- Imperial Woman
infobox Book |
name = Imperial Woman
title_orig =
translator =
image_caption =
author =Pearl S. Buck
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country =United States
language = English
series =
genre =Historical novel
publisher = John Day
release_date = 1956
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback &Paperback )
pages =
isbn = NA
preceded_by =
followed_by ="Imperial Woman" is a
novel byPearl S. Buck first published in 1956."Imperial Woman" is a fictionalized biography of
Ci-xi (Tz'u Hsi in Wade-Giles), who was a concubine of theXianfeng Emperor and on his death became the "de facto" head of theQing Dynasty until her death in 1908 (before which the novel ends).The story of Tzu Hsi is the story of the last Empress in China. In the novel Nobel Prize winner Pearl S. Buck recreates the life of one of the most intriguing rulers during a time of intense turbulence.
Tzu Hsi was born into one of the lowly ranks of the Imperial dynasty. According to custom, she moved to the Forbidden City at the age of seventeen to become one of hundreds of concubines. But her singular beauty and powers of manipulation quickly moved her into the position of Second Consort.
Tzu Hsi was feared and hated by many in the court, but adored by the people. The Empress's rise to power (even during her husband's life) parallels the story of China's transition from the ancient to the modern way.
Pearl S. Buck's knowledge of and fascination with the Empress's life are contagious. She reveals the essence of this self-involved and infamous last Empress, at the same time she takes the reader through China's struggle for freedom and democracy.
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