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A review by sarah_dietrich
The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon by Sei Shōnagon
4.0
"In spring it is the dawn that is most beautiful. As the light creeps over the hills, their outlines are dyed a faint red and wisps of purplish clouds trail over them."
The quote above is the opening paragraph of Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book. It is a lovely example of Shonagon's writing & gives a great impression of the feeling of her book. The Pillow Book is a collection of short pieces, about a page long each. Some of them relate to each other, some stand alone. Some pieces are simply lists of things - e.g. list of trees, list of beautiful things, etc.. Other pieces tell us of Shonagon's life as a lady in waiting to the Empress. It appears that Shonagon wrote these pieces with no intention of them ever being read by anyone else, and they are wonderfully open and honest. I love how Shonagon shines through, flaws and all - she is intelligent and shallow, witty and cruel. Shonagon's life is so far removed from ours, but her human side makes her relatable.
The quote above is the opening paragraph of Sei Shonagon's The Pillow Book. It is a lovely example of Shonagon's writing & gives a great impression of the feeling of her book. The Pillow Book is a collection of short pieces, about a page long each. Some of them relate to each other, some stand alone. Some pieces are simply lists of things - e.g. list of trees, list of beautiful things, etc.. Other pieces tell us of Shonagon's life as a lady in waiting to the Empress. It appears that Shonagon wrote these pieces with no intention of them ever being read by anyone else, and they are wonderfully open and honest. I love how Shonagon shines through, flaws and all - she is intelligent and shallow, witty and cruel. Shonagon's life is so far removed from ours, but her human side makes her relatable.