The Diary of Lady Murasaki
Author | : Murasaki Shikibu |
Publisher | : Penguin UK |
Total Pages | : 224 |
Release | : 1996-03-07 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780141907659 |
ISBN-13 | : 0141907657 |
Rating | : 4/5 (59 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: 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.