Stranger in the Shogun's City: A Woman's Life in Nineteenth-Century Japan

Stranger in the Shogun's City is a 2020 biography of Tsuneno, a woman who defied societal expectations and pursued her own path in 19th-century Edo, now known as Tokyo. The book was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize and won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography. It provides a vivid portrait of Tsuneno and the city of Edo at a pivotal moment in history.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 15 July 2021
Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2020, a vivid work of history that explores the life of an unconventional woman in Edo - now known as Tokyo - and a portrait of a great city on the brink of momentous change. Compelling... Deeply absorbing Guardian The daughter of a Buddhist priest, Tsuneno was born in 1804 in a village in Japan's snow country and was expected to lead a life much like her mother's. Instead, after three divorces and with a temperament much too strong-willed for her family's approval, she ran away to follow her own path in Edo, the city we now call Tokyo. Stranger in the Shogun's City is a rare, captivating portrait of one woman as she endeavours to recreate herself and her life, and provides a window into the drama and excitement of Japan at a pivotal moment in history. Marvellous... Stanley builds up a picture of Tsuneno's world, immersing us in an experience akin to time travel TLS * Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Biography 2020 * * Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Biography 2021 * * * Winner of the PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography * * * Longlisted for the HWA Non-Fiction Crown

Weight: 286g
Dimension: 129 x 197 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781784708139