The Diary of Lady Murasaki

ISBN
9780140435764
$15.00
Author Shikibu, Murasaki
Format UK-B Format Paperback
Details
  • 7.8" x 5.2" x 0.4"
  • Active Record
  • Individual Title
  • Books
  • 1996
  • 144
  • Yes
  • 18- UP
  • 12- UP
  • JFSJ1 DS/1FPJ DS HBJF/1FPJ
  • Print
  • 120
  • PL788.4.Z5A3513 1996
The Diary recorded by Lady Murasaki (c. 973-c. 1020), author of The Tale of Genji, is an intimate picture of her life as tutor and companion to the young Empress Shoshi. Told in a series of vignettes, it offers revealing glimpses of the Japanese imperial palace - the auspicious birth of a prince, rivalries between the Emperor's consorts, with sharp criticism of Murasaki's fellow ladies-in-waiting and drunken courtiers, and telling remarks about the timid Empress and her powerful father, Michinaga. The Diary is also a work of great subtlety and intense personal reflection, as Murasaki makes penetrating insights into human psychology - her pragmatic observations always balanced by an exquisite and pensive melancholy.