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elisala's review against another edition
3.0
J'ai un avis partagé sur ce livre surprenant: d'un côté, j'adore le principe du recueil de pensées, de préférences, de choses qu'on aime, qu'on déteste (j'aurais bien envie moi-même d'ouvrir un recueil équivalent, pas pour devenir un classique de la littérature, juste pour le plaisir) ; d'un autre côté, ça reste très très très obscur et en grande partie incompréhensible: non seulement ça vient du Japon, ce qui induit déjà un décalage culturel certain, mais surtout ça vient du Japon du XIème siècle! autant vous dire que les références culturelles, les coutumes, la structure de la société et les rapports entre les différents niveaux de cette société, qui semblent avoir une place prépondérante dans la vie de tous les jours, me passent complètement au-dessus de la tête. Du coup on perd pas mal du sel de l'histoire. Egalement, des jeux de mots, des poèmes, reposant sur les idéogrammes japonais passent relativement mal à la traduction (forcément). Alors, certes, les références culturelles et/ou linguistiques sont expliquées en notes, toutes reportées en fin de livre. Mais il faut le savoir, je déteste les notes de fin de livre, d'autant plus qu'il y en a au moins une par page, ça hache la lecture de manière insupportable.
En plus il y a un vieux fond intolérant envers la pauvreté, la laideur, et beaucoup d'envie et de jalousie qui traînent ici ou là: certes, c'est poétique, mais question grandeur d'âme, il faudra repasser... (encore une fois, c'est certainement culturel, ou c'est la traduction, mais ça n'ajoute pas au plaisir de lire)
Donc, pour résumer, j'aime l'idée et le rythme souvent envoûtant de ces notes de chevet, mais je crois que pour l'apprécier pleinement il faut être japonais ou spécialiste de la culture japonaise du XIème siècle (voire les deux).
En plus il y a un vieux fond intolérant envers la pauvreté, la laideur, et beaucoup d'envie et de jalousie qui traînent ici ou là: certes, c'est poétique, mais question grandeur d'âme, il faudra repasser... (encore une fois, c'est certainement culturel, ou c'est la traduction, mais ça n'ajoute pas au plaisir de lire)
Donc, pour résumer, j'aime l'idée et le rythme souvent envoûtant de ces notes de chevet, mais je crois que pour l'apprécier pleinement il faut être japonais ou spécialiste de la culture japonaise du XIème siècle (voire les deux).
sunflowers_sunsets's review against another edition
4.0
In spring, the dawn- when the slowly paling mountain rim is tinged with red, and wisps of faintly crimson-purple cloud float in the sky.
In summer, the night- moonlit nights of course, but also at the dark of the moon, it’s beautiful when fireflies are dancing everywhere in a mazy flight. And it’s delightful too to see just one or two fly through the darkness, glowing softly. Rain falling on a summer night is also lovely.
In autumn, the evening- the blazing sun has sunk very close to the mountain rim, and now even the crows in threes and fours or twos and threes, hurrying to their roost, are a moving sight. Still more enchanting is the sight of a string of wild geese in the distant sky, very tiny. And oh how inexpressible, when the sun has sunk, to hear in the growing darkness the wind, and the song of autumn insects.
In winter, the early morning- if snow is falling, of course, it’s unutterably delightful, but it’s perfect too there’s a pure white frost, or even just when it’s very cold, and they hasten to build up the fires in the braziers and carry in fresh charcoal. But it’s unpleasant, as the day draws on and the air grows warmer, how the brazier fire dies down to white ash.
Let’s just put it like this- there are some real gems in this book.
maddyclair's review against another edition
2.0
I read the Arthur Waley translation of this book and I will forever take it as a lesson on the importance of the translator when it comes to reading and enjoying translated books.
