This rare diary not only chronicles Murasaki Shikibu's life at court, where she caught the eye of the glorious Fujiwara no Michinaga and served as lady-in-waiting to his daughter, Empress Shoshi, but also offers sharp character criticism and a personal confession.
It includes a comprehensive appendix to help you understand Murasaki Shikibu and her diary. Following on from "Authentic Translation: Tale of Genji: Text-by-Text Comparison," this is the second modern translation by a leading scholar of Heian literature that can be read with a text-by-text comparison!
This book is the only record of the author of "The Tale of Genji," chronicling court events centered around the birth of the prince, as well as her deep humanity, including self-reflection and confessions.
A must-read masterpiece of women's diary literature.
[Features of this Book]
◎ An easy-to-read modern translation that emphasizes beautiful and correct Japanese.
◎ A text-by-text comparison format that faithfully translates the original text and allows for comparison of the original and translation.
◎ The translation emphasizes the honorific grammar of the original text, taking advantage of its narrative tone and using the polite "desumasu" style throughout.
◎ Quotations that cannot be expressed in the translation, explanations of place names, annual events, court positions, personal names, or commentary on waka techniques are clearly shown in the upper column.
◎ The translation is divided into paragraphs as appropriate, and the content is clearly shown with subheadings in the upper column.
◎ An appendix is included at the end of the book to help deepen understanding of Murasaki Shikibu's Diary.