A Tale of False Fortunes is a masterful translation of Enchi
Fumiko's (1905-1986) modern classic, Namamiko monogatari. Written
in 1965, this prize-winning work of historical fiction presents an
alternative account of an imperial love affair narrated in the
eleventh-century romance A Tale of Flowering Fortunes (Eiga
monogatari). Both stories are set in the Heian court of the emperor
Ichijo (980-1011) and tell of the ill-fated love between the
emperor and his first consort, Teishi, and of the political
rivalries that threaten to divide them. While the earlier work can
be viewed largely as a panegyric to the all-powerful regent
Fujiwara no Michinaga, Enchi's account emphasizes Teishi's nobility
and devotion to the emperor and celebrates her "moral victory"-
over the regent, who conspired to divert the emperor's attentions
toward his own daughter, Shoshi.
The narrative of A Tale of False Fortunes is built around a
fictitious historical document, which is so well crafted that it
was at first believed to be an actual document of the Heian period.
Throughout Enchi's innovation and skill are evident as she
alternates between modern and classical Japanese, interjecting her
own commentary and extracts from A Tale of Flowering Fortunes, to
impress upon the reader the authenticity of the tale presented
within the novel. Subplots abound involving servants,
ladies-in-waiting, and most importantly female mediums, whose
spiritual possession -- both feigned and real -- propels the
momentum of the story toward an unexpected resolution.
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