Beautiful to behold and impossible to forget, the pillow book is auteur peter greenaways eroticallycharged drama about love, death, revenge and the indelible nature of our earliest memories. Women essential questions the author what we dont know about sei shonagon. Jul, 2008 the pillow book a film by peter greenaway, 1996. The work of shonagon consists of a collection of essays, lists, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages that have. The pillow book synonyms, the pillow book pronunciation, the pillow book translation, english dictionary definition of the pillow book. Sei shonagons pillow book is definitely work that bears rereading, whether you go from beginning to end or just pick entries at random. Sei shonagon author meredith mckinney translator meredith mckinney. Nagikos father was a calligrapher, and when she was a little girl he would write his birthday greetings on her face. Long flowering branches of beautifully coloured wistaria entwined about a pine tree.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. It was a joy to read sei shonagons pillow book in meredith mckinneys translation. David kavanagh has had a busy few years putting together this compilation speckled with comment and anecdote from its author, a journalist for whom the delights of the countryside consists in its being a million miles away from the madness of modern life. Wah, dong hua and feng jiu won the favourite couple poll by a landslide. She chooses jerome mcgregor, a bisexual, and he convinces nagiko to use him as her scroll. I see you posted this almost a year ago and assume that you made your choice. Jul, 2015 beautiful to behold and impossible to forget, the pillow book is auteur peter greenaways eroticallycharged drama about love, death, revenge and the indelible nature of our earliest memories. The pillow book, by sei shonagon various publishers. Sei shonagon was born in japan around the year 965 ce and served as a lady in waiting to empress sadako. Janet maslin, the new york times a seductive and elegant story that stands outside the ordinary roger ebert. Every now and then she provides a list of things, which are like tiny exhibitions organised by an unpredictable curator. It also provides excellent maps, glossaries, and notes. According to tang qis official weibo, she will finish writing the draft for the pillow book 2 today as a birthday gift to her editor.
The pillow book pat dowell f reports on director peter greenaways new movie,the pillow book, a film that explores the erotic possiblities of calligraphy. A medieval japanese poemtale that recreates the life of the famed poetpriest saigyo dates through his poetry. Aug 01, 2009 sei shonagon was born in japan around the year 965 ce and served as a lady in waiting to empress sadako. This is now the obvious edition for anyone wishing to read the text in its entirety and is the one i. The book is full of humorous observations okashi written in the style of a diary, an approach known as zuihitsustyle rambling of which the pillow book was the first and greatest example. Surely it has travelled quite as far as it must travel to reach us in the translated. Meredith mckinney is a translator of japanese literature, both contemporary and classical. If you chose meredith mckinney s penguin version you made the right choice.
The pillowbook of sei shonagon translated by ivan morris figure 1 sei shonagon viewing the snow, utagawa yoshitora, from the series calligraphy and pictures for the fiftythree stations of the tokaido, woodblock print, ink and color on paper, 1872. Introduction sei shonagons pillow book makura no soshi is the private journal of a ladyinwaiting to the empress of japan written during the 990s. Unlike the wistful and sometimes tragic mood of the tale of genji, however, the author of the pillow book expressed the feeling of. If you chose ivan morriss which means probably the paperback edition, which is abridged, well, you can still get the penguin version and go around again. The pillow book definition of the pillow book by the free. Feb 22, 2014 written by japans original blogger, a mistress of wry observation and scalding wit, sei shonagons the pillow book retains its fresh, authentic appeal more than 1,000 years after its.
Written by the court 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 poetry, love, fashion, and whim dominated, while harsh reality was kept firmly at a distance. The pillow book simple english wikipedia, the free. I really cant find the words to describe the book, just love it so much. The pillow book penguin, 2006 by sei shonagon translated by dr meredith mckinney is. Since these are also essential aspects of greenaways own work, the match is phenomenally apt. Meredith mckinney is a translator of japanese literature, both contemporary and.
