Diary of Lady Murasaki

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.