Heike Monogatari

The first and most significant work of medieval Samurai literature in a scaled new translation. A medieval Samurai epic, newly translated, in a bibliophile deluxe edition. The Japanese epic revolves around the power grab by the Samurai class, accompanied by bloody battles, and the downfall of the Taira noble house. Composed in the 12th century and documented in the second half of the 13th century, this epochal historical novel remained untranslated into German for seven centuries. This only changed in 2022. Now, a valid new translation by Michael Stein, who has already translated Sei Shonagon's "The Pillow Book" into German, is being published by Manesse, thoroughly commented and expertly explained, in a bibliophile deluxe edition.

Despite all the scenes of violence and battle, the "Heike Monogatari" is by no means a mere hero epic. It recounts the inescapable fate of earthly powers from the perspective of highly educated Buddhist clergy, who interpret the dramatic historical events as a confirmation of their worldview: What flourishes must perish, the powerful will fall, and punishment reliably follows pride and wrongdoing.

Comparable in literary historical significance to the German "Nibelungenlied," the "Heike Monogatari" was also transmitted anonymously. It is undoubtedly a collective work of Far Eastern monastic culture, which was rewritten and continued over generations in Buddhist monasteries. "Following the literature dominated by Japanese court ladies in the preceding centuries, which emerged in peaceful times and in a courtly environment, it is the first monumental prose work clearly authored by men and stands stylistically and thematically in stark contrast to all predecessor works." (Michael Stein).