The tale of Murasaki -

Liza Dalby

Anchor

2001

448 páginas

14h 56m

ISBN-10: 0385497954

The Tale of Murasaki is an elegant and brilliantly authentic historical novel by the author of Geisha and the only Westerner ever to have become a geisha.

In the eleventh century Murasaki Shikibu wrote the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, the most popular work in the history of Japanese literature. In The Tale of Murasaki, Liza Dalby has created a breathtaking fictionalized narrative of the life of this timeless poet–a lonely girl who becomes such a compelling storyteller that she is invited to regale the empress with her tales. The Tale of Murasaki is the story of an enchanting time and an exotic place. Whether writing about mystical rice fields in the rainy mountains or the politics and intrigue of the royal court, Dalby breathes astonishing life into ancient Japan.

Resenhas (1)

5 (Perfeito)

Liza Dalby is not only an anthropologist but a sensitive writer who was able to reconstruct the life of 11th c. Japan with refined precision and delicious details. Add that to the sensitive profile of the writer of the world's first novel, a woman nonetheless, and you have the makings of a terrific story. This piece of historical fiction is filled with informative data about Japanese culture in the Heian period, about Japanese traditions in poetry, about Chinese influences in Japanese culture and daily customs, tasks and foods of the era. All done with a sensitive precision of language and an engaging story line.
Ms. Dalby kept herself as close as possible to the facts known about the author of The Tale of Genji. In doing so, she may have compromised the development of her plot and characters surrounding Lady Murasaki. For this, only, I have removed one star, otherwise, this is a very fine novel, which I can recommend without hesitation to many friends.