Tonight, step with me into the glittering, treacherous world of Heian Japan—a palace where secrets drift on scented air, poems are currency, and beauty can make or break a destiny.
Within these gilded corridors, ambition hides behind every fluttering sleeve. Here we find the Shining Prince, Genji—a man so irresistible he turns the entire court upside down. Through Murasaki Shikibu’s eyes, his life becomes a whirlwind of forbidden love, jealous rivals, and heartbreaks that echo through history. This isn’t just the world’s first novel, it’s a front-row seat to the most sophisticated soap opera ever staged.
Across these two episodes, we’ll trace Genji’s rise and the shadowy games that swirl around him. And just as you think you’ve mapped every secret passage, I’ll introduce you to a sharp-tongued rival: Sei Shōnagon, whose Pillow Book pulls back the screens for a second, sharper glimpse of this dazzling, dangerous world.
This is part one of two—so settle in. The Tale of Genji begins now.
For books written and published by Keith Hocton
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