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The Tale of Murasaki
In a wonderful world shaped by beauty and poetry, ancient traditions and popular intrigue, a young woman at the centre of the eleventh-century Japanese imperial court observes the exotic world around her. Murasaki sees everything, the Emperor and Empress, aristocrats and concubines, warriors and servants, her own family. She records a remarkable place of political and sexual plotting, male power and female manipulation, as she writes the Tale of Genji, the masterpiece of Japanese literature.
'Enter the exotic, entrancing world of the Japanese Imperial court...for a gentle immersion in a world of long ago and far away. The Tale of Murasaki is just the ticket...hypnotic' The Times
'Enter the exotic, entrancing world of the Japanese Imperial court...for a gentle immersion in a world of long ago and far away. The Tale of Murasaki is just the ticket...hypnotic' The Times
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Liza Dalby
17 books201 followersWith its fascinating story of characters caught up in a world they themselves don't understand, Hidden Buddhas may well be Liza Dalby's best work yet. Besides taking us on a journey through little-known corners of Japan, it offers us an engaging and believable portrait of people driven to do things they may not have imagined." --Arthur Golden, author of Memoirs of a Geisha
According to esoteric Buddhist theology, the world is suffering through a final corrupt era. Many in Japan believe that after the world ends, the Buddha of the Future will appear and bring about a new age of enlightenment. Hundreds of temples in Japan are known to keep mysterious hidden buddhas secreted away except on rare designated viewing days. Are they being protected, or are they protecting the world?
From these ancient notions of doom and rebirth comes a startling new novel by the acclaimed author of Geisha and The Tale of Murasaki. Hidden Buddhas: A Novel of Karma and Chaos explores the karmic connections between Japanese fashion, pilgrimage, dying honeybees, bad girls with cell phones, murder by blowfish, and the Buddhist apocalypse. Something of a Buddhist Da Vinci Code, Hidden Buddhas travels through time to expose a mystery you will never forget."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
June 28, 2010
I very much enjoyed Liza Dalby's The Tale of Murasaki while I was reading it. But it was only after I read two other books that I realized exactly how good the book was.
These other two books were the real-life memoirs/diaries of Murasaki Shikibu (author of The Tale of Genji, the 11th century masterpiece considered by many to be the world's first novel) and A Tale of Flowering Fortunes, a classical Heian work that deals with the same age. (The latter book has been itself "reworked" in A Tale of False Fortunes, a 20th century novel by Fumiko Ueda Enchi - another novel I highly recommend.) These works, among other historical sources, provide the facts and the bones for Dalby's engaging novel, which is a attempt to reconstruct the life of the Lady Murasaki spent at Heian Japan's royal court and on its fringes. Liza Dalby's research was impeccable; and after reading the source materials and seeing exactly where they become vague, ambiguous or simply nonexistent, the scope of the imaginative work she put in becomes clear. It is pure speculation that Murasaki fell in love with a cultivated Chinese scholar she met while living with her father at his "exile" post, far from the Heian capital. But it is fact that Murasaki wrote knowingly and certainly first hand of love and loss as well as courtship and court life, that her knowledge of Chinese (literature, culture, simply the ability to decipher the characters) set her apart from nearly all other women in Japan of the day. The relationship that Dalby paints between Murasaki and the visiting Chinese scholar - their friendship budding, flowering and growing over discussions of art and poetry - is completely believable. It makes sense that Murasaki's "origin story" include some explanation for how she managed to cultivate such strong and nuanced artistic sensibilities when she had a quiet upbringing and was later stuck in a provincial backwater, albeit with a highly cultured father. This is only one example of the "life gaps" that Dalby fills in; Murasaki's feelings towards and home life with her husband represent another big question mark historically, and this is also handled in a very believable manner. The novel flows so smoothly and so logically that it was impossible for me to surmise at first reading which aspects were historically based and which were the author's invention.
Liza Dalby relies on the speculation that the bulk of Lady Murasaki's memoirs - particularly her dutiful, detail-laden accounts of important court events (the birth of Princess Shoshi's first child, the festivities that followed on the auspicious days after the birth, etc.) - was commissioned, probably by the Regent Fujiwara. The passages containing more personal, obviously "unscripted" observations by Murasaki are fewer and farther between. The most interesting and tense portions of the novel concern how Murasaki manages to navigate a relationship at court with the powerful, overbearing and sometimes lecherous Fujiwara - doing his bidding (mainly involving her literary skills) while somehow keeping out of his clutches. This is the man whose praises are trumpeted in A Tale of Flowering Fortunes, another work probably commissioned by Fujiwara himself as a way of preserving a glowing legacy for himself and his clan. As the novel shows, Murasaki *must* present everything related to Fujiwara's family in a good light for posterity; the rest of the book is concerned with how she managed to survive the vagaries of court life while still devoting herself to her masterwork, Genji.
Why is Lady Muraski is an interesting subject? She was the first novelist, a woman who stood out among even the (much more highly educated) men of her era for her erudition a quick wit - a highly valued skill at court and one she mastered was the ability to compose a tanka on the spot to commemorate an occasion or even a fleeting moment - and she was in an elite circle of court ladies gathered about the Princess Shoshi, Fujiwara's daughter. The travails of life as a woman in an earlier, repressed age; the burdens of court life with its gossip, intrigues and ambitious jostling for position; relationships among women as well as love and friendship in a culture that demanded that men and women be essentially separated by a screen at nearly all times; life in a highly cultivated, highly stylized age that is extremely unlike anything we know in the west today ... all this makes for a fascinating read. You don't have to have pre-existing knowledge of Heian Japan to appreciate the book. But if you do, you may appreciate its author even more.
