The Pillow Book (Penguin Classics)
by Sei Shonagon
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Book Summary Information
Author: Sei ShonagonBrand: Shonagon, Sei/ McKinney, Meredith (TRN)
Translator: Meredith McKinney
Introduction: Meredith McKinney
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-10-30
ISBN: 0140448063
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Product features:
- home goods
Book Reviews of The Pillow Book (Penguin Classics)
Book Review: The best translation available
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a wonderful translation of the book that used to be described as "the original blog" and is now probably described as "the original Twitter account." There's some truth to both of those descriptions, but it's so much more than that--poignant, touching, and vexing. It has an astonishing power to make you suddenly feel exactly the same as a noblewoman who's been dead for about a thousand years and lived in a world almost unimaginably different from ours.
Comparing Arthur Waley's loose and overly elaborated reinterpretation, Ivan Morris' too-edited and sometimes overly academic translation, and this translation, this one is my favorite by far. McKinney has impeccable academic/linguistic credentials, and was more scrupulous in compiling her source material (not leaving things out as I recall that Morris did--readers can skip whatever isn't interesting to them, which I think is far preferable). In addition, she also writes well in English, so it's generally a pleasure to read--it's translated well without being overly flowery. McKinney's notes are very detailed and explain almost everything that might confuse a modern and/or non-Japanese reader (almost to a ridiculous extent--occasionally it's not quite worth turning to the note!). This version is enjoyable for both readers who are new to the book and enthusiasts or academics who have encountered it before.
Summary of The Pillow Book (Penguin Classics)
The classic portrayal of court life in tenth-century Japan
Written by the court gentlewoman Sei Shonagon, ostensibly for her own amusement, The Pillow Book offers a fascinating exploration of life among the nobility at the height of the Heian period, describing the exquisite pleasures of a confined world in which poetry, love, fashion, and whim dominated, while harsh reality was kept firmly at a distance. Moving elegantly across a wide range of themes including nature, society, and her own flirtations, Sei Shonagon provides a witty and intimate window on a woman's life at court in classical Japan.
Written by the court gentlewoman Sei Shonagon, ostensibly for her own amusement, The Pillow Book offers a fascinating exploration of life among the nobility at the height of the Heian period, describing the exquisite pleasures of a confined world in which poetry, love, fashion, and whim dominated, while harsh reality was kept firmly at a distance. Moving elegantly across a wide range of themes including nature, society, and her own flirtations, Sei Shonagon provides a witty and intimate window on a woman's life at court in classical Japan.
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