‘The Tale of Genji’ is a Japanese epic that is divided into 54 books or episodes. The action covers the better part of a century, with over 400 characters spanning four generations. The hero, Hikaru Genji or the Shining One, seeks love and happiness driven by the haunting image of his dead mother. Because of his exuberant personality Genji becomes very popular. But the novel that begins with the enchanting atmosphere of a fairy tale ends in the most complex psychological analysis of unhappy people shrouded in blackest gloom.