These other two books were the real-life memoirs/diaries of Murasaki Shikibu (author of The Tale of Genji, the 11th century masterpiece considered by many to be the world's first novel) and A Tale of Flowering Fortunes, a classical Heian work that deals with the same age. (The latter book has been itself "reworked" in A Tale of False Fortunes, a 20th century novel by Fumiko Ueda Enchi - another novel I highly recommend.) These works, among other historical sources, provide the facts and the bones for Dalby's engaging novel, which is a attempt to reconstruct the life of the Lady Murasaki spent at Heian Japan's royal court and on its fringes. Liza Dalby's research was impeccable; and after reading the source materials and seeing exactly where they become vague, ambiguous or simply nonexistent, the scope of the imaginative work she put in becomes clear. It is pure speculation that Murasaki fell in love with a cultivated Chinese scholar she met while living with her father at his "exile" post, far from the Heian capital. But it is fact that Murasaki wrote knowingly and certainly first hand of love and loss as well as courtship and court life, that her knowledge of Chinese (literature, culture, simply the ability to decipher the characters) set her apart from nearly all other women in Japan of the day. The relationship that Dalby paints between Murasaki and the visiting Chinese scholar - their friendship budding, flowering and growing over discussions of art and poetry - is completely believable. It makes sense that Murasaki's "origin story" include some explanation for how she managed to cultivate such strong and nuanced artistic sensibilities when she had a quiet upbringing and was later stuck in a provincial backwater, albeit with a highly cultured father. This is only one example of the "life gaps" that Dalby fills in; Murasaki's feelings towards and home life with her husband represent another big question mark historically, and this is also handled in a very believable manner. The novel flows so smoothly and so logically that it was impossible for me to surmise at first reading which aspects were historically based and which were the author's invention.
Liza Dalby relies on the speculation that the bulk of Lady Murasaki's memoirs - particularly her dutiful, detail-laden accounts of important court events (the birth of Princess Shoshi's first child, the festivities that followed on the auspicious days after the birth, etc.) - was commissioned, probably by the Regent Fujiwara. The passages containing more personal, obviously "unscripted" observations by Murasaki are fewer and farther between. The most interesting and tense portions of the novel concern how Murasaki manages to navigate a relationship at court with the powerful, overbearing and sometimes lecherous Fujiwara - doing his bidding (mainly involving her literary skills) while somehow keeping out of his clutches. This is the man whose praises are trumpeted in A Tale of Flowering Fortunes, another work probably commissioned by Fujiwara himself as a way of preserving a glowing legacy for himself and his clan. As the novel shows, Murasaki *must* present everything related to Fujiwara's family in a good light for posterity; the rest of the book is concerned with how she managed to survive the vagaries of court life while still devoting herself to her masterwork, Genji.
Why is Lady Muraski is an interesting subject? She was the first novelist, a woman who stood out among even the (much more highly educated) men of her era for her erudition a quick wit - a highly valued skill at court and one she mastered was the ability to compose a tanka on the spot to commemorate an occasion or even a fleeting moment - and she was in an elite circle of court ladies gathered about the Princess Shoshi, Fujiwara's daughter. The travails of life as a woman in an earlier, repressed age; the burdens of court life with its gossip, intrigues and ambitious jostling for position; relationships among women as well as love and friendship in a culture that demanded that men and women be essentially separated by a screen at nearly all times; life in a highly cultivated, highly stylized age that is extremely unlike anything we know in the west today ... all this makes for a fascinating read. You don't have to have pre-existing knowledge of Heian Japan to appreciate the book. But if you do, you may appreciate its author even more.
August 30, 2011
This book is not for everyone. Those who have little interest or enthusiasm for very, very old Japanese history and customs will probably find this book a bit tedious. Also, for those with basically no knowledge of Japanese character, the sensibilities presented here may be off putting. Heian era Japan is a world unto itself, having more strangeness and ephemeral qualities than any modern author could hope to give it and Liza Dalby does an admirable job trying to breath life into it again. For a woman whom practically nothing is known about other than she wrote "The Tale of Genji", this is quite a feat.
I myself found the text lovely as well as all the leisurely past times and goings on of the story. Very, very recommend to those who love The Tale of Genji, Heian era Japan, or just Japanese history in general.
I myself found the text lovely as well as all the leisurely past times and goings on of the story. Very, very recommend to those who love The Tale of Genji, Heian era Japan, or just Japanese history in general.
April 16, 2021
The first/only American to qualify as a geisha wrote this in the first person, as a semi-fictionalised autobiography of an 11th century author who was also lady-in-waiting to an empress. She was famous for the The Tale of Genji, but also wrote poems and a journal.
The modern author used the journal and poems to construct the author's own story, creating parallels between her life and that of the main characters in her tales. It's a fascinating insight into medieval Japanese court life, with liberal scatterings of poems of a form similar to haiku. Clearly American ("gotten", for example), but wonderfully atmospheric. I have no idea how authentic it is, though.
The modern author used the journal and poems to construct the author's own story, creating parallels between her life and that of the main characters in her tales. It's a fascinating insight into medieval Japanese court life, with liberal scatterings of poems of a form similar to haiku. Clearly American ("gotten", for example), but wonderfully atmospheric. I have no idea how authentic it is, though.
August 30, 2025
I set this one aside as I had multiple reading commitments the past few months. Really enjoyed this fictionalized account of Lady Murasaki who wrote the Tales of Genji in the 11th century, purported to be the first novel and remains the most popular piece of classic literature in Japan. Have to add it to my "never will be done" TBR pile!! I particularly liked the numerous waka poems weaved into her story. Full review (one of many) to come.
