The Diary of Lady Murasaki Contributor(s): Shikibu, Murasaki (Author), Bowring, Richard (Translator) |
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ISBN: 014043576X ISBN-13: 9780140435764 Publisher: Penguin Group OUR PRICE: $13.50 Product Type: Paperback Published: October 1996 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Fiction | Literary |
Dewey: B |
LCCN: 96217268 |
Series: Penguin Classics |
Physical Information: 0.37" H x 4.84" W x 8" (0.25 lbs) 144 pages |
Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Asian |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: 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. |