As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams: Recollections of a Woman in 11th-Century Japan (Penguin Classics)

"As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams" is a unique autobiography in which the anonymous writer known as Lady Sarashina intersperses personal reflections, anecdotes and lyrical poems with accounts of her travels and evocative descriptions of the Japanese countryside. Born in AD 1008, Lady Sarashina felt an acute sense of melancholy that led her to withdraw into the more congenial realm of the imagination - this deeply introspective work presents her vision of the world. While barely alluding to certain aspects of her life such as marriage, she illuminates her pilgrimages to temples and mystical dreams in exquisite prose, describing a profound emotional journey that can be read as a metaphor for life itself. Born in A.D. 1008 at the height of the Heian Period, the Lady Sarashina (as she is known) left behind her a diary that is remarkable for its wistfulness and sensitivity. Its shy and vulnerable author found happiness neither in her work at court nor with her family, and projected into her writing dreams and veiled longings that are both timeless and poignant. Illustrations and Maps Sections and Chronology Introduction Translation: As I Crossed A Bridge of Dreams Notes Index to Notes I was brought up in a part of the country so remote that it lies beyond the end of the Great East Road.