April 14, 2010
I hate that I will never again read The Tale of Murasaki for the first time. Liza Dalby's story transcended time. While I was between these pages I felt I was looking through a window into 11th century Japan. That's a precious talent with precious results: how the main character, Murasaki, and I share some of the same concerns and angst—even across time we are not alone in our fears. And while some reviewers criticized the book's slow pace, I didn't mind. I felt the pacing reflected the languishing nature of Murasaki. I was also drawn to Murasaki's reverence for nature—how she was always noticing—and the period's use of poetry. (What would our world be like today if we sometimes communicated with others using poetry?)
January 4, 2009
Liza Dalby's enchanting book The Tale of Murasaki is a brilliantly imagined fictional biography of the 11th-century Japanese writer Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji. Dalby's novel draws directly from the surviving fragments of Murasaki's own diary and poetry to create a vivid and emotionally detailed portrait of an intelligent, sensitive and complex woman drawn initially to writing stories about the amorous encounters of Prince Genji as a means of entertaining her friends and expressing her own richly creative temperament. This story brings to life images of the Heian period and gives us a deeper incite into the struggles of an intellectual woman of this time. Well-written and colourful, but a little drawn out for my liking.
August 20, 2010
A gorgeous novel to read, and a delight. It's free of the usual idiocies that most Western novelists tend to throw into Japanese settings, and a must-read for anyone interested in Heian culture or The Tale of Genji.
For the longer review, please go here:
http://telynor.epinions.com/content_3...
For the longer review, please go here:
http://telynor.epinions.com/content_3...
July 25, 2015
Murasaki Shikibu was the author of the first novel in history, and the participant in the refined and vibrant culture of the 11th century Japanese imperial court. For a story based on the life of such a person this book is a bit slow and unexciting.
Murasaki is not the only potentially fascinating character in this book, there are other legendary ladies of letters: Sei Shōnagon, Izumi Shikibu, Mother of Michitsuna (the author of The Gossamer Diary), Akazome Emon... but they all seem to be simply placed on the scene and left sometimes without a single line. I don't really understand why: was if out of fear that they won't appear brilliant enough, or out of too strong sense of piety combined with the lack of reliable sources, or out of simple loyalty to Murasaki? As a result, the most erudite and talented women of the Heian period are silent silhouettes on the horizon of the story - in the time and place when women were anything but silent. For a short while, Sei Shōnagon seemed to be the only exception to this unfortunate rule, in the scene of the brief meeting between her and Murasaki, but then it turned out she didn't say anything fresh: most of the lines of her dialogue were taken from her own Pillow Book, which by the way Murasaki had already read before the conversation took place.
The whole book is an amalgam of scenes and personages from The Tale of Genji, sometimes from other period literature (the character of Murasaki's friend Ruri, who is depicted as a model for Ukifune, is "the lady who loved insects" from Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari). Finding the references is fun, but in the same time it contributes to the general feeling that the novel lacks courage and independence. The character of Murasaki seems to have gained nothing new in it, she's the same reserved, mature and reclusive woman as she appears to be in her diary, using the same pictures and expressions. The situations and intrigues of the palace are as mild and harmless as their depictions in the period literature. Hmm I would've really liked to see something meatier (but maybe it's just me).
What I really liked though - and it's an achievement very rare among Western authors writing about Japan - is the great attention to nature and seasons. The descriptions of changing weather, phases of the moon, Chinese calendar, animal life (insects too!) were all awesome even if a little too abundant. I also enjoyed the brief romance between Murasaki and her husband, and the portrayal of Fujiwara-no Michinaga, who was the most powerful person in Japan at that time and who is the most powerful person in the book too.
Murasaki is not the only potentially fascinating character in this book, there are other legendary ladies of letters: Sei Shōnagon, Izumi Shikibu, Mother of Michitsuna (the author of The Gossamer Diary), Akazome Emon... but they all seem to be simply placed on the scene and left sometimes without a single line. I don't really understand why: was if out of fear that they won't appear brilliant enough, or out of too strong sense of piety combined with the lack of reliable sources, or out of simple loyalty to Murasaki? As a result, the most erudite and talented women of the Heian period are silent silhouettes on the horizon of the story - in the time and place when women were anything but silent. For a short while, Sei Shōnagon seemed to be the only exception to this unfortunate rule, in the scene of the brief meeting between her and Murasaki, but then it turned out she didn't say anything fresh: most of the lines of her dialogue were taken from her own Pillow Book, which by the way Murasaki had already read before the conversation took place.
The whole book is an amalgam of scenes and personages from The Tale of Genji, sometimes from other period literature (the character of Murasaki's friend Ruri, who is depicted as a model for Ukifune, is "the lady who loved insects" from Tsutsumi Chūnagon Monogatari). Finding the references is fun, but in the same time it contributes to the general feeling that the novel lacks courage and independence. The character of Murasaki seems to have gained nothing new in it, she's the same reserved, mature and reclusive woman as she appears to be in her diary, using the same pictures and expressions. The situations and intrigues of the palace are as mild and harmless as their depictions in the period literature. Hmm I would've really liked to see something meatier (but maybe it's just me).
What I really liked though - and it's an achievement very rare among Western authors writing about Japan - is the great attention to nature and seasons. The descriptions of changing weather, phases of the moon, Chinese calendar, animal life (insects too!) were all awesome even if a little too abundant. I also enjoyed the brief romance between Murasaki and her husband, and the portrayal of Fujiwara-no Michinaga, who was the most powerful person in Japan at that time and who is the most powerful person in the book too.
September 8, 2016
A wonderfully realized version of Murasaki Shikibu's life, based on a wide variety of early Japanese texts by Murasaki or contemporary with her. Yes, one feels, this is what it might have been like.
