The Diary of Lady Murasaki (Dover Thrift Editions: History) - Softcover

Murasaki, Shikibu

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486836657 ISBN 13: 9780486836652

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2019

Synopsis

Derived from the journals of an empress's tutor and companion, this unique book offers rare glimpses of court life in eleventh-century Japan. Lady Murasaki recounts episodes of drama and intrigue among courtiers as well as the elaborate rituals related to the birth of a prince. Her observations, expressed with great subtlety, offer penetrating and timeless insights into human nature.
Murasaki Shikibu (circa AD 973–1025) served among the gifted poets and writers of the imperial court during the Heian period. She and other women of the era were instrumental in developing Japanese as a written language, and her masterpiece, The Tale of Genji, is regarded as the world's first novel. Lady Murasaki's diary reveals the role of books in her society, including the laborious copying of texts and their high status as treasured gifts. This translation is accompanied by a Foreword from American poet and Japanophile Amy Lowell.

About this title

About the Author:

Japanese novelist and poet, Murasaki Shikibu (c. AD 973–1025) served as a lady-in-waiting at the imperial court during the Heian period. She and other women writers of the era were instrumental in developing Japanese as a written language, and her masterpiece, The Tale of Genji, is regarded as the world's first novel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 0486836657
• ISBN 13: 9780486836652
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 80