eleven Book Twelve The Initiates' Book Glossary of Characters Bibliography
Review
"Terrifically exciting and spiritually rich." -- Kirkus Reviews "An excellent translation and a welcome contribution to the field" -- Matthew Stavros, Japanese Studies
Promotional
"This new abridged translation of The Tales of the Heike is one of the most approachable versions of this classic war tale; it retains the sense of sweep and grandeur of the original and includes extensive and valuable reference materials." -- H. Mack Horton, professor of East Asian languages and cultures, University of California, Berkeley
Long Description
"The Tales of the Heike" is one of the most influential works in Japanese literature and culture, remaining even today a crucial source for fiction, drama, and popular media. Originally written in the mid-thirteenth century, it features a cast of vivid characters and chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike and changed the course of Japanese history. "The Tales of the Heike" focuses on the lives of both the samurai warriors who fought for two powerful twelfth-century Japanese clans-the Heike (Taira) and the Genji (Minamoto)-and the women with whom they were intimately connected. "The Tales of the Heike" provides a dramatic window onto the emerging world of the medieval samurai and recounts in absorbing detail the chaos of the battlefield, the intrigue of the imperial court, and the gradual loss of a courtly tradition. The book is also highly religious and Buddhist in its orientation, taking up such issues as impermanence, karmic retribution, attachment, and renunciation, which dominated the Japanese imagination in the medieval period.In this new, abridged translation, Burton Watson offers a gripping rendering of the work's most memorable episodes. Particular to this translation are the introduction by Haruo Shirane, the woodblock illustrations, a glossary of characters, and an extended bibliography.
Review Quote
"Watson's is... the best of the translations." -- Donald Richie, The Japan Times
Promotional "Headline"
Originally written in the mid-thirteenth century, The Tales of the Heike chronicles the epic Genpei war, a civil conflict that marked the end of the power of the Heike clan and changed the course of Japanese history. Featuring a vivid cast of characters, the book depicts the emerging world of the medieval samurai and recounts in absorbing detail the chaos of the battlefield, the intrigue of the imperial court, and the gradual loss of courtly tradition. This new, abridged translation presents the work's most gripping episodes and includes woodblock illustrations, a glossary of characters, and an extended bibliography.
Excerpt from Book
Read an >excerpt from The Tales of the Heike
Details ISBN0231138032 Short Title TALES OF THE HEIKE Publisher Columbia University Press Language English Translator Burton Watson ISBN-10 0231138032 ISBN-13 9780231138031 Media Book Format Paperback DEWEY 895.632 Abridged Yes Illustrations Yes Year 2008 Author Burton Watson Imprint Columbia University Press Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States Birth 1925 Pages 232 Edited by Haruo Shirane DOI 10.1604/9780231138031 UK Release Date 2008-03-19 Translated from Japanese AU Release Date 2008-03-19 NZ Release Date 2008-03-19 US Release Date 2008-03-19 Series Translations from the Asian Classics Publication Date 2008-03-19 Audience Professional & Vocational We've got this
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