The Tale of the Heike / Edition 1

by Helen Craig McCullough

Overview

The Tale of the Heike is one of the masterworks of Japanese literature, ranking with The Tal of Genji in quality and prestige. This new translation is not only far more readable than earlier ones, it is also much more faithful to the content and style of the original. Intended for the general audience as well as the specialist, this edition is highly annotated.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804718035
Publisher:	Stanford University Press
Publication date:	03/01/1990
Edition description:	1
Pages:	504
Sales rank:	737,943
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Editorial Reviews

"This version of the Heike is superb and indeed reveals to English-language readers for the first time the full scope, grandeur, and literary richness of the work as a masterpiece of medieval writing."

Journal of Asian Studies

"This version of the Heike is superb and indeed reveals to English-language readers for the first time the full scope, grandeur, and literary richness of the work as a masterpiece of medieval writing."—Journal of Asian Studies

From the Publisher

The great Japanese civil war in the latter half of the 12th century between the Taira (Heike) and the Minamoto (Genji) ended with the Minamoto victory at Dan-no-Ura in 1185. The story became the subject of many compositions, crystallizing in the Kakuichi version of 1371, of which this is a translation. It is handled very clearly and efficiently, with an extensive glossary, chronology, and lengthy discourse on the work from a literary point of view that helps the reader get a grasp of what is, to Western eyes, a somewhat disjointed and episodic narrative. It is good to have a bright new translation to stand beside Seidensticker's Tale of Genji , representing the two great Japanese epics. Donald J. Pearce, Univ. of Minnesota, Duluth, Lib.

Library Journal