Kingsport Times-News from Kingsport, Tennessee • 40

14C Kingsport Times-News Sunday February 6 1977 n-- A Japanese Novel Ana The First others The grand ladies with high ambitions thought her a presumptuous upstart and lesser ladies were still more resentful Everything she did offended someone It is a timeless story in a fine translation by a professor of Japanese at the University of Michigan a sheer pleasure to look at a gift from another world 1000 years away readers since the first translation of her book by Arthur Waley in the late Twenties and early Thirties This novel a worldly social comedy a study in human moods and motives written only a century after "Beowulf begins In a certain reign there was a lady not of the first rank whom the emperor loved more than any of the Three other qualities of this long novel attract and hold the modern reader A real love story between the hero and his consort Murasaki beginning early in the book and continuing through conflict and steadily maturing regard provides a thread through the maze of the very loose plot and complex adventures that cover almost three quarters of a century The intrigues and gossip of the court in Kyoto reveal human beings as fascinating in their joys and temptations sins and repentances as any group in any age Their activities the repetition of certain situations provide the special quality and theme of this novel that seems so con temporary that pleasure is so often temporary and suffering is an unavoidable part of human existence The mood is often nostalgic suggesting that the good days are in the past The young woman who wrote this remarkable book the worlds first novel whose characters seem so modern in their search for pleasure probably died in her early forties after service at court around the middle of the first decade of the eleventh century She was married and widowed We do not even know her personal name Of the sobriquet by which we know her the second half Shikibu designates an office held by her father She has been known as Lady Murasaki to English ETSU University Theatre presents LUTHER by John Osborne Directed by Harold Frank Scenery and Lighting by Harold Hunter February 10 1 1 12 8:00 pm Curtain Adults $300 Students $200 Reservations Call 929-4323 1 n-4 it vt i i by Kitagawa Utamaro SATURDAY DEPARTURE July 2 1977 From Tri-City Airport i yy (A Beauty and Her 1713-1805) Likeness in a Mirror $599 per person Who Is Neil Diamond Why Has He Lasted? Watch for the opening of our Recreation Center in the basement of the Sundae Shoppe Fully Escorted from Tri-City First Class Hotel 7 nights Lei Greeting Round Trip Transfers AirportHotel Sightseeing Tour Pre-Registration in Hotel As Alwoysw pride ourselves on our GOOD FOOD GOOD SERVICE tli By ANN SWITZER Times-News Book Reviewer Approximately 1000 years ago there was born to a modest court official and provincial governor in Japan a daughter who would write the worlds first novel A new English translation of that novel is now available in one of the most attractive books it has been my pleasure to own in many years of incessant reading Alfred A Knopf published this great novel little known in America "The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu translated by Edward Seidens-ticker in a two-volume edition bound appropriately in wisteria cloth (Murasaki means purple and the first half of the authors family name means wisteria) illustrated by scores of Japanese woodcuts with a detail Autumn Grasses from a painted Japanese screen in the Metropolitan Museum as cover for the slipcase The story with a cast of 800 characters rivalling size that of Tolstois "War and Peace concerns a shining Prince" Genji handsome accomplished and irresistible His conquests make heroes of the Western world pale by comparison Phone 247-9941 Special gjutiCste gUcuppe 101 Stone Dr Kingsport 245-6922 Were Next to King's-Giant Plaza OWNED OPERATED IT BECKY AND DUMER flETCHER SPECIAL HAWAII GET TOGETHER FEB 11 1977 7:30 PM MEAD AUDITORIUM KINGSPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY PUBLIC INVITED TRI-CITY SERVICE! ri BINIII 1 420 EAST ST0NE DR- EAST GATE PLAZA KINGSPORT TENN PHONE 246-3381 TRAVEL drive to get acid rock drug-promoting songs off the air I dtnt consider it that big of deal Diamond said If a man takes a stand as far as helping alcoholics I dont think it destroys his credibility if he takes an occasional drink I myself am a teetotaler And I think the real problem is among kids But drugs are no longer a focus of interest in the music world The Beatles outgrew it and I think everybody else has Back when he did a documentary musical based on the experiences of children on drugs he was looked down upon by what was considered the underground press It was seven or eight years before a publication like Rolling Stone would do anything on me a few months ago they did a cover story he said It took quite a while but I dont regret it for a moment Diamond was at the height of his popularity when he suddenly decided four years ago to get off the road and limit himself to writing music at his Malibu beach house It was the best four ijrears of my life said Diamond whos now back into performing The return was marked' by a senes of concerts at Los Angeles Greek Theater which was taped and on which the special is based Most of the music groups that were around in Diamonds old days arent now Most people just dont last very long in this business Diamond said They arent given a chance to develop rcsKza MORE FOR YOUR HOtlEY! Panasonic CQ-969 8-TRACK STEREO TAPE PLAYER WITH AMFM STEREO RADIO Three-way car entertainment center plays 8-track stereo tapes and has AMFM stereo radio In-dash installation with adjustable control shafts Radio dial on cartridge door insert the cartridge and the dial disappears! Vertical Head Movement system Continuous volume and tone controls FM tuner has AFC Distant Local switch and stereo indicator light Compact solid state design HQ3 I By ROBERT ROSE Chicago Daily News HOLLYWOOD Pop-rock composer-performer Neil Diamond may not write the songs the whole world sings But Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra and a bunch of others like his stuff So hes certainly the man to come to for some snappy musical definitions for the uninformed Like just what is rock anyway? Rocks he said refers to any music with an electric guitar in it a loud amplifier screaming kids and unintelligible lyncs Country music on the other hand is any music sung through the nose Jazz is jazz Pop music is intelligible music with clear vibrattos and kind of bland-type lyrics And a rock critic? Thats someone who never learned how to play the guitar Diamond hustling his own NBC special on Feb 21 said in an interview that he himself refuses to be defined He has wntten things like Cherry Cherry and country and rock and the musical score of Jonathan Livingston Seagull So critics have put me down for not being really into rock They feel my songs are more Tin Pan Alley onented They arent sure whether Im a folk singer or country singer or what That pleases me he said Im not going to be pigeonholed as to what I write Classifications like rock or pop or country are really for the record stores anyway so they can label their record bins he insists The lines between kinds of music are becoming less and less obvious I did a concert recently with Muddy Waters Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr I think the great strength of music today is that it is not limited to one thing Diamond said 1 think its great" What he doesn't think is so great is a bust by local marks who raided his house a few months ago and came up with a single marijuana cigaret He was charged with a misdemeanor and fined $50 he said They were embarrassed They slunk out of the house and I gave them each a record he said There was some embarrassment left over for Diamond who helped make a name for himself a few years ago by pushing a Answers Regular 16995 Sales Service Ktngburger You and your family are cordially invited attend the Opening of the 1 3th Annual Greater Kingsport Competitive Art Show in the Main Office of the First National Bank of Sullivan County located on the corner of Broad and Center in Downtown Kingsport Hours Sunday are from 1 2 noon to 5 pm and during regular Monday uesday Wednesday and Thursday Rays Kingburgers are a full Pound of 100 Delicious 100 Beef on a Toasted Bun topped with Two Slices of Cheese Lettuce Tomato Mayonnaise Ketchup Onion and Pickle Theyre a meal in themselves.