The Diary of Lady Murasaki
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- Synopsis
- From the book: Murasaki Shikidu was born in Japan c. 973, during the Heian period (794-1192), when the head of the major faction of the Fujiwara clan, Michinaga, held sway over the imperial court. Her father was a minor official, who never became more than a provincial governor, and whose chief claim to fame must be his role in the education of his remarkable daughter. Apart from what she reveals in her diary, we know little of her life. She married around the turn of the century, had one daughter and was widowed soon after. During the next four or five years Murasaki seems to have begun writing The Tale of Genji, the work of fiction that was to bring her fame. It is probable that chapters were read at court and came to the notice of Michinaga, who decided that she would be an excellent addition to the entourage of his daughter, Shoshi (or sAkiko), the young emperors first consort. She entered the service of Shoshi in 1006. Her diary describes the details of court life, the birth of a prince, and contains some tart observations on her contemporaries, but the record as we have it today does not go beyond 1010. Lady Murasaki is best known as the author of the Genji, a long prose narrative of astonishing complexity and sophistication, which is today recognized as one of the masterpieces of Japanese literature. It is not known exactly how long she lived, but she probably died at some time between 1014 and 1025. Richard Bowring was educated at Downing College, Cambridge, from where he gained his PhD in 1973. He subsequently taught at Monash, Columbia and Princeton, returning to Cambridge in 1985. He is now Professor of Japanese Studies and Master of Selwyn College. He has written a number of books including Mori Ogai and the Modernization of Japanese Culture (1979) and An Introduction to Modem Japanese (2 volumes; 1992), and he was co-editor of The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Japan (1993). His primary research is now in the field of Japanese religions.
- Copyright:
- 1996
Book Details
- Book Quality:
- Excellent
- Book Size:
- 111 Pages
- Publisher:
- N/A
- Date of Addition:
- 08/30/06
- Copyrighted By:
- Richard Bowring
- Adult content:
- No
- Language:
- English
- Has Image Descriptions:
- No
- Categories:
- History, Nonfiction, Literature and Fiction, Language Arts
- Submitted By:
- Amy Goldring Tajalli
- Proofread By:
- Lena
- Usage Restrictions:
- This is a copyrighted book.
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