(California UP, 1995)
The style of this takes a bit of getting used to (and this is attributable to the original author, not the translator), but the content is gripping. This is the autobiographical writings of a Korean crown princess – wife of the heir to the throne – and documents at first hand the intrigues within the Korean court in the second half of the eighteenth century, and describes the distant and awkward relationship between father and son which leads to the madness and death of the latter (the writer’s husband). A fascinating insight into the workings of the Confucian-based civil service system, which may be of interest to Sinologists as well as Koreanists.
Links:
- Read a proper review of this book over at the Korean Studies portal
- Read Margaret Drabble’s take on the story in The Red Queen
- Buy at amazon.co.uk or amazon.com
- Tony Malone’s review in Tony’s Reading List
I have a version called ‘Memoirs of Korean queen’ by Lady Hong which was edited, introduced and translated by Choe-wall Yang-hi which was 1st published in 1985.
It was rewritten and adapted for the general reader from her MA thesis.
ISBN: 0-7103-0248-7
It IS a very intriguing story, whichever version you select i am sure 🙂