জাপানি ভাষায় রচিত প্রথম উপন্যাসের নাম কী ?
Related claims, perhaps in an attempt to sidestep these debates, are that "Genji" is the "first psychological novel" or "historical novel", "the first novel still considered to be a classic" or other more qualified terms. However, critics have almost consistently described "The Tale of Genji" as the oldest, first, and/or greatest novel in Japanese literature, though enthusiastic proponents may have later neglected the qualifying category of "in Japanese literature", leading to the debates over the book's place in world literature. Even in Japan, the "Tale of Genji" is not universally embraced; the lesser known "Ochikubo Monogatari" has been proposed as the "world's first full-length novel", even though its author is unknown. Despite these debates, "The Tale of Genji" enjoys solid respect among the works of literature, and its influence on Japanese literature has been compared to that of Philip Sidney's "Arcadia" on English literature.
The Tale of Genji