October 11, 2007
I couldn't relate to the main character, Murasaki. The author did not provide enough details to make the emotions and situations believable... or they simply weren't believable to begin with.
February 25, 2021
A beautifully poetic and lyrical account of the Heian royal court, told through the eyes of the real-life author of the Tale of Genji. It’s clear that an incredibly painstaking amount of research has gone into this book. Not only does the account follow Murasaki’s life and relationships, skilfully filling any gaps in the historical record, but Liza Dalby imaginatively weaves both the Tale itself and Murasaki’s waka poetry collection into the fabric of the story.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced or thrilling page turner, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re at all interested in ancient Japan, or even just looking for a glimpse into a more poetic time - I really couldn’t recommend it enough.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced or thrilling page turner, this isn’t the book for you. But if you’re at all interested in ancient Japan, or even just looking for a glimpse into a more poetic time - I really couldn’t recommend it enough.
February 7, 2015
Intima recreación de la vida femenina en el hogar y la corte japonesas en la transición entre los siglos X y XI.Delicadas descripciones de interior y naturaleza salpicadas de Haikus medievales.
Creo que no estaba yo para tanta levedad y sutileza. Me ha parecido un aburrido número de casa y jardín con poesía en lugar de fotos.
Creo que no estaba yo para tanta levedad y sutileza. Me ha parecido un aburrido número de casa y jardín con poesía en lugar de fotos.
July 23, 2015
4,5
Adoré. Maintenant, je veux aller au Japon. Mais au Japon de l'an 1000. Va falloir appeler le Docteur!
Adoré. Maintenant, je veux aller au Japon. Mais au Japon de l'an 1000. Va falloir appeler le Docteur!
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February 20, 2025I love this book. Have read it and listened to it. Both ways are excellent. Although the audio is especially satisfying because the narrator reads the Japnese poetry. The book is historical fiction, imagining the life of the female author of a seminal piece of literature (The Tale of Genji) and the world’s first novel: Murasaki Shikibu. She’s a strong and thoughtful character whose life - based on real people/events - is both ordinary and extraordinary. Transport yourself back to 1000 years ago in Japan for a treat of a read.
September 28, 2025
Interesting to read alongside The Tale of Genji, found it a bit morose at the end... or is it just mono no aware?
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December 9, 2014Prima străină devenită gheișă, cu un doctorat în antropologie și cu o mare pasiune pentru cultura japoneză, scriitoarea americană Liza Dalby reconstituie în Povestea doamnei Murasaki atât povestea unei epoci (sfârșitul epocii Heian), cât și povestea unei cărți (Povestea Prințului Genji, primul roman al literaturii japoneze și, se pare, al lumii, cu mult înaintea lui Don Quijote). Romanul urmărește atât viața scriitoarei Shikibu Murasaki, pe care Liza Dalby o reconstituie din puținele mărturii rămase și din fragmentele păstrate din jurnalul său, cât și viața Prințului Genji, protagonistul romanului său foileton devenit repede foarte popular.
Scris într-un stil lejer, cu informații bogate și detaliate, dar pe care le strecoară în text subtil, fără a-l încărca inutil și fără a-l face prea didactic, romanul are o muzicalitate aparte și un ritm calm, pe care-l simți de la început și până la sfârșit. Pentru păstrarea acestui ritm și în limba română o mare contribuție a avut-o și traducătoarea Diana Tihan, a cărei dublă specializare în engleză și japoneză a contat foarte mult.
Povestea doamnei Murasaki este, în primul rând, un foarte bun roman istoric și de atmosferă, bine documentat, însă în care nu se simte nici efortul strângerii informațiilor și nici „cusăturile”. Detaliile istorice sunt strecurate în text natural, fără explicații sufocante, chiar dacă în minte îți vin nenumărate întrebări: de ce își înnegreau doamnele japoneze dinții? de ce se studiau învățații chineza în Japonia medievală? care erau codurile vestimentare în potrivirea culorilor? de ce uneori era la modă să porți cinci chimonouri deodată, altădată opt și altădată douăsprezece? de ce în Japonia parfumurile se ascultă? Toate răspunsurile vin lejer, integrate armonios în text și, pe măsură ce citești, te ajută să construiești încet-încet un tablou al Japoniei medievale. (continuarea cronicii: http://www.bookaholic.ro/liza-dalby-p...)
Scris într-un stil lejer, cu informații bogate și detaliate, dar pe care le strecoară în text subtil, fără a-l încărca inutil și fără a-l face prea didactic, romanul are o muzicalitate aparte și un ritm calm, pe care-l simți de la început și până la sfârșit. Pentru păstrarea acestui ritm și în limba română o mare contribuție a avut-o și traducătoarea Diana Tihan, a cărei dublă specializare în engleză și japoneză a contat foarte mult.
Povestea doamnei Murasaki este, în primul rând, un foarte bun roman istoric și de atmosferă, bine documentat, însă în care nu se simte nici efortul strângerii informațiilor și nici „cusăturile”. Detaliile istorice sunt strecurate în text natural, fără explicații sufocante, chiar dacă în minte îți vin nenumărate întrebări: de ce își înnegreau doamnele japoneze dinții? de ce se studiau învățații chineza în Japonia medievală? care erau codurile vestimentare în potrivirea culorilor? de ce uneori era la modă să porți cinci chimonouri deodată, altădată opt și altădată douăsprezece? de ce în Japonia parfumurile se ascultă? Toate răspunsurile vin lejer, integrate armonios în text și, pe măsură ce citești, te ajută să construiești încet-încet un tablou al Japoniei medievale. (continuarea cronicii: http://www.bookaholic.ro/liza-dalby-p...)
