The Diary of Lady Murasaki

Murasaki Shikibu, as a woman from tenth century Japan, is not a well-known figure beyond that she created what's known as the world's first novel. That said, her diary, instead of illuminating her, makes her more of an enigma than ever. "Murasaki Shikibu" isn't even her real name but her father's combined with her father's title. Still, what is revealed is an intriguing puzzle of a complex woman.

Muraskai's diary focuses on the other women at court, their dress, and their comings and goings. On the surface, some might think this information is frivolous, but Murasaki is clearly interested in a hierarchy that dictates her standing and her future. She is keenly aware of the fact that she is an older and educated woman and that she is show more expected to act a certain way, avoid certain behaviors that are deemed too flirtatious, and to avoid wearing too bright clothing, which is seen as more appropriate for younger women. However, when she switches to writing what feels like a letter to a confidante, she reveals a melancholy disposition who is nevertheless loyal to the young Her Majesty and her few friends, whom the editor Bowring insists are JUST friends, even when they compare themselves to mandarin ducks, the symbol of lovers.

The jewel of the book is Murasaki's diary. It's a pity it's so short. The introduction is helpful, but readers should be able to figure out most of what's going on without it. Meanwhile, the Appendices are dry and don't add anything. Overall, an interesting read. show less

Welp, that was boring as fuck.

I am still giving this 3 stars to be fair, because this was written over a thousand years ago, where things were very different on nearly every level. I'm not going to slam this book with a 1-star rating just because I didn't like it - that wouldn't be fair.

But as a history buff, I hoped that I would enjoy this more than I did. For almost 2/3 of the book, it's pretty dry and boring, describing life in the palace around an Empress giving birth to a child, and lots of details about the colors the court ladies wore. I wouldn't mind this so much if the writing was more engaging. The latter part of the book gets more personal with some commentaries (including negative ones) of other ladies in waiting/court show more ladies.

I certainly didn't expect this to be written in the same tone as how a 21st-century woman might write in a diary. Still, it bored me. I suppose for people who are really interested in life in 11th century Japan in the royal court, this would be more interesting, but life for a court lady was pretty limited and segmented, with rituals and formalities and so on, seems like life as a servant would have been more interesting because of all the rules about formalities and what have you that high-born people had to follow.

So I think one major reason I was bored with this was because I was expecting a bigger slice of life, and all I got was a tiny sliver? But it still holds merit as a record of its time and deserves a place in the Japanese classics.

I have the Penguin Classics version of this book, which comes with notes and diagrams to help the reader understand certain parts of the text, and this definitely helps one's understanding of the book. show less

Som historiskt dokument är det uppenbarligen en viktig bok (även om förhållandevis många dagböcker från denna period tycks ha bevarats) som beskriver dagshändelser vid hovlivet i Japan under 1000-talet. Det har också en viss charm att läsa fragment om de små intriger och konflikter som ägde rum som påminner om att vi människor trots de stora förändringarna samhället genomgått sedan den tiden på många sätt är desamma som vi var då.
Problemet med boken, som med många dagböcker, är att det är fragmentariskt och saknar röd tråd. En mängd personer och händelser rusar förbi utan något större sammanhang. Det gör att det en aldrig riktigt "kommer in" i boken.
För mig som läste den inför att någon gång show more läsa Sagan om Genji gav den inte särskilt mycket. För någon intresserad av det japanska hovlivet under denna tid lär det finnas bättre sammanfattande verk av historiker. Om en har en inblick i hovlivet under denna tid och till det vill läsa om detta från en individs perspektiv så kan denna bok vara värd att läsa. Jag lägger dock ifrån mig boken utan att den gett något större intryck. show less

Murasaki is the author of one of Japan's acclaimed literary accomplishments, [The Tale of Genji]. While I've read excerpts of this novel in college, and own a lovely hardcover boxed edition, I haven't actually read it yet. The book currently resides on my "interested, definitely will read someday but not quite yet, because it's an important piece of literary history" shelf. I only bought the diary as a companion for when I actually read Genji, so why am I reading it now? I have this challenge, you see, with 9 categories of books, and one of them is for autobiographies and such, and I had this trip to China and needed a light book, and ... voila. Another seemingly random book choice based on a variety of factors.

Am I the only one that show more creates endless (and endlessly revised) reading lists only to discard them at the last moment in favor of a book that I hadn't even thought of before but somehow now feel is entirely appropriate?

This diary is mildly interesting, but I think it would be much better in conjunction with the book that inspired me to buy it. I am interested in the Heian period in Japanese history, but the diary is limited to a small period of time covering approximately two months. Not a lot of history is revealed. Add to that the fact that this is a diary, which means that Murasaki assumes the reader (just herself, or was it court instigated?) will have immense amounts of knowledge which I am lacking. The footnotes were helpful, along with the lengthy introduction, but I was in desperate need of better context.

The self reflections, where Murasaki dissects her fellow courtiers and herself, are much easier to read. Seeing that world from the view of one of its inhabitants, and a female at that, is fascinating. It made me eager to read other diaries from the period, ones that are more complete. It also reinvigorated my wish to read [Tale of Genji]. Maybe I will consider that book as an addition to another challenge category, unfinished college books.

This book is exactly what it claims to be: a diary by Murasaki Shikibu, with all the limitations a diary would manifest. My best recommendation would be to read this along with the famous story by that author, or if you have a scholarly interest in Murasaki, Heian Japan, or Japanese cuture, because the book as a whole reads like research material. I was interested, not terribly excited, but inspired to read more from that period. show less

As Richard Bowring, the translator and editor of THE DIARY OF LADY MURASAKI, points out, this compilation of Lady Murasaki's writings is a mixed bag -- partially diary, partially a public account of the birth of the Emperor's first son, and partially a discussion and description of Murasaki's fellow court attendants and the royal family. It's more interesting as a commentary on Heian court life than as a memoir or a narrative. However, it is pale background to Murasaki's masterpiece, THE TALE OF GENJI.

Interesting as being the diary of the author of the Tale of Genji, though the diary itself is not as colorful as that of her contemporary Sei Shonagon. The most interesting moment may be the one in which she rejects the powerful Fujiwara chancellor

This is the abridged version, but the introduction alone is worth it for the historical background and insight into life at the Heian court.