
The Diary of Murasaki Shikibu (1007-1010) - lermontov
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/omori/court/murasaki.html
======
ArtWomb
Love to see classic Japanese literature on here ;)

Can also recommend Sei Shonagon's _Pillow Book_ , oshida Kenko's _Essays in
Idleness_ , and the Uji collection of medieval tales.

This constitutes my life hack for decompression. Around 10-11 pm. Turn off
everything. And focus your undivided attention on literature that has
withstood the test of time. You will feel that anachronistic connection with
others who have endured life's trials in a foregone age.

~~~
matthewwiese
> This constitutes my life hack for decompression. Around 10-11 pm. Turn off
> everything. And focus your undivided attention on literature that has
> withstood the test of time. You will feel that anachronistic connection with
> others who have endured life's trials in a foregone age.

Artfully illustrated. That is also more or less mine as well. Sometimes
there's nothing better than an evening with good lit; aided by a pen in hand,
you can be ready to make note of someone else's insight to further your own.
:)

Who says a picture need be worth a thousand words? I can think of many
writers, event recent ones, whose work opens up a world that pictures cannot.

------
ixtli
Interesting context to note: Lady Murasaki is the author of the Tale of Genji,
which is widely regarded as the first novel ever written and one of the oldest
extant pieces of Japanese cultural artifact to be considered a masterpiece.

~~~
gwern
Keene has a good entry on Murasaki's diary in his book about Japanese diaries
(which I recommend to anyone with more than a passing interest in Japanese
literature), _Travelers of a Hundred Ages_.

One of the observations that stayed with me is he notes (as one can verify
C-fing OP), is that her diary is more than a little infuriating because she
almost never talks about _The Tale of Genji_! Just a few passing references.

Considering how much has been lost over time, it is a remarkable gift for any
_Genji_ fan or scholar, or even just fan of Japanese literature in general,
that her personal diary of all diaries would survive the ages in a fairly
extensive form, and then... _she doesn 't talk about Genji_. How did she get
the idea? What was her purpose? What was the thematic relationship of Kaoru to
Genji? How are we supposed to regard Genji ultimately? Was the original ending
really lost? Countless questions, many no one has realized to ask, could have
been answered with a few quick sentences discussing _Genji_ or herself, and -
nada.