July 16, 2018
So, context really matters. I suspect this would have been a 3.5 star read if this was just a straightforward novel. However, because this is styled as Murasaki's autobiography, many things become strengths when they would have been weaknesses in third person prose.
This book is beautiful and engrossing, and I recommend getting the audiobook if you can because I found it enhanced that feeling of a woman from a millennia ago telling me about her entire life. This isn't going to be for every audience. I suspect some people will be bored by minutiae of fashion, calendars, child-rearing. creative writing decisions. But this is exactly the kind of immersive experience I want from historical fiction. Although I knew certain things had to happen, the book doesn't feel like it's traveling on an inevitable timeline, racing to get from point A to point B (a fault of many historical fiction novels.) Instead things seem to develop naturally.
I also loved all the historical Easter eggs in here. For example, at one point a Chinese diplomat mentions that Japan was once ruled by a queen and Murasaki is amazed. This is a passing thing but I was delighted to know what that was all about due the course on Japanese history that I finished a few weeks ago. It's a reference to Himiko/Pimiko, an alleged shaman queen who ruled ancient Japan. Ancient Chinese historical sources are adamant about her, while there's no trace of her ancient Japanese sources. There were a lot of moments like this for me, and it was so entertaining.
This book handles creativity well, too. It's very accurate about the things that drive one to write and work bits of their life into a fictional narrative.
Overall I'm really happy with this one and sad to see it end.
This book is beautiful and engrossing, and I recommend getting the audiobook if you can because I found it enhanced that feeling of a woman from a millennia ago telling me about her entire life. This isn't going to be for every audience. I suspect some people will be bored by minutiae of fashion, calendars, child-rearing. creative writing decisions. But this is exactly the kind of immersive experience I want from historical fiction. Although I knew certain things had to happen, the book doesn't feel like it's traveling on an inevitable timeline, racing to get from point A to point B (a fault of many historical fiction novels.) Instead things seem to develop naturally.
I also loved all the historical Easter eggs in here. For example, at one point a Chinese diplomat mentions that Japan was once ruled by a queen and Murasaki is amazed. This is a passing thing but I was delighted to know what that was all about due the course on Japanese history that I finished a few weeks ago. It's a reference to Himiko/Pimiko, an alleged shaman queen who ruled ancient Japan. Ancient Chinese historical sources are adamant about her, while there's no trace of her ancient Japanese sources. There were a lot of moments like this for me, and it was so entertaining.
This book handles creativity well, too. It's very accurate about the things that drive one to write and work bits of their life into a fictional narrative.
Overall I'm really happy with this one and sad to see it end.
August 19, 2020
Beautifully written and carefully researched, this is an historical fiction about the life of Murasaki Shikibu, the 11th century C.E. author of The Tale of Genji
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Shikibu lived during the Heian period in Japan (794 - 1185 C.E.) which was a peaceful period known for its art and poetry. The Heian court was located in what is now Kyoto. It was a time of sophistication, great attention to colors, flowers, nature, and the beauty of poetry. Your reputation at court could be made or broken based on one poem.
There is not a lot of action in the novel. Daltry depicts the Heian society with all its nuances. It was fascinating to read about the ideals of beauty, how hair was washed and dried (a woman's hair was often 2 to 6 inches longer than she was tall!), the clothing, how it was starched and stitched, standards of cleanliness and purity, and the power of the Fujiwara family (more powerful than the emperor), just to name a few.
If you are expecting a lot of action, this is not the book for you. If you wish to paint an image in your mind of a cherry blossom in the breeze with its petals lilting downward to the pond below, I recommend "The Tale of Murasaki."
.Shikibu lived during the Heian period in Japan (794 - 1185 C.E.) which was a peaceful period known for its art and poetry. The Heian court was located in what is now Kyoto. It was a time of sophistication, great attention to colors, flowers, nature, and the beauty of poetry. Your reputation at court could be made or broken based on one poem.
There is not a lot of action in the novel. Daltry depicts the Heian society with all its nuances. It was fascinating to read about the ideals of beauty, how hair was washed and dried (a woman's hair was often 2 to 6 inches longer than she was tall!), the clothing, how it was starched and stitched, standards of cleanliness and purity, and the power of the Fujiwara family (more powerful than the emperor), just to name a few.
If you are expecting a lot of action, this is not the book for you. If you wish to paint an image in your mind of a cherry blossom in the breeze with its petals lilting downward to the pond below, I recommend "The Tale of Murasaki."
November 2, 2012
I found that being obsessed with Japanese culture, past and present, helped in reading this book. My interpretation of why many readers "didn't relate to the main character" or found the story "unbelievable" or "slow" is a lack of familiarity with the very alien culture and style (to those of non-Asian background, reading, or experience).
Part of the slowness of the book is that it's not an action book by any means, and that it's much like real life--full of small rather than exciting events, with moments of adventure or major excitement. Also, I suspect some critics were put off by the subtly expressed but definite lesbian relationships.
That being said, the book is rich with the life of an upper-class (but not of noble birth) Heian-era woman who was unusually well educated as well as steeped in her culture--very attentive to nature, her family, and looking for ways to enjoy herself without causing scandal in her fairly closeted life. So much about plants, friendships (which often turn into romances), kimono styles and the reasons behind them, and palace gossip.
Now I want to go back and read The Tale of Genji (I read the first book in college, as part of a course on the history of China and Japan), and Dalby's nonfiction book Kimono (which I've already requested through interlibrary loan).
Highly recommended for readers who love Japanese historical culture, or want a slow-paced historical novel on a very different culture than Euro-American.
