{"product_id":"a-tale-unasked-9780241562468","title":"A Tale Unasked","description":"\u003cb\u003eA new translation of Lady Nijo's diary--one of classical Japan's greatest literary works \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA Penguin Classic \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLady Nijo's \u003ci\u003eA Tale Unasked\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eTowazugatari\u003c\/i\u003e) is the last, and arguably the finest, among classical Japanese literature's famous \"women's diaries.\" Thought to have been completed around 1307, when the author was in her late forties, the first two-thirds of this autobiographical work document in rich and compelling detail the experiences of an imperial concubine whose time at court was ruled and finally ruined by her passionate and complicated love life. The final third of the work equally memorably describes her peripatetic life after the emperor expelled her from the court in her mid-twenties and she became a nun, wandering the roads of Japan as a form of Buddhist austerity. Meredith McKinney's superb translation breathes new life into Lady Nijo's fascinating diaries, which survived her era in a single copy and were rediscovered only in the 1940s. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003ePenguin Classics is the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, representing a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Lady Nijo\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penguin Classics\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/24\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.45lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.73h x 5.05w x 0.80d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780241562468\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLady Nijo\u003c\/b\u003e (1258-after 1307) was a Japanese noblewoman, poet, and author. She was raised in the court of Emperor Go-Fukakusa and became his concubine, before being expelled for her affairs with other men. She became a traveling Buddhist nun and eventually wrote a memoir, \u003ci\u003eTowazugatari\u003c\/i\u003e (\u003ci\u003eA Tale Unasked\u003c\/i\u003e). It survived in a single copy and remained hidden for years in the library of the imperial family household before being rediscovered in 1940. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eMeredith McKinney \u003c\/b\u003e(translator) is a translator of Japanese literature. She lived in Japan for twenty years and is Honorary Associate Professor at the Australian National University in Canberra. Her translations for Penguin Classics include \u003ci\u003eThe Pillow Book \u003c\/i\u003eof Sei Shōnagon, \u003ci\u003eEssays in Idleness and Hojoki\u003c\/i\u003e by Kenko and Chomei, two novels by Natsume Soseki, and an anthology of classical Japanese travel writing, \u003ci\u003eTravels with a Writing Brush\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Lady Nijo \/ Paperback \/ English","offer_id":47834162036893,"sku":"9780241562468","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_87581c0d-271e-47af-aec8-a1c3d40eb617.jpg?v=1776145033","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/a-tale-unasked-9780241562468","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}