A serial seducer who enchants aristocratic women with poems on scented paper and gifts of luxurious kimono, Genji turns 1,000 this year, his appeal to readers undiminished.
The Casanova hero of one of Japan’s earliest novels, which was recognised as a masterpiece not long after it was written by an obscure lady of the 11th century Imperial court, Genji has inspired everything from scroll paintings to films, cartoons and even a 1980s roller-skating pop group.
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