Sei Shonagon

Meredith McKinney

A new translation of the idiosyncratic diary of a C10 court lady in Heian Japan. Along with the TALE OF GENJI, this is one of the major Japanese Classics.

The Pillow Book

Sei Shōnagon

The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon is an immensely detailed account of court life in eleventh-century Japan. Written at the height of Heian culture, it is a classic text of great literary beauty, full of lively anecdotes, humorous observations, and subtle impressions. Sei Shōnagon was a contemporary and erstwhile rival of Lady Murasaki, whose novel, The Tale of Genji, fictionalized the court life that Lady Shōnagon captures so vividly in her diary. The Pillow Book contains her reflections on royal and religious ceremonies, nature, pilgrimage, conversation, and poetry. Lady Shōnagon shares character sketches and the things she both loves and loathes. Her style is so eloquent, her wit so sharp, even the briefest fragments enchant us. There is no better introduction to the daily preoccupations of the Heian upper class, and Ivan Morris's notes and contextualization enrich the material for scholars and general readers.

The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon

A priest who gives a sermon should be handsome. After all, you're most aware of the profundity of his teaching if you're gazing at his face as he speaks. If your eyes drift elsewhere you tend to forget what you've just heard, so an unattractive face has the effect of making you feel quite sinful.

There are also those times when you send someone a poem you're rather pleased with, and fail to receive one in reply. Of course there's no more to be done about it if it's to a man you care for. Even so, you do lose respect for someone who doesn't produce any response to your tasteful seasonal references. It also dampens the spirit when you're leading a heady life in the swim of things and you receive some boring little old-fashioned poem that reeks of the longueurs of the writer, whose time hangs heavy on her hands.

charisa

i actually really liked this! but how could i not — shonagon is also an obsessive list writer and capturer of seemingly trivial moments and sentiments. i love the overarching concept of a pillow book: a collection of idle notes that describes one's life. i'm inspired to start one for myself in the new year! it was also fascinating to read her observations from the heian period and map them to the modern day; there are certain universal feelings and opinions that apparently transcend time and culture. 

some of my favorite lists: "things that make your heart beat fast", "things that make you feel nostalgic", "infuriating things", "refined and elegant things", "things that cannot be compared".

Gabriela Roxana 

Maybe the most beautiful book I have ever read in my entire life. Not the best book, not the most developed, not the most profund, but probably the most beautiful. Shonagon's mind is like an ocean of stars enchanted with poetry and dreams.
Totally worth spending 5 hours in the library with this treasure.

The Pillow Book

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