I disagree with the reviewer who thought Dr. McCullough's translation is unwieldy. I have read Waley, Seindesticker and McCullough and I only wish McCullough had printed a full version. It is difficult to present tenth century ideas in a form comprehensible to late 20th century Westerners. I think Dr. McCullough does a fantastic job, and I encourage readers to read her abridged version of the Tale before attempting the full version by any other translator. To suggest that Dr. McCullough take "slightly more poetic licence [sic] in order to make it easyer [sic] to read" is missing the point of translation. If you want to read the results of "taking more poetic license", read Waley. But know that he messed up the chronology and threw out an entire chapter because it "didn't fit." Murasaki Shikibu wrote that chapter for a reason. We should not disregard the work of this paragon and progenitor of Japanese fiction simply because it "doesn't fit" with our idea of how a story should read. It is a masterpiece, and Helen Craig McCullough's translation is accurate AND readble.

I am not a historian or a scholar of ancient lituriture, I simply have a passion for Japan and it's history. So as a reader for fun i found it very difficult to understand, I read the version published by Stanford University Press which did have some apendixes and foot notes but I found them very wieldy and not very useful. I tink it might be useful to have reverse pager notes or a short summery of each page at the top of the page, like i had seen in some Shakespear and the Odyssey. I have read brief portions of Heike Monogatari in modernized japanese and I understand the difficulties of translating into English and I think the translator did a magnificent job in keeping very close tho the original meaning. But i would also probably forgive slightlymore poetic licence in order to make it easyer to read. But as for the content of the tale itself I think it reviels alot about 12th century Japan. The Strong charictors often weeping, making extreem oaths such as promising to die in cirtan circomstances that are protrayed in the Monogatari tells about what the japanease found entertaining in that time, it reminded me some what of the charictors in Lord of the Rings by Tolken. The main theame of the comming of the latter days of the law I found very ineresting and to see the story of Japan falling from a noble society and beurocracy centered arowned the Empiror to a Warior society ruled by the Shogun was quite intesting.

This late 11th-early 12th c. Japanese text is, like another of William and Helen McCullough's fine translations, A Tale of Flowering Fortunes, a memoir of the life and career of the great Fujiwara Michinaga, who also figures prominently in Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book.

Okagimi is written in an unusual style, which, one might say, anticipates Truman Capote's In Cold Blood by nearly a millennium. Written as a purported record of of a series of reminiscences set down by an impossibly old man, it is told by a fictional character yet claims to be true history, and, indeed, in general Okagimi generally conforms to the known facts. The text consists of a series of vignettes taken from the lives of people whose lives impinged on Michinaga's, both contemporaries and predecessors, as well as a history of Michinaga himself. It very successfully gives a picture of political and social life in Heian Japan. Lively, informative, beautifully written (and translated) and very amusing.

Along with the more famous works, such as the Tale of Genji and the Pillow Book, the Tales of Ise is another book which is on the to-know list of classical Japanese literature. This is a collection of short narratives about Ariwara no Narihira, one of the most famous poets in Japanese history. The stories are short, almost anecdotal, lending to easy reading. Probably more for the serious student or avid fan than the casual browser.

i read the book and thought it was very very good sometimes it was hard to follow the plot.translating this book must have been very hard to do for i should now because Helen C. Mccullough was my wonderfull Grandmother.She taped herself and i used to watch her on tape as she translated the book to english. even if she was not my grandmother i still would have thought the book was good it gave me a new love for Japense lituire. did i spell that right? oh while i recommend this book to any one.

Translations of Japanese and Chinese classics are often hampered by the archaic language used in the originals. This was not the case here and the translator has achieved a balanced fusion of great story-telling and accurate presentation of the text. This is no small achievement since the Heike tale is populated by many diverse characters some of whom are only mentioned once whereas others have great influence on the plot despite their brief appearances.

I have found that the best way to read the book is to treat oneself to the episodic nature of the chapters. This reflects the original format of the story; that it was expressed in minstrel style story-telling by the "biwa-hoshi" in nightly recitals. As such each segment of the story can be treated like individual pearls in a string, each complete and entertaining by its own merit but strung together to form the whole epic saga of the Heike. Attempts to read the book in the style of a conventional Western novel with its continuous narrative will result in frustration since the story seem to take many didactic excursions and side plots. This may also have been the rootcause to the earlier frustration of another reviewer who encountered too many characters to comprehend at one single reading. A similar experience can be found if a first time reader tries to read the Bible continuously from Genesis to Revelation.

The other great challenge in this translation is in its reference to the characters of the story. The long titles accorded to each individual felt cumbersome and unnecessary at first but as I continued reading I began to appreciate that the original narrators of the tale were relating to the traditional Japanese audience, not the modern reader. As such the titles and honorifics were not only essential but required for reasons of protocol. Many listeners in feudal Japan were related or held similar positions to those described in the story. This realization helps the reader to savour the vintage of this work.

The book also helps to lift a veil over 12th Century interaction between Japan and China. The narrators often recited characters from ancient China as part of the shared heritage of Japanese perceptions of honor and duty. The exchange of ideas and cultural practices between the two empires comes across as very vital and alive at that period as expressed by the presence of a Chinese physician during Taira no Shigemori's death. My initial fascination about the extermination of the Taira (from reading the story of Earless Hoichi from Kwaidan by L. Hearns) have been greatly enriched by the full account of the Gempei Wars found here in the Tale of the Heike. The sense of karmic justice where the terrible fate that befell the Taira clan was a direct result of the evil deeds of Kiyomori was all but pervasive in this book. Great reading!

Admittedly, the book is a bit rough for the average reader. It is, nonetheless, the root of oh so many modern stereotypes of Japan, and, interestingly enough, Western popular mythologies (Star Wars anyone?). If you read, keep in mind that the book is based on historical facts - facts translated through the mouths of blind traveling bards - performances then immortalized in various text/versions - and then, centuries later, translated into English. Ms. McCullough had a daunting task and has done an amazing job. It takes effort to read this text, but it is well worth your time.