The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon

Rating:
Summary: Interesting
Review: "Rare things," Shonagon wrote,"A young bride who is loved by her mother-in-law, a silver tweezer good at plucking out the hair, a servant who does not speak bad about his master." This is a small excerpt of Shonagon's writing in The Pillow Book, also refered to as "one of the great classics of Japanese Literature." The Pillow Book was created by Shonagon through making entries in her diary when ever she was able to get some paper. Shonagon's writings are based on factual material which she observed as a lady-in-waiting to Empress Sadako, during the height of the Heian culture in the 11th century. Throughout Shonagon's diary many themes are present, however the most dominant is that no matter how life treats you, you must remember that everthing comes with a price. Shonagon's background information is slim to none, however some is revealed through her entries in The Pillow Book.

Rating:
Summary: The Fictionalized Reality of Ancient Japan
Review: I have just completed a reading of Ivan Morris' translation of the Sei Shonagon Pillow Book and I cannot reccoment it enough. What is striking about the literature of Heian era Japan is not only that the great majority of it was produced by brilliant women, but that the parallels between the ancient human condition and that of the modern are amazing. Reading about the joys and annoyances in the life the brilliant and quick witted Sei Shonagon are comfortingly familiar. In comparison to other literature of the time it is also an extremely candid look at a fascinating civilization. What sets Shonagon apart from her contermporaries is her ability to express uncensored opinions that are both hillarious, beautiful, and heartbreaking. She does not show the aversion to boldness that some of her (though equally brilliant) sisters of the ancient courts demonstrate. All the writing of this era is fascinating and becoming unfortunately harder to find (eg - the out of print status of the beautiful Izumi Shikibu Diary - Nikki) If anything, purchase this book to keep the brilliant voices of women past alive in our hearts, minds and presses today!

Rating:
Summary: Not a "highly intelligent statue"
Review: I would like to disagree with the last reviewer and stress that Sei Shonagon was certainly not a highly intelligent statue and she was not particularly zen either. Shonagon was a lively wit and intellect, known for her erudition and scholarship. The thing that I found most wonderful about the Pillow Book was not its serene contemplation of nature, which was often a literary conceit in Heian times, but rather her robust enjoyment of life. In the Tale of Genji, the Gossamer Diary, and the Sarashina Diary, you find disappointed women, unhappy with the way their lives turned out and often betrayed by their men. Although several lovers are hinted at in the Pillow Book, Shonagon never lets anything get her down. The time she describes was probably not a happy time, her patron, the Empress was suffering due to lack of political support, and Shonagon's own future must have looked bleak. However, she never falls into self pity and rather treats us to a delightful look through the eyes of an extremely intelligent and realistic woman. Her description of the worst lover ever is hilarious today. I've read it to friends of mine who have never read any other Heian literature and it made them laugh. Shonagon's keen observations and ready wit shine through after a thousand years and a translation. It stands as a testament to the fact that somethings, love, laughter, friendship, and the relations between men and women never change.

Rating:
Summary: A look back in time
Review: Relatively little is known about Sei Shonagon's life, except what is revealed in "The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon." What is known is that she was a court lady in tenth-century Japan, at the pinnacle of the Heian culture. Her reminiscences and thoughts add up to both an entertaining read and a glimpse back in time.

The story behind the Pillow Book is that when Shonagon (possible real name: Nagiko) was serving the Imperial Family, the Empress received a bunch of notebooks that she couldn't use, so she gave them to Shonagon. Part diary, part lists, part essays on things around her, the Pillow Book pretty much defies classification.

One of the most intriguing things about the Pillow Book is the glimpse into tenth-century Japan that it gives. Shonagon's stories are about little things like flutes, disobedient dogs, clothes, and the Empress's ladies betting on how long it would take a giant mound of snow to melt (no, I'm not kidding). It makes the past seem a little less distant. And the people in it seem more like people and less like historical paper dolls. An example is the Empress chatting as her hair is being done one morning.

It's pretty obvious that Shonagon was a bright and witty woman, although she could be quite a snob. However, her appreciation for simple pleasures will probably win over readers. Her charming love of beauty is often enchanting; she often lists things that she finds pleasing, such as moons, summer nights, flowers and willow trees.

She also listed her pet peeves (such as parents worshiping a very unappealing child -- something that made me chuckle), things she found depressing or annoying. A stickler for form and ettiquette, she had very precise ideas about how things should be done (right down to how lovers should act).

"The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon" is beautifully-written and highly entertaining. You don't have to be well-versed in this sort of literature to appreciate this unique memoir by a unique woman.

