The Diary of Lady Murasaki

by Murasaki Shikibu

Richard Bowring (Translator)

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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.
  • ISBN10 014043576X
  • ISBN13 9780140435764
  • Publish Date 1 October 1996 (first published 7 March 1996)
  • Publish Status Active
  • Publish Country US
  • Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
  • Imprint Penguin Classics