With a history stretching back nearly 1, 500 years, written works originating from Japan encompass a vast range of forms and genres. From poetry and the lyric voice, to the art of the narrative, diary, and literary treatise, Japan boasts a powerful literary culture. This Very Short Introduction traverses the colorful canon of Japanese literature, a tradition that produced not only the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji, but also the poetry of the Man'yoshu, erotic writing of Ihara Saikaku, magical realism of Haruki Murakami, and manga of today.
