Journey through the Beautiful Writings of the East---Makura no Soshi

Author: Sei Shonagon of Japan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: There are two women who played a crucial role in shaping the senses and souls of the Japanese. One is Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote The Tale of Genji, and the other is Sei Shonagon, whose The Pillow Book has been passed down through the ages. Especially Sei Shonagon, she brought the gentleness of life and an almost obsessive sensitivity into Japanese culture. The Pillow Book is the only work in Japanese literature that possesses an analytical spirit, marking the beginning of aesthetic analysis and revealing Sei Shonagon's unique insight. The renowned British director Peter Greenaway particularly admired the brief yet engaging "erotic adventures" in the book, calling it "a sci-fi novel of paradise." Peter Greenaway directed the experimental film The Pillow Book, which was inspired by The Pillow Book. Literary critic Li Jingze said of The Pillow Book—"The writing is truly exquisite, with a simple, clear, and charming beauty. In her eyes, court life is just like everyday life; she always remembers the subtle textures of the days, rather than the 'big events' like political upheavals and the rise and fall of fate. She notices a flower, an expression, the color of clothing, or the nightingales' songs in the deep night. She calls this 'interesting,' and this obsession with the subtle 'meaning' is what Kawabata Yasunari called 'the beauty of Japan.'" Just flipping through it can pass the long night. Reading it section by section, one often thinks, '.'"