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Gossamer Years: Love, Passion and Marriage in Old Japan - The Intimate Diary of a Female Courtier

(Paperback)


Publishing Details

Full Title:

Gossamer Years: Love, Passion and Marriage in Old Japan - The Intimate Diary of a Female Courtier

Contributors:

By (Author) Edward G. Seidensticker
Foreword by Dennis Washburne

ISBN:

9784805316863

Publisher:

Tuttle Publishing

Imprint:

Tuttle Publishing

Publication Date:

10th May 2022

Country:

United States

Classifications

Readership:

General

Fiction/Non-fiction:

Non Fiction

Other Subjects:

Diaries, letters and journals
Gender studies: women and girls
Cultural studies: customs and traditions

Dewey:

952.01092

Physical Properties

Physical Format:

Paperback

Number of Pages:

240

Dimensions:

Width 130mm, Height 203mm

Weight:

284g

Description

Gossamer Years is a remarkably frank diary written by an unnamed noblewoman in Tenth-century Japanthe same period as Murasaki Shikibu's celebrated Tale of Genji. In her diary, the author describes her tempestuous and unhappy marriage and growing indignation at the many rival wives and mistresses taken by her husband, as was commonplace at the time. Too impetuous to play the role of a subsidiary wife, the author protests the marriage system in one of Japanese literature's earliest portrayals of the difficulties faced by women in a male-dominated society.

Skillfully translated by Edward Seidensticker, a preeminent scholar of Japanese literature, this book represents an extraordinary flowering of realistic expression in ancient Japan and an attempt, unique for its age, to treat the human condition with frankness and honesty.

A new introduction by Japanese literary scholar Dennis Washburn provides valuable insights into the author's world and examines the book's lasting importance. With dozens of beautiful images illustrating court life in the Heian period, Gossamer Years is a timeless and intimate glimpse into married life and social mores in traditional Japan.

'A self-portrait devastating in its honestywritten passionately and without a thought to how readers might judge her actions.' Donald Keene

Reviews

"Just like The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, this is a diary from Heian Era of Japan, although unlike Sei Shonagon and Murasaki, this diary takes place prior to when they got to shine, and I can't help but get the feeling that it influenced Murasaki Shikibu a lot. the supplemental information added by the translator is very helpful. PS, love the cover." --Svetlana's Reads and Views

Author Bio

Edward G. Seidensticker (1921-2007) was Professor Emeritus of Japanese at Columbia University, a noted translator and the author of several books in English and Japanese. He was a recipient of the third-class Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese government, one of its highest honors, for his part in introducing Japanese novels to the West. His works include The Makioka Sisters, Snow Country, The Tale of Genji and Thousand Cranes.

Dennis Washburn is Professor of Comparative Literature, Asian Societies Cultures and Languages, & Film Studies at Dartmouth College. He is the author of Converting Cultures: Ideology, Religion, and Transformations of Modernity, Translating Mount Fuji: Modern Japanese Fiction and the Ethics of Identity, The Affect of Difference: Representations of Race in East Asian Empire and translator of The Tale of Genji, Temple of the Wild Geese and Bamboo Dolls of Echizen.

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