Rating:
Summary: An enchanting, intimate look inside Heian Japan
Review: Sei Shonagon, a court lady in tenth-century Japan, has left us an intimate, intriguing look at life inside the Heian court as well as a chronicle of her daily life. As an aristocrat, she had strong notions of what constituted good manners and good taste. At times she comes off as an insufferable snob, but her writing is redeemed by her lively sense of humor, her sharp perceptions and her wry intelligence that helped her to not take herself too seriously. In an era of almost total male dominance, Shonagon's intelligence and wit was the equal of any man's, and her attitude toward men was competitive almost to in-your-face hostility; she was nobody's doormat. She met men on her own terms and gave as good as she got. On the other hand, her reverence for the royal family was so profound as to seem ludicrous; one has the sense she was ready to kiss the ground they walked on. "The Pillow Book" is a compendium of autobiography, ideas, observations, lists (some of the most enchanting sections of the book are in her lists such as "rare things", "elegant things" and "unsuitable things"), written in a style characterized by its crystalline simplicity. Ivan Morris's excellent translation does full justice to this wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: An enchanting, intimate look inside Heian Japan
Review: Sei Shonagon, a court lady in tenth-century Japan, has left us an intimate, intriguing look at life inside the Heian court as well as a chronicle of her daily life. As an aristocrat, she had strong notions of what constituted good manners and good taste. At times she comes off as an insufferable snob, but her writing is redeemed by her lively sense of humor, her sharp perceptions and her wry intelligence that helped her to not take herself too seriously. In an era of almost total male dominance, Shonagon's intelligence and wit was the equal of any man's, and her attitude toward men was competitive almost to in-your-face hostility; she was nobody's doormat. She met men on her own terms and gave as good as she got. On the other hand, her reverence for the royal family was so profound as to seem ludicrous; one has the sense she was ready to kiss the ground they walked on. "The Pillow Book" is a compendium of autobiography, ideas, observations, lists (some of the most enchanting sections of the book are in her lists such as "rare things", "elegant things" and "unsuitable things"), written in a style characterized by its crystalline simplicity. Ivan Morris's excellent translation does full justice to this wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: Best of the heian journals
Review: The entire book aside, one reason I enjoyed this more then The confessions of Lady nijo was for the fact that this book has no references to the tale of genji, which is considerably nice if you havn't read it. With the book itself and sei shonagons writing style, i myself did not find it hard to follow so long as i checked in with the notes in the back to read the follow up information on certain sentences. Just know that this is not a conventional diary, it describes things (spending copious amounts of time on clothes) in detail, describes relationships, buddhism and those are in the more narrative style, the other part she records her poems and lists of things she likes or dislikes (certain type of blossoms for example). Sometimes this can be disjointed, but its not really confusing. One thing that is enjoyable about Sei shonagon is her optimism during the time. Unlike the author of the gossamer years, Shonagon is not clinically depressed and never really shows great bouts of depression or crying as do some other authors of the time. During this particular time the empress was not doing that well politically and should be a cause of worry, but like the other heian women, they rarely if ever mentioned the world of politics.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful - but hard to follow
Review: The thought of reading classical Japanese literature genuinely intrigued me. The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon - a journal of sorts really - is a collection of thoughts, impressions, lists and daily events of her life as a courtesan in the Imperial Palace. The language is beautiful and haunting - Sei Shonagon's writings were both wholly alien and disturbingly familiar to a western man in the 21st century. For example, her musing about the seasons or her feelings about the quiet hours before dawn were as vivid as they were touching. Yet more than once while reading her pillow book, I couldn't help but think of her as a privlidged, effette snob. This attitude is understandable given her literacy and place in feudal Japanese society, but it rubbed me the wrong way nonetheless.

The greatest challenge of reading this book though, was its non-sequential organization. One minute you would be reading about how an Imperial advisor came to call, the next entry would be an essay on "Why Gentlemen Should Always Have Escorts" followed by a list of"Things I like about the Sakura festival". There was no rhyme or reason to the entries, making it difficult to read more than a few pages in a sitting.

I suppose one could read this book as a history - Sei Shonagon certainly gives an amazing glimpse into what court life was like in 11th century Japan. But it is best as literature. In the final analysis, Sei Shonagon's thoughts and observations are simply beautiful to read.

Rating:
Summary: Captivating
Review: This book was an absolutely riveting read. To think that I'm reading the diary of a woman who lived over 1000 years ago. You'd wonder if she had thoughts of her writing being read so long after her death.

Sei Shonagon writes so, so beautifully. She has a sensitive and profound touch, and her descriptions are so elegant that you can almost feel what she is describing.

The rare insight this book offers is incredible, and is a must for most every library. You will certainly not regret making this purchase. It is a small price to own a piece of history.

Rating:
Summary: Completely Absorbing
Review: This is a splendid collection of sparkling journal entries, delightful lists, witty sketches of characters, eloquent descriptions of nature and pilgrimages to various places, vivid recollections of verbal exchanges...from Heian Japan! Aside from the historical significance, Sei Shonagon has the rare ability to transport the reader through time and space and maintain our interest!

She does not censor herself - "Masahiro Really Is a Laughing-Stock" and "Embarassing Things" had me chuckling. But her prose also has a magnificent luminosity: from "Flowering Trees":

"How graceful is the wistaria as its branches bend down covered with whorls of delicately coloured petals."

But she does have her opinions and most assuredly does not keep them to herself! Further (from "Flowering Trees"):

"The blossom of the pear tree is the most prosaic, vulgar thing in the world."

I don't know about that but I do know not to let Sei Shonagon pass you by!