The classic portrayal of court life in tenth-century Japan
Written by the cour
t gentlewoman Sei Shonagon, ostensibly for her own amusement, "The Pillow Book"
offers a fascinating exploration of life among the nobility at the height of the
Heian period, describing the exquisite pleasures of a confined world in which p
oetry, love, fashion, and whim dominated, while harsh reality was kept firmly at
a distance. Moving elegantly across a wide range of themes including nature, so
ciety, and her own flirtations, Sei Shonagon provides a witty and intimate windo
w on a woman's life at court in classical Japan.