Waley’s translation of Shonagon’s work only covers about 1/4 of the original text. He claims he left out the bits that were ‘dull, unintelligible and repetitive, or that required too much explanation’. Furthermore, he reordered many of the sections of the book to make them more palatable for his western audience in the 1920’s and separated sections with pages of his own notes explaining (but also kind of mocking?!) Shonagon’s cultural context. It was so frustrating to read an insightful translated section of the original work only for it to be followed by weird snide remarks about Heian Japan.
My favorite parts of this book were the bits directly translated from Shonagon’s original text and for that reason I’m giving it two stars. I can’t wait to get my hands on a complete translation with less intrusion from the translator so I can read the book closer to how it was intended to be read.
Waley’s translation of Shonagon’s work only covers about 1/4 of the original text. He claims he left out the bits that were ‘dull, unintelligible and repetitive, or that required too much explanation’. Furthermore, he reordered many of the sections of the book to make them more palatable for his western audience in the 1920’s and separated sections with pages of his own notes explaining (but also kind of mocking?!) Shonagon’s cultural context. It was so frustrating to read an insightful translated section of the original work only for it to be followed by weird snide remarks about Heian Japan.
My favorite parts of this book were the bits directly translated from Shonagon’s original text and for that reason I’m giving it two stars. I can’t wait to get my hands on a complete translation with less intrusion from the translator so I can read the book closer to how it was intended to be read.
lee_noel's review against another edition
4.0
While a bit tedious at times from a casual reader's perspective, this book is clearly vital to support understandings of court life in Japan over a thousand years ago.
lilaceous's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
3.0
purpose/intention - ⭐️
cohesion of the entries - ⭐️
engaging overall - .5⭐️
would recommend - .5⭐️
would read again -
the drama!!! this journal is interesting and beautiful, but also pretentious and petty. during especially elitist and classist passages i had to remind myself that it was written over a thousand years ago and can still be appreciated as a piece of history.
it was fun to become so familiar with a writer who lived in a completely different world from the one i live in, and to realize that her world is surprisingly less different than i expected.
the drama!!! this journal is interesting and beautiful, but also pretentious and petty. during especially elitist and classist passages i had to remind myself that it was written over a thousand years ago and can still be appreciated as a piece of history.
it was fun to become so familiar with a writer who lived in a completely different world from the one i live in, and to realize that her world is surprisingly less different than i expected.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty
mjessie's review against another edition
5.0
I want to hang out with Shōnagon, but she'd probably find me vapid. "To be inquisitive about the most trivial matters and to resent and abuse people for not telling one, or, if one does manage to worm out some facts, to inform everyone in the most detailed fashion as if one had known all from the beginning–oh, how hateful!" Yeah, she definitely wouldn't like me.
supdankosmos's review against another edition
3.0
THINGS THAT MAKE ONE HAPPY
Getting hold of a lot of stories none of which one has read before.
Or finding Vol.2 of a story one is in a great state of excitement about, but was previously only able to secure the first volume. However, one is often disappointed.
To pick up a letter that someone has torn up and thrown away, and find that one can fit the pieces together well enough to make sense.
When one has had a very upsetting dream and is sure it means that something disagreeable is going to happen, it is delightful to be told by the interpreter that it does not signify anything in particular.
Getting hold of a lot of stories none of which one has read before.
Or finding Vol.2 of a story one is in a great state of excitement about, but was previously only able to secure the first volume. However, one is often disappointed.
To pick up a letter that someone has torn up and thrown away, and find that one can fit the pieces together well enough to make sense.
When one has had a very upsetting dream and is sure it means that something disagreeable is going to happen, it is delightful to be told by the interpreter that it does not signify anything in particular.
jonanas's review against another edition
funny
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Good book, very interesting to learn more about how life at court worked and her writing is good!
Just don't read the dover publication version, the misogyny of the translator is quite obvious in his comment.
Just don't read the dover publication version, the misogyny of the translator is quite obvious in his comment.
_pickle_'s review against another edition
I tried, I really did but couldn't get very far with this.