The title of the work is probably not the original one, and The Pillow Book was perhaps selected by a later scribe copying the manuscript inspired by the work's epilogue: It is conceivable that Genji was a response to Shonagon's work given the rivalry between the two royal courts when, unusually, there were two reigning empresses.Īs a matter of fact, I wrote down, in a spirit of fun and without help from anyone else, whatever happened to suggest itself to me. Still, Shikibu was not above borrowing images and scenes from The Pillow Book for her own work. Shikibu was scathing of Shonagon's literary skills in her own diary: 'She thought herself so clever, and littered her writings with Chinese characters, but if you examined them closely, they left a great deal to be desired' (Ebrey, 199). One of Shonagon's literary rivals and lady at the second imperial court, that of Shoshi (Akiko), was Murasaki Shikibu, authoress of the classic Tale of Genji. As a result I tried to avoid appearing before the Empress except at night, and even then I stayed hidden behind a three-foot curtain of state. has given us for the first time in full a delightful and fascinating book which is also a work of notable scholarship.When I first went into waiting at Her Majesty's Court, so many different things embarrassed me that I could not even reckon them up and I was always on the verge of tears. he sees through all the painted paper screens.

Morris belongs to the literary rather than the literal school of translators, and his talents are shown here at their best. Its denizens emerge as real and never-to-be-forgotten people. The liveliest and most endearing of Heian writers, and the one who gives the most intimate and vivid picture of life at court. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies It comes over extraordinarily well in this translation, and can rank with any other collection of court memoirs the world over. Gives all sorts of insights into the court life of the times, and into the worldly character and mentality of its author. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Journal of Asian Studies The Pillow Book is one of the three most important works of its kind in Japanese literature, and Professor Morris has given it handsome treatment.

translation maintains a high quality throughout. The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon has not only amply filled the long-felt need for a full English translation, but has also made a contribution to Heian studies.

The pillow book shonagon