A Tale Unasked
$28.38
- Paperback
336 pages
- Release Date
5 January 2026
Summary
A Tale Unasked: The Secret Memoirs of Lady Nijo
Lady Nijo’s A Tale Unasked (Towazugatari) stands as the last and arguably the finest of classical Japanese literature’s celebrated ‘women’s diaries’. Believed to have been finished around 1307, when Lady Nijo was in her late forties, this autobiographical work vividly recounts the experiences of an imperial concubine. The diary unveils in rich and compelling detail her time at court, a period dominated and ultimately …
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780241562468 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0241562465 |
| Author: | Lady Nijo, Meredith McKinney |
| Publisher: | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Imprint: | Penguin Classics |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 336 |
| Release Date: | 5 January 2026 |
| Weight: | 500g |
| Dimensions: | 198mm x 129mm x 35mm |
About The Author
Lady Nijo
Lady Nijo (Author)
Lady Nijo (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 travelling Buddhist nun and eventually wrote a memoir, Towazugatari (‘A Tale Untold’). It survived in a single copy and remained hidden for years in the library of the Imperial Family Household before being rediscovered in 1940.
Meredith McKinney (Translator)
Meredith McKinney 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 include The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, Essays in Idleness and Hojoki by Kenko and Chomei, two novels by Natsume Soseki and an anthology of classical Japanese travel writing, Travels with a Writing Brush.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.