The result was an autobiographical narrative, a tale of thirty-six years (1271–1306) in the life of Lady Nijo, starting when she became the concubine of a retired emperor in Kyoto at the age of fourteen and ending, several love affairs later, with an account of her new life as a wandering Buddhist nun.”Įssays in Idleness by Yoshida Kenkō, translated by Meredith McKinney (Japan, 1330–1332): “ The Buddhist priest Kenko clung to tradition, Buddhism, and the pleasures of solitude, and the themes he treats in his Essays, written sometime between 13, are all suffused with an unspoken acceptance of Buddhist beliefs.” The Confessions of Lady Nijo by Lady Nijo, translated by Karen Brazell (Japan, early 13th century): “In about 1307 a remarkable woman in Japan sat down to complete the story of her life. late twelfth century) is the earliest known French woman poet and her lais-stories in verse based on Breton tales of chivalry and romance-are among the finest of the genre.” Burgess (France, England, late 12th century): “Marie de France (fl. The Lais of Marie de France by Marie de France, translated by Glyn S. Selected Writings: Hildegard of Bingen by Hildegard of Bingen, translated by Mark Atherton (Germany, 12th century): “Hildegard, the ‘Sybil of the Rhine,’ was a Benedictine nun and one of the most prolific and original women writers of the Middle Ages.” She began a diary that she would continue to write for the next forty years and compile later in life, bringing lasting prestige to her family.” The Sarashina Diary: A Woman’s Life in Eleventh-Century Japan by Lady Sarashina, translated by Moriyuki Ito (Japan, 11th century): “ A thousand years ago, a young Japanese girl embarked on a journey from the wild East Country to the capital. The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu, translated by Royall Tyler (Japan, early 1000s): “ The Tale of Genji is a very long romance, running to fifty-four chapters and describing the court life of Heian Japan, from the tenth century into the eleventh.” The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon, translated by Meredith McKinney (Japan, 990s–early 1000s): “Written by the court gentlewoman Sei Shonagon, ostensibly for her own amusement, The Pillow Book offers a fascinating exploration of life among the nobility at the height of the Heian period.” The Kagero Diary is the first extant work of that rich and brilliant tradition.” 974): “Japan is the only country in the world where it was primarily the works of women writers that laid the foundation for the classical literary tradition.
The Kagero Diary by a woman known only as the Mother of Michitsuna, translated by Sonja Arntzen (Japan c.