“The Tale of Genji” from the “Invitation to World Literature” series will be presented on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. at the George J. Doizaki Gallery, Japanese American Cultural and Community Center, 244 S. San Pedro St., Los Angeles.
The speakers will be:
• Dr. David Damrosch, professor of comparative literature at Harvard University;
• Joshua Seftel, an award-winning filmmaker and the founder of Seftel Productions in New York City;
• Dr. Lynne Miyake, professor of Asian languages and literature at Pomona College.
A thousand years ago, a Japanese woman began writing a story that was not quite fiction, not quite non-fiction, telling the story of the world of the Japanese imperial court but creating its own world, too — the world of Genji. The shining Genji, a man of wealth and power, devotes himself to love at the risk of losing everything.
Enter the court of medieval Japan, and follow Genji’s attempts to find perfect love and a beautiful life in the midst of the back-stabbing, scheming and deceit of the powerful people around him.
As space is limited, reservations are highly recommended. Suggested donation: $15. RSVP to Wakana Kimura at wkimura@jaccc.org or (213) 628-2725, ext.146.
A production of WGBH Educational Foundation with Seftel Productions for Annenberg Media, “Invitation to World Literature” is a 13-part public television series that features more than 100 artists, actors, writers and scholars, including Alan Cumming, Harold Ramis, Kristin Chenoweth, and Philip Glass.
Each episode goes beneath the surface of a classic piece of literature to reveal ideas, emotions and themes that are relevant today.
“On the Veranda,” usually held at the JACCC’s state-of-the-art Garden Room, began in spring 2009, and has since presented informative and insightful workshops by trained masters in an intimate and serene surrounding.
“The veranda itself is a sacred space between man and nature, between structure and garden, between here and there,” explains JACCC Artistic Director Hirokazu Kosaka. “It is the meditative space that lingers in-between, the transition that pulls us into both worlds.”