The Pillow Book

By: Sei Shōnagon

Narrated by: Georgina Sutton

The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon is a fascinating, detailed account of Japanese court life in the closing years of the 10th century. Written by a lady of the court at the height of Heian culture, this book enthrals with its lively gossip, witty observations and subtle impressions.

Lady Shōnagon was an erstwhile rival of Lady Murasaki, whose novel, The Tale of Genji, fictionalized the elite world Lady Shōnagon so eloquently relates. Featuring reflections on royal and religious ceremonies, nature, conversation, poetry and many other subjects, The Pillow Book is an intimate look at the experiences and outlook of the Heian upper class.

Sei Shōnagon, born around 965, was lady-in-waiting to Empress Sadako and between the early 990s and 1002, she kept these ‘personal notes’, recording what she saw and encountered with wit, accuracy and intelligence. There is immense variety here. There are more than 320 entries, each with its own heading: ‘Birds’, Trees’, ‘When His Excellency The Chancellor Had Departed’, ‘Unreliable Things’.... Some entries are very brief, no more than ‘asides’, and there are even concise lists. Some reflect the sensitive Japanese response to nature or patterned silk, and there are longer narratives of incidents involving prominent political figures. Her singular humour is often to the fore: ‘Masahiro really is a laughing stock. I wonder what it is like for his parents and friends.’

But there are also entries which reflect a considerate nature as shown in ‘One of Her Majesty’s Wet-Nurses’.

While Arthur Waley’s classic translation remains well-known it was abridged, and this Ukemi recording presents the translation by Ivan Morris, the first unabridged English version. It is fluent and lively, and reflects the sparkling character of Sei Shōnagon’s writing which, in the 21st century, belies its ancient origins and its academic standing as one of the great works of Japanese literature. This is perfectly captured by in Georgina Sutton’s reading.

©1979 Estate of Ivan Morris (P)2022 Ukemi Productions Ltd

Elegant and calming

Perfect to listen to at bedtime or the middle of the night. Beautiful images. One must make allowances for her station and time period, but overall it is exquisite.

When black teeth were pleasing…?

Perhaps because of the translation and narrator, this nearly thousand-year-old book of Japanese court life seems remarkably relevant for current times. That is, until now & again something like whacking with brooms for fun or smooth, black teeth are casually referenced as appealing…I had to pause & look that tradition up (ohaguro it’s called). Then, the reader is instantly transported to a very different era of time and culture. This intermingling of timelessness and historically revealing tidbits, make Shonagon’s The Pillow Book a delectable treasure!

Good writing, poor quality audio

The writing and story itself was fine. An interesting window into ancient Japanese court life. However the audio was poorly edited. The narrative did an admirable job, but had an English accent. A Japanese narrator would have been more appropriate.

The Elegant Japanese Middle Ages

An intriguing book. Good reading. An extremely hierarchical culture I wouldn’t have wanted to live in but am glad to know about.

Delicious

I really enjoyed this memoir- it was special to get such an intimate look into medieval Japanese court society. A must read for anyone passionate about history, politics, human social dynamics, art, or nature. The reader did an excellent job- her performance conveyed the wit, archness and more than a bit of snobbishness that characterizes Sei Shonagon. I liked that this is read by a British woman with a rather posh accent (at least to my American ears) because I wouldn’t be able to know what a posh Japanese accent sounded like but I was able to have an understanding of what kind of a woman Sei Shonagon must have been via the cross-cultural associations provided by an aristocratic sounding British accent. Sei Shonagon was a true aesthete, and a genius in human behavior and emotion. Yes, she can be snobbish (she’s so cruel to poor people- probably a product of her upbringing and classist culture) and sometimes very self-satisfied- but she also knows she’s an intelligent woman and makes no attempt to hide or apologize for that. Her descriptions of nature in particular were painterly and moving. My main familiarity with Japanese art is Japanese woodblock prints of nature or people- and listening to this book was like getting to step into one of those prints.

It's got moments it's very good and others when

Well, it sure does show their life in a very different perspective. Sometimes I loved it others not. I think it's a bit hard for us to relate to. I'm glad I got it because I've read other Chinese and Japanese court stories and this is very different. It's almost a book of poetry. The women must have been very quick and poetic to keep it going in their times.

I don't think I would have liked their lives ;) It's been interesting though and a novel read/listen to

Engaging perspective

Shifting my typical perspective to a historical Japanese timeframe was incredibly fun and rewarding. Not only did I get to engage in a non western approach to art and life, but the writer’s commentary and viewpoints are incredibly witty and relatable in today’s context. Her lists feel like something I would read from witty Twitter/X user

Beautiful

I recommend this classic

More poetic than expected

Beautiful memoir and observations from over a thousand years ago.

Astounding book, astounding reading

One of the great classics of pre-modern world lit. This is not a story, or a diary, or an essay, but a book of reminiscences and listicles. It's amazing. Georgina Sutton's reading makes Shonagon sound a brilliant, literate, snobby English aristocrat and, in tandem with Ivan Morris's translation, it works better than you could possibly imagine. Note that this is the *complete* translation, published originally in hardcover by Oxford and Columbia, and *not* the abridged translation that Columbia and Penguin subsequently brought out in paperback. It does not include Morris's notes. Still, since the hardcover is out of print this recording is the only way to get the complete Morris translation for less than $100. Only complaint is that the sound quality subpar even though the recording seems to be fairly recent. Still, congrats to Ukemi for giving this book an unabridged, high quality reading. It is astounding how little early Japanese literature is available on Audible (or elsewhere)—while there is one unabridged Tale of Genji, it's probably the least well-regarded modern translation (Penguin sits on a lot of good stuff). So this is especially good to have.

Superb narration

The book is fascinating as it is, but the narration adds extra magic to it. A highly enjoyable listening