You can set your address, phone number, email and site description in the settings tab. The pillow book pat dowell f reports on director peter greenaways new movie, the pillow book, a film that explores the erotic possiblities of calligraphy. The pillow book, by sei shonagon, translated and with introduction by meredith mckinney. Like much of his television work, the pillow book was created with digital japanese technology and involves layer upon layer of images interacting in various aspect ratios ranging from anamorphic 2. The pillow book, written about 1002, is a collection of impressions of court life by the court lady sei shonagon. As a young woman, she finds pleasure in continuing the practice with a succession of lovers, particularly a bisexual translator ewan mcgregor who becomes a pawn in an escalating game of revenge on the publisher who. The pillow book is an extreme example of a work that has lived past its time, and attained the deathless status that writers dream of as they labour over their page or screen, transmuting their moment into momenttranscending language. Temple illuminatus a social network with a spiritual focus.
While others may be more familiar with murasaki shikibus the tale of genji as an example of classic japanese literature of the time, i chose the pillow book instead i always lean towards bucking the trend and i was intrigued by what i had read of sei. Meredith mckinney award winning translator of classical. A woman with a body writing fetish seeks to find a combined lover and calligrapher. Shrugging off praise, shonagon admits, i am the sort of person who approves of. Nov 30, 2006 the pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating look at japanese court culture during the 11th century heian period 794 to 1186. As a member of the imperial court, she was known for her wit and poetry. Looking to recreate a childhood ritual in which her calligrapher father painted images on her skin, nagiko wu seeks out male lovers with a skillful hand. Peter greenaways eroticallycharged homage to the art of calligraphy follows a young woman who seeks pleasure with men who write on her, and. Aug 17, 2009 the newest translation of the pillow book is meredith mckinney s recent penguin, which uses an alternate base text to that chosen by morris and gives sei a more modern, colloquial voice. The pillow book is a book of observations and musings recorded by sei shonagon during her time as court lady to empress consort teishi during the 990s and early s in heian japan.
Sei shonagon, who may well have allowed herself such a dream from time to time as her brush moved over the page, despite the fact that what she was writing was. She likes everything that cries in the night, be it a bird or a cricket, but not babies. Today those notes read as if one of us had written them down also thanks to meredith mckinney s translation except for the strangeness of customs and the foreignness of living arrangements but this only adds to the adventure of reading the pillow book. The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating look at japanese court culture during the 11th century heian period 794 to 1186. The pillow book nude scenes naked pics and videos at mr. David kavanagh has had a busy few years putting together this compilation speckled with comment and anecdote from its author, a journalist for whom the delights of the countryside consists in its being a million miles away from the madness of. Shes then inspired to get some revenge on her fathers former publisher by seducing his male lover.
The pillow book finds the filmmaker at his most atypically seductive, creating a spellbinding web of cruel elegance and intricate gamesmanship, exploring the exotic, haunting beauty of the bizarre. Mar 19, 2017 wah, dong hua and feng jiu won the favourite couple poll by a landslide. According to meredith mckinney in the kyoto journal article, who contributed to the translation of the pillow book from japanese into english, the pillow book is a special case, and it is a genrebending miscellany of short, largely unrelated pieces. The pillow book was written by a lady of the japanese court, sei shonagon, at the. In her pillow book, she gives an account of the things she saw and her feelings. She lived in japan for twenty years and currently lives in braidwood, new south wales. Her name her birthdeath date her relationships husbandchildren her life after the court what we know about sei shonagon. Its opening section, which begins haru wa akebono, or spring, dawn, is arguably the single most famous passage in japanese literature. Too bad that calligraphy is an ancient art mostly practiced by ancient men. A contemporary of murasaki shikibu, who wrote the tale of genji, sei shonagon reflects the same concern with style and taste typical of the period. According to meredith mckinney in the kyoto journal article, who contributed to the translation of the pillow book from japanese into english, the pillow book. The pillowbook of sei shonagon translated by ivan morris.
