The Modern Murasaki ― Writing by Women of Meiji Japan

The first anthology of its kind, The Modern Murasaki brings the vibrancy and rich imagination of women's writing from the Meiji period to English-language readers. Along with traditional prose, the editors have chosen and carefully translated short stories, plays, poetry, speeches, essays, and personal journal entries. Selected readings include writings by the public speaker Kishida Toshiko, the dramatist Hasegawa Shigure, the short-fiction writer Shimizu Shikin, the political writer Tamura Toshiko, and the novelists Miyake Kaho, Higuchi Ichiyo, Tazawa Inabune, Kitada Usurai, Nogami Yaeko, and Mizuno Senko. The volume also includes a thorough introduction to each reading, an extensive index listing historical, social, and literary concepts, and a comprehensive guide to further research.

The fierce tenor and bold content of these texts refute the popular belief that women of this era were passive and silent. A vital addition to courses in women's studies and Japanese literature and history, The Modern Murasaki is a singular resource for students and scholars.

Rebecca Copeland is professor of Japanese literature at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Her many books include The Sounds of the Wind: The Life and Works of Uno Chiyo and Lost Leaves: Women Writers of Meiji Japan.Melek Ortabasi is assistant professor of comparative literature and Japanese at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. Her research interests include Meiji women writers, Japanese folklore studies, film and popular culture, and translation theory. Currently she is working on a monograph about native ethnologist Yanagita Kunio