The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon [Mass Market Paperback]

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... A mine of information... [Morris's] translation maintains a high quality throughout. 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. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland Gives all sorts of insights into the court life of the times, and into the worldly character and mentality of its author. It comes over extraordinarily well in this translation, and can rank with any other collection of court memoirs the world over. Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies The liveliest and most endearing of Heian writers, and the one who gives the most intimate and vivid picture of life at court... Its denizens emerge as real and never-to-be-forgotten people... One can be but grateful to Professor Morris that the whole spectacle is now presented to the world... [his] translation is admirable for its smoothness and readability. Professor Morris belongs to the literary rather than the literal school of translators, and his talents are here shown at their best. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon', an informal diary of the reminiscences of a lady-in-waiting at the court of a Heian Empress.

Ivan Morris (1925-1976) was considered the most versatile Japanese translator of his generation and wrote widely on modern and ancient Japan. He taught at Columbia University and was chair of its Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures. His books include translations of As I Crossed a Bridge of Dreams, The Journey, Life of an Amorous Woman, and The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, as well as several historical studies, including The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan, The World of the Shining Prince: Court Life in Ancient Japan, and Nationalism and the Right Wing in Japan: A Study of Postwar Trends. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.