Part of the slowness of the book is that it's not an action book by any means, and that it's much like real life--full of small rather than exciting events, with moments of adventure or major excitement. Also, I suspect some critics were put off by the subtly expressed but definite lesbian relationships.
That being said, the book is rich with the life of an upper-class (but not of noble birth) Heian-era woman who was unusually well educated as well as steeped in her culture--very attentive to nature, her family, and looking for ways to enjoy herself without causing scandal in her fairly closeted life. So much about plants, friendships (which often turn into romances), kimono styles and the reasons behind them, and palace gossip.
Now I want to go back and read The Tale of Genji (I read the first book in college, as part of a course on the history of China and Japan), and Dalby's nonfiction book Kimono (which I've already requested through interlibrary loan).
Highly recommended for readers who love Japanese historical culture, or want a slow-paced historical novel on a very different culture than Euro-American.
October 21, 2019
Meh. That is the entirety of my reaction to this book. Meh, it was interesting at times and it's a really unique time and place for historical fiction, but the author takes what has all the makings of a great novel and turns it into a boring, plotless, plodding tale. I have my own made-up words for this type of hist fic. I call it "they be livin'." It's just a story following a single person or a group of people at some point in the past and instead of creating an over-arching plot with a beginning, middle, and end, these books are full of people just living their life, going about their business. Outlander is a good example of this, at least in the later books. There's rarely much of a plot, just people trying to survive this crazy thing called life. Diana Gabaldon can do it (in my opinion), but she's one of the few. I need more of a story than that. I need something exciting to happen at the end where it all comes together and all is revealed. I guess I'm just old-fashioned that way.
May 19, 2021
NOTE: This book is well researched and the first half is very interesting - however by the end of the novel I truly didn't care for the main character at all. I never really "connected" with the main character so her unhappiness, instead of rooting for her or understanding her, becomes tedious. Clearly she's unhappy and can't get out of her depression, but I guess I never became invested enough in the character to commiserate? I have still given 3 stars because, as it is semi biographical and since it appears Murasaki was indeed depressed and unhappy at court one cannot fault the author for the ending, but a spark was missing for me.
July 23, 2012
I've had this book for a long time (along with the Tale of Genji), and it is a perfect summer escape to the life of a Lady at Japanese court in the 11th century. This may sound rather dry, but Liza has taken all of Murasaki's poems as well as her journals and, of course, the "Tale," and created a very interesting book of Kyoto as seen by a woman from age 10 to 60. No detail too small, from court intrigue, family squabbles, romance with a young chinese noble, plants, robes, snow, childbirth, and more poems. The life of the first novelist. An elegant book.
August 22, 2012
A fascinating insight into Japanese court life and the culture of that early century, experienced through the life of one young woman. So well researched and authentic, as well as deeply emotional, a brilliant example of social anthropology translating into very readable fiction - inspiring!
March 20, 2016
I'm fascinated by Japanese and Chinese culture and history but parts of this book are like wading through mud.
January 19, 2022
The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby is an epistolary novel/ historical reimagining of the life of writer Murasaki Shikibu based on the recovered diaries she kept throughout her life. Murasaki is known as the author of the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji, about a romantic prince in ancient eleventh century Japan.
What a fascinating novel! Murasaki was such an extraordinary woman. She was raised by her father, a scholar of Chinese poetry and literature, and entered the Imperial court as a lady-in-waiting during the Heian period where she recorded events and served the empress. She loved to write poetry and her stories of Genji, she despised men, and often longed for solitude and escape. I loved reading about her, and it seems like Dalby spared no details with her rendering of Murasaki's diary and the events of Murasaki's interesting life.
I loved the setting; Dalby provides us with such rich descriptions of the scenery, weather, fashion, architecture and a number of different Japanese traditions, customs and celebrations. I felt completely transported through time while reading this novel. I'm looking forward to reading The Tale of Genji.
What a fascinating novel! Murasaki was such an extraordinary woman. She was raised by her father, a scholar of Chinese poetry and literature, and entered the Imperial court as a lady-in-waiting during the Heian period where she recorded events and served the empress. She loved to write poetry and her stories of Genji, she despised men, and often longed for solitude and escape. I loved reading about her, and it seems like Dalby spared no details with her rendering of Murasaki's diary and the events of Murasaki's interesting life.
I loved the setting; Dalby provides us with such rich descriptions of the scenery, weather, fashion, architecture and a number of different Japanese traditions, customs and celebrations. I felt completely transported through time while reading this novel. I'm looking forward to reading The Tale of Genji.
October 26, 2024
Lady Murasaki wrote the world's first novel, The Tales of Genji, in 11th century Japan. Fragments of her diary still exist and Liza Dalby took it upon herself to write a fictionalized version of her life based on her diary entries. Dalby took great care to showcase the culture and customs of imperial Japan with beautiful and vivid imagery.
As for Murasaki herself, I really enjoyed the tales from her early life - her interactions with friends, family and men and how she began writing her Tales of Genji - which essentially was the 11th century Japan version of smut. She was portrayed as a strong and independent woman, until her stories gained so much popularity that she was summoned to the imperial palace to become a lady in waiting to the empress. As her life goes on, the way she is portrayed wasn't to my liking. To me, she seemed vain, self-absorbed and kind of catty. It was a bit of a struggle to read the last half of the book, it seemed all she would do was talk bad about people or comment on everyone's attire. If that's how she really was, fine, but I didn't care to read about it.
