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Memoirs Of The Red Queen: The Crown Princesses' Own Story
Author(s): Hong Lady (Author)
- Publisher: Routledge
- Publication Date: 23 Sept. 2004
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 150 pages
- ISBN-10: 0710311591
- ISBN-13: 9780710311597
Book Description
First Published in 2004. Translated into English from the Korean script (han’gul), the memoir of Lady Hong (1735-1815) of Hyegyong Palace is an autobiographical memoir. Known as Hanjung nok and dated 1796, it was prepared over a period of about eleven years, in the twilight years of Lady Hong’s life as a vivid account of her personal life and its great tragedy. It is a compelling story, told in retrospect, of a young girl’s introduction to court life , of her selection as a royal consort at the early age of ten, and the happy and sad times throughout her life. Lady Hong tells of her early fears on entering the court and how she came to terms with the deprivations which existed within the palace walls. It is a tale of quiet courage, aimed not at self-preservation and well-being, but at the safety of those close to her, whom she loved dearly. The memoir carries a main vein of woman’s subservience to male rulers who were moulded by Confucian ideology, although Lady Hong ‘s fortitude and resolution come through strongly in trying to prevent, or at least delay , her husband’s inevitable demise.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Extraordinary memoirs…[if they] were presented as a work of fiction one would be irresistibly reminded of Vladimir Nabakov’s masterpiece, “Pale Fire”” — Auberon Waugh, “Sunday Telegraph”
About the Author
The translation was undertaken by Yang-hi Choe-Wall as a part of her academic work at the Australian National University in Canberra. She was encouraged by her colleagues to adapt the translation for the general reader and the publication of this book is the result. Dr. Choe-Wall was born in Seoul , Korea, the fourth child of a family whose head was a distinguished professor of English Literature. Later she subsequently moved with her two children to Australia.
