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mitskacir's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really incredible read: Firstly, the book is 1000 years old. It is incredible to read a text this old, but even more amazingly to feel such a strong kinship with the characters. Shonagon's observations and commentary often feel like they are from the 21st century, and I think she would be well suited to be a modern Twitter satirist... She is judgmental, petty, observant, witty, sympathetic, and wise, and has many of the same dislikes and desires that I have felt myself. The attitudes about male and female respectability and beauty, sexual/romantic/platonic relationships, and class in the Heian era were very different than what I expected going in to the book (I guess I was expecting more or less what I've read in old western texts, were are rather conservative in comparison). Secondly, I really appreciated the footnotes that the editor provides. His commentary ranges from historical fact, to humorous quips, to personal judgements of Shonagon's behavior, and I found them all quite insightful and necessary - this book would be incredibly opaque without his contextualization. Despite Shonagon's relatability in her feelings, many of them would have been lost on me because they are deeply rooted in Heian tradition and other cultural customs that I am completely unfamiliar with. Thirdly, the "pillow book" format is such an intimate and unique style of writing. It was amazing to be able to truly get inside the mind of this woman from so long ago. I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to put in the effort to read the footnotes, because I think the pay off is great.
skelkelbel's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
slow-paced
3.75
kseniia_xenia's review against another edition
5.0
Sei Shonagon could NOT go one chapter without mentioning at least once how beautiful the Empress is and how much she is in love with her
grayjay's review against another edition
2.0
Having enjoyed The Tale of Genji, I thought I'd tackle it's twin classic, The Pillow Book, as well. Unfortunately, I didn't do any translation research before I ordered a copy, and I ended up with Arthur Waley.
Waley, having translated The Tale of Genji (not the one I read), created interest in Japanese translations and decided to extend his success by translating The Pillow Book.
I was disappointed to learn that he deemed only a quarter of it worthy of translating. The rest he found either too dull to bother with or too complicated to explain to his readers. His version contains nearly as much commentary as actual translation and is full of evaluative editorializing like, "Shonagon's reply...contains puns and ineguities, which it would be tedious to explain."
It is hard for me to assess my enjoyment of Shonagon's actual writing so I'll save that for an opportunity to read a better translation.
Waley, having translated The Tale of Genji (not the one I read), created interest in Japanese translations and decided to extend his success by translating The Pillow Book.
I was disappointed to learn that he deemed only a quarter of it worthy of translating. The rest he found either too dull to bother with or too complicated to explain to his readers. His version contains nearly as much commentary as actual translation and is full of evaluative editorializing like, "Shonagon's reply...contains puns and ineguities, which it would be tedious to explain."
It is hard for me to assess my enjoyment of Shonagon's actual writing so I'll save that for an opportunity to read a better translation.
casparb's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
When we read texts older than about half a century, I tend to find that it's the details, the human details that work best. Hector's bathtub in the Iliad, Launcelot's 'clattering' in Le Morte D'Arthur, Bashō's poetry and the geographies in Phaedrus speak to this. Sei Shōnagon's Pillow Book is composed perhaps entirely of such details. It's entirely beautiful. The zuihitsu genre impresses me deeply as a conversation between poetry and prose, and I do wish to see more engagement with it in the West - Oli Hazzard's new book aims to do exactly that (I am informed).
The book opens with the pinkness of a sunset from a millennium ago. Details - temporality everywhere.
[257] "Things that give you pleasure -
-It's very pleasing when someone you don't know well mentions an old poem or story that you haven't heard of, and then it comes up again in conversation with someone else. If you come across it later in something you're reading, there's the delightful moment when you cry, 'Oh, is that where it comes from!', and you enjoy recalling the person's mention of it.
-Then there's the pleasing moment when you've heard that someone who matters a lot to you and who's far from you - perhaps in some distant place, or even simply elsewhere in the capital - has been taken ill, and you're worrying and wringing your hands over the uncertainty, when news arrives that the illness has taken a turn for the better.
-Someone you love is praised by others"
She's a spectacular writer and poet. O translation.
When we read texts older than about half a century, I tend to find that it's the details, the human details that work best. Hector's bathtub in the Iliad, Launcelot's 'clattering' in Le Morte D'Arthur, Bashō's poetry and the geographies in Phaedrus speak to this. Sei Shōnagon's Pillow Book is composed perhaps entirely of such details. It's entirely beautiful. The zuihitsu genre impresses me deeply as a conversation between poetry and prose, and I do wish to see more engagement with it in the West - Oli Hazzard's new book aims to do exactly that (I am informed).
The book opens with the pinkness of a sunset from a millennium ago. Details - temporality everywhere.
[257] "Things that give you pleasure -
-It's very pleasing when someone you don't know well mentions an old poem or story that you haven't heard of, and then it comes up again in conversation with someone else. If you come across it later in something you're reading, there's the delightful moment when you cry, 'Oh, is that where it comes from!', and you enjoy recalling the person's mention of it.
-Then there's the pleasing moment when you've heard that someone who matters a lot to you and who's far from you - perhaps in some distant place, or even simply elsewhere in the capital - has been taken ill, and you're worrying and wringing your hands over the uncertainty, when news arrives that the illness has taken a turn for the better.
-Someone you love is praised by others"
She's a spectacular writer and poet. O translation.
kotohira's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
5.0
Hilarious. Good introduction to Heian culture. But above all just really funny. Also heartbreaking at times. This book certainly has range.