As for Murasaki herself, I really enjoyed the tales from her early life - her interactions with friends, family and men and how she began writing her Tales of Genji - which essentially was the 11th century Japan version of smut. She was portrayed as a strong and independent woman, until her stories gained so much popularity that she was summoned to the imperial palace to become a lady in waiting to the empress. As her life goes on, the way she is portrayed wasn't to my liking. To me, she seemed vain, self-absorbed and kind of catty. It was a bit of a struggle to read the last half of the book, it seemed all she would do was talk bad about people or comment on everyone's attire. If that's how she really was, fine, but I didn't care to read about it.
August 23, 2023
Finally finished! Dalby is talented in capturing the essence and aesthetics of Japanese culture during Murasaki’s time. Her descriptions of fashion, tea, and poetry alone may make this book worth reading for those interested in the ambience of a novel over its plot.
As for said plot, although the novel markets itself as a story of Murasaki’s time at court, I found the second half of the book which covers it to be far less engaging than the descriptions of Murasaki’s adolescence in the rural provinces where she first learned about love and poetry. I found it difficult to follow the passage of time in the novel, especially once Murasaki begins serving in the Royal Court. However, I could see this as an intentional move by Dalby to mirror how Murasaki herself drifted mostly passively along in the currents of gossip, romance, and political machinations.
As for said plot, although the novel markets itself as a story of Murasaki’s time at court, I found the second half of the book which covers it to be far less engaging than the descriptions of Murasaki’s adolescence in the rural provinces where she first learned about love and poetry. I found it difficult to follow the passage of time in the novel, especially once Murasaki begins serving in the Royal Court. However, I could see this as an intentional move by Dalby to mirror how Murasaki herself drifted mostly passively along in the currents of gossip, romance, and political machinations.
June 11, 2018
A friend sent me The Tale of Murasaki by Liz Dalby. I’d had this novel on my list to buy for a while, but other books took precedence. Once I received the book, it sat on my nightstand in “the stack” for a few weeks before I finally could get to it—I even pre-empted a couple of other books in the queue. I shouldn’t have waited so long.
The Plot
Framed by letters from Katako, Murasaki Shikibu’s daughter, to her own daughter, The Tale of Murasaki, details the life of the author of The Tale of Genji during the Heian period in 11th century Japan, frequently credited as the first novel ever written. The novel begins its chronicle of Murasaki’s life from her mother’s death when she was 15 and young “Fuji” takes over running her father’s household, in lieu of her older sister who is mentally disabled in some respect.
Fuji, later given the nickname “Murasaki” when she enters the empress’s service, takes after her father, a scholar of Chinese and poetry, with her literary frame of mind and talent for writing waka (the forerunner of haiku). She begins writing Genji tales as a way to entertain herself and a girlfriend who all too quickly moves away and is forced to marry. Fuji’s early friendships with other girls and young women often had lesbian overtones. I’m not sure if this is due to the author’s beliefs about and research into the life of Murasaki or if she’s merely describing typical 11th century friendships between young women. When describing Fuji’s relationships with women, Dalby does not write anything overtly sexual, but she does make references to “love”; whether the love between Fuji and her girlfriends is romantic or sisterly remains ambiguous. I found this aspect of Murasaki’s life simply fascinating and the book did leave me wondering. But I digress…
Fuji writes Genji tales and in her journal when her new stepmother moves into the house; she writes more when her father receives an appointment to a provincial governorship and the family moves to the countryside for a few years; she writes when she finally marries a man old enough to be her father, an arranged match, and then falls in love with her husband (an aspect of the book that I, frankly, found rather difficult to believe). She writes after the birth of her daughter and then finds herself called to the palace to serve Empress Shoshi who likes her Genji stories.
Most of the book seems to build up to Murasaki’s service to the empress, service she enters at the age of 33, well past the norm, and has to leave her six-year-old daughter in the care of her father’s household. Murasaki struggles, at various times, with her adjustment to life at court, unwanted attentions from gentlemen, her brother’s embarrassing blunders, and with her writing. At court, Michinaga, the real power behind the throne and Empress Shoshi’s father, wants to use Genji tales as a means of glorifying his reign and force Murasaki to write her tales for this end. Murasaki must also contend with the gossip and manipulations, and with the unthinkable: killing off her main character who had become an albatross.
The book winds down with Murasaki leaving the empress’s service to take the tonsure and retreat to a nunnery with a girlhood friend. Katako’s letters round out the rest of her mother’s life as she passes down her mother’s poetry and journals to her own daughter.
Elements of Style
Liz Dalby pieced together her quasi-biography based on Murasaki’s actual journals and writings. Dalby did avail herself of creative license to fill in the gaps left and to interpret the meanings of some of the poetry as it applied to Murasaki’s life (no mean feat, especially for a Westerner). Dalby definitely has a flair for writing like a Japanese person; her images of nature are beautiful and harmonious and lucidly flow page after page and yet the reader develops a sense of what a strong woman Murasaki was, flawed and often sarcastic. Dalby blends in snapshots of 11th century Japanese life, at least for the upper classes, that make for interesting reading and gives the modern reader a vivid image of the kind of person Lady Murasaki might really have been.
Dalby includes many of Murasaki’s original waka, and their approximate English translations, all the more difficult since 11th century Japanese is for native speakers like Middle English is to us. With my limited skills, I could pick out a few recognizable terms here and there, but not only was the translation greatly appreciated, I also needed the text explanations that Dalby wove in. Most Western readers, myself included, would not understand the unspoken implications of the poems otherwise.
Dalby, for some reason, decided to attempt an ending to The Tale of Genji, currently published in an incomplete form. The very last chapter of The Tale of Murasaki contains her version of the “lost” ending. Although Dalby’s ending strikes the right chord with its wording and even the events that take place, I’m still disappointed. As long as The Tale of Genji on my bookshelf did not have an ending, it could go on, as I imagine Murasaki intended to do—I like to think of her, before and after reading this novel, writing stories indefinitely.
