Japanese Literature

With a history stretching back nearly 1500 years, Japan''s literature encompasses a vast range of forms and genres. Since the eighth century, poetry and the non-philosophical lyric voice have occupied a central position in Japanese literary expression. The art of narrative blossomed in the eleventh century with one of the world''s great literary masterpieces, Murasaki Shikibu''s The Tale of Genji and later in the work of the great modern novelists NatsumeS-seki, Tanizaki Jun''ichir-, Kawabata Yasunari, K-bo Abe and - Kenzabur-. Beginning with Murasaki and through the present-day, Japanese women have occupied a central place in the tradition: Higuchi Ichiy-, K-da Aya, Takahashi Takako, among others. Japanese literature birthed other genres no less important thanpoetry and narrative, among them the literary diary, the free-flowing essay, drama, the picture book, and the literary treatise. As steeped as it is in the beautiful literary rendering of the world, Japanese literature has also b