STAN CULLIMORE

Even back then, people had weird and whacky ideas about what was acceptable in polite society... and, just like now, those rules changed over time

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'M reading a book at the moment, The Tale of Genji. It’s over a thousand pages long. I wouldn’t normally bore you with such trivia, but in this case, there's a most intriguing tale behind the story.

For a start, it’s a translation from the Japanese original. Can't say I usually read Japanese books. Not only that, but it’s also widely accepted as being the oldest novel in the world. It was written over a thousand years ago. In Japan it is revered in the same way that we look up to Shakespeare.

Which is hardly surprising because the story gives a firsthand account of life in the emperor's court from a time so long ago that it’s hard to believe it’s real. And the author really goes into detail. You get to find out what was politically and socially correct all those years ago.

I mean, imagine if someone found a diary actually written by someone living in the tenth century in this country. It would be fascinating to read a firsthand account of a time when the Saxons were still trying to fight off the Vikings. When both sides were bashing each other over the head with axes and swords, then singing songs about it around the campfire afterwards. It might even tell us what actual words they were singing.