Overall
The Tale of Murasaki is rich: rich with images, colors, flowing prose, and historical and biographical detail. Reading Dalby’s historical novel, I remember all the things that I like about Japanese literature, especially the affinity for noticing the beauty of nature, something I am guilty of overlooking in my fast-paced American lifestyle. Most of all, The Tale of Murasaki is a very fitting tribute to a fascinating woman.
The Plot
Framed by letters from Katako, Murasaki Shikibu’s daughter, to her own daughter, The Tale of Murasaki, details the life of the author of The Tale of Genji during the Heian period in 11th century Japan, frequently credited as the first novel ever written. The novel begins its chronicle of Murasaki’s life from her mother’s death when she was 15 and young “Fuji” takes over running her father’s household, in lieu of her older sister who is mentally disabled in some respect.
Fuji, later given the nickname “Murasaki” when she enters the empress’s service, takes after her father, a scholar of Chinese and poetry, with her literary frame of mind and talent for writing waka (the forerunner of haiku). She begins writing Genji tales as a way to entertain herself and a girlfriend who all too quickly moves away and is forced to marry. Fuji’s early friendships with other girls and young women often had lesbian overtones. I’m not sure if this is due to the author’s beliefs about and research into the life of Murasaki or if she’s merely describing typical 11th century friendships between young women. When describing Fuji’s relationships with women, Dalby does not write anything overtly sexual, but she does make references to “love”; whether the love between Fuji and her girlfriends is romantic or sisterly remains ambiguous. I found this aspect of Murasaki’s life simply fascinating and the book did leave me wondering. But I digress…
Fuji writes Genji tales and in her journal when her new stepmother moves into the house; she writes more when her father receives an appointment to a provincial governorship and the family moves to the countryside for a few years; she writes when she finally marries a man old enough to be her father, an arranged match, and then falls in love with her husband (an aspect of the book that I, frankly, found rather difficult to believe). She writes after the birth of her daughter and then finds herself called to the palace to serve Empress Shoshi who likes her Genji stories.
Most of the book seems to build up to Murasaki’s service to the empress, service she enters at the age of 33, well past the norm, and has to leave her six-year-old daughter in the care of her father’s household. Murasaki struggles, at various times, with her adjustment to life at court, unwanted attentions from gentlemen, her brother’s embarrassing blunders, and with her writing. At court, Michinaga, the real power behind the throne and Empress Shoshi’s father, wants to use Genji tales as a means of glorifying his reign and force Murasaki to write her tales for this end. Murasaki must also contend with the gossip and manipulations, and with the unthinkable: killing off her main character who had become an albatross.
The book winds down with Murasaki leaving the empress’s service to take the tonsure and retreat to a nunnery with a girlhood friend. Katako’s letters round out the rest of her mother’s life as she passes down her mother’s poetry and journals to her own daughter.
Elements of Style
Liz Dalby pieced together her quasi-biography based on Murasaki’s actual journals and writings. Dalby did avail herself of creative license to fill in the gaps left and to interpret the meanings of some of the poetry as it applied to Murasaki’s life (no mean feat, especially for a Westerner). Dalby definitely has a flair for writing like a Japanese person; her images of nature are beautiful and harmonious and lucidly flow page after page and yet the reader develops a sense of what a strong woman Murasaki was, flawed and often sarcastic. Dalby blends in snapshots of 11th century Japanese life, at least for the upper classes, that make for interesting reading and gives the modern reader a vivid image of the kind of person Lady Murasaki might really have been.
Dalby includes many of Murasaki’s original waka, and their approximate English translations, all the more difficult since 11th century Japanese is for native speakers like Middle English is to us. With my limited skills, I could pick out a few recognizable terms here and there, but not only was the translation greatly appreciated, I also needed the text explanations that Dalby wove in. Most Western readers, myself included, would not understand the unspoken implications of the poems otherwise.
Dalby, for some reason, decided to attempt an ending to The Tale of Genji, currently published in an incomplete form. The very last chapter of The Tale of Murasaki contains her version of the “lost” ending. Although Dalby’s ending strikes the right chord with its wording and even the events that take place, I’m still disappointed. As long as The Tale of Genji on my bookshelf did not have an ending, it could go on, as I imagine Murasaki intended to do—I like to think of her, before and after reading this novel, writing stories indefinitely.
Overall
The Tale of Murasaki is rich: rich with images, colors, flowing prose, and historical and biographical detail. Reading Dalby’s historical novel, I remember all the things that I like about Japanese literature, especially the affinity for noticing the beauty of nature, something I am guilty of overlooking in my fast-paced American lifestyle. Most of all, The Tale of Murasaki is a very fitting tribute to a fascinating woman.
October 4, 2018
The story takes place in eleventh century Japan and is based on a real person. Dalby uses fragments of Murasaki's letters and memoirs to recreate the life of the woman who wrote Tale of Genji, a masterpiece of Japanese literature.
This is the perfect example of why I love historical fiction. Now I have to read Murasaki's Tale of Genji.
This is the perfect example of why I love historical fiction. Now I have to read Murasaki's Tale of Genji.
July 7, 2023
Fictionalized account of a eleventh century Japanese writer, Lady Murasaki, who wrote the Tale of Genji, supposedly one of the first novels written. This book is interesting because it shows how much of Japanese art and culture actually came from China. The story is rich with descriptions of palaces, fabrics and daily routine. I have not researched any of this, but it does ring true with my memories of visiting many shrines and palaces in Tokyo and Kyoto. The haiku as a form of communication (letters) is interesting to read. I wonder if this is how people actually talked to one another.
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