Written by a member of the court in Heien-kyo (present-day Kyoto) about 990-1000 AD. Sei Shonagon is more of a title than it is her actual name. She was a "lady-in-waiting" to Empress Sadako who was a member of the Fujiwara clan.

The book consists of her observations of court life, descriptions of nature, and many lists of things - embarrassing things, depressing things, elegant things, things worth seeing, etc. Sometimes she is peevish and petty. And she doesn't hide her scorn for the lower classes. But she writes wonderful descriptions of court life, of the clothing they wore, their carriages, even the traffic jams in Kyoto.

One of her pleasing things - "finding a large number of tales that one has not read before. Or acquiring the second volume of a tale whose first volume one has enjoyed." ( )

Reading a book written over a thousand years ago always has its challenges and its rewards. This isn't the first time I've tackled some Heian Japan literature, having read some of Genji before, along with a number of poetry compilations for classes. Still, this was one that had never really showed up in anything I'd tried reading before, and I'd always held that to be due to its reputation as being relatively frivolous. This one's also a classic, though, and it seemed like rather a hole to have in my knowledge.

The book is rather a diary of events and lists compiled by Sei Shonagon during her stay in the court of Empress Teishi, at the end of the tenth century. The lists can be amusing when they're not just place names, as they prove a good point for both displaying Sei's wit and also the timelessness of some of her entries. When it comes to things that are pleasant or things that look stiflingly hot or such, some things have changed over the centuries and some haven't, and that makes for an interesting read. And much of the sense of her personality, a bit vain, a bit prickly, but warm and challenging all the same, comes through here, too.

The parts that shine the most to me are the little anecdotes about court life, her interactions with the other court ladies, the Emperor and Empress, the appointed court nobles, and the like. These are tales of little day to day events, along with trips to temples and festivals and the like, and they give you a real sense for what life was like then. Sei has a very good eye for details, particularly in fashion, and has a good memory for the poetry and dialogue.

I think to really appreciate the book does require the background reading; I had the McKinney translation, which I found quite good, and the historical and biographical information at the beginning really put the text in perspective. Much of the time in court, Sei was writing after her particular lady's star had begun to fall, and you only get a sense of it in the narrative in a few places, but if you hold it in mind as you read it, you definitely get a different view on the story.

All in all, I found this enjoyable, if a bit tedious at the points you have to read through several lists in a row. It's a good window on a different time, and not nearly so frivolous as I'd been led to believe. If you're interested in the time period, give it a shot. ( )

A lovely book full of detail about Heian Japan. I do get the persisent feeling, however, of reading an ancient form of a livejournal. I swear if Sei Shonagon lived on my campus, she'd be catting about the sorority girls with their sweatpants tucked into their Uggs.

I think the interpretation of Shonagon as a bit full of herself, which is the impression I get from the various interpreters, leaves out the sad aura of vulnerability I got from the Pillow Book.

Obviously a must read for anyone interested in the literature of the era, or the history of women's writing in general. ( )

Very fun way to get to know Heian Japanese culture if you don't already.

If you do, then Shōnagon is opinionated and contrary enough that she can really make the world come alive. Her opinions don't always match up to the popular ones at the time, and it's neat to start to recognize when that happens without referring to the endnotes.

The Ivan Morris translation is fully half appendices and notes, which really help in understanding what's going on and what everything means, but they're also skippable if you're not into doing a real deep reading. I only flipped to the end notes about a third of the time, but I was usually happy with what I learned that way.

I also enjoy this translation more than the parts of a different one I read a few years back. I felt the other one over-Westernized it, which is dangerous when much of this writing, not to mention the lifestyle, is based on subtlety and wordplay.

Anyway, recommended if you've got any interest in this period of history. ( )

This is the version of Sei Shonagon I reread most often; the complete too volume is a bit unwieldly, and the Waley selections are only a little taste, but this is usually enough to satisfy me. As I said in my review of Waley, I think Shonagon at her best gives the most vivid picture of Heian Japan, superior even to the Genji. ( )