The pillow book greenaway has never hesitated to make his films richly complex, and has always assumed in his audience a knowledge of, and interest in, the world of arts and letters. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. As great, possibly most likely even greater than the 1st part, for here we get to see even more of donghuas shamelessness and also jealousy and fengjius remarkable spirit. Make a list of things that you would like to make lists of. Buy the pillow book penguin classics translation by sei shonagon, meredith mckinney isbn. Join facebook to connect with bill pillow and others you may know. As she grows up, obsessed with books, papers, and writing on bodies, nagiko begins a sexual odyssey. Her mother would read aloud from a 1,000yearold manuscript, italics the pillow book of sei shonagon, unital which dealt among other things with the arts of love. It is one of two of the greatest examples of prose literature of this time period. Each year on her birthday, nagiko vivian wu would became her fathers canvas, as he painted the creation myth in elaborate, elegant calligraphy on her. Meredith mckinney, an expert in japanese literature and translator of this. A darkly comic novel in the hardboiled decadence tradition by one of its.
Watch the pillow book online vimeo on demand on vimeo. Thus, you are rewarded with a special on the most loved couple. The pillow book, by sei shonagon, translated and with introduction by meredith. The pillow book is an extreme example of a work that has lived past its time, and attained. It rejects convention and asks the viewer to forget traditions and entrenched assumptions. Oct 30, 2007 the pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating look at japanese court culture during the 11th century heian period 794 to 1186. Because children invest their birthdays with enormous importance, its no wonder that when nagiko grows up she. As a young girl, nagiko vivan wu became her fathers canvas each year on her birthday, as hed paint on her face and neck the creation myth in elaborate, elegant calligraphy. A week of prompts from the pillow book transactions. Vivian wu is a calligraphers daughter who develops a serious ink fetish and seeks out another calligrapher to be her lover in the pillow book 1995. The newest translation of the pillow book is meredith mckinney s recent penguin, which uses an alternate base text to that chosen by morris and gives sei a more modern, colloquial voice. Its opening section, which beginsharu wa akebono, or spring, dawn, is arguably the single most famous passage in japanese. The pillow book is also the name of a series of radio thrillers written by robert forrest and broadcast on bbc radio 4 s womans hour drama.
She wrote the pillow book around1002 and is a collection of impressions of court life. The pillow book was written by a lady of the japanese court, sei shonagon, at the end of the 10th century, and comprised poetry, gossip, important happenings and other events in the court. The pillow book definition of the pillow book by the. The color portions of the photography tends to look a little greenish at times, but the dvds murkiness has been eliminated, resulting in a wellbalanced, pleasingly detailed picture. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. With vivian wu, ewan mcgregor, yoshi oida, ken ogata. The pillow book makura no soshi is a personalised account of life at the japanese court by sei shonagon which she completed c. A contemporary of murasaki shikibu, who wrote the tale of genji, she reflects the same concern with style and taste. The pillow book is an experiment in the potential of film. As a young girl in japan, nagikos father paints characters on her face, and her aunt reads to her from the pillow book, the diary of a 10thcentury ladyinwaiting. Jun 08, 2015 peter greenaways eroticallycharged homage to the art of calligraphy follows a young woman who seeks pleasure with men who write on her, and the revenge she seeks on a man who exploited her. A week of prompts from the pillow book transactions with. The pillow book by sei shonagon, 9780140448061, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
This is the blog of leila raven, aka katt, welcome to the inside of my head. Sei served her empress during the late heian period a particularly vibrant time for japanese arts and the beginning of japans feudal age and was a. Moving elegantly across a wide range of themes including nature, society, and her own flirtations, sei shonagon provides a witty and intimate. The pillow book best translationedition showing of 3. Themakura no soshi, orthe pillow bookas it is generally known in english, is a collection of personal reflections and anecdotes about life in the japanese royal court composed around the turn of the eleventh century by a woman known as sei shonagon. Many of the translations are made readily available for the first time in this study. Worlding sei shonagon guides the reader through the remarkable translation history of the pillow book in the west, gathering almost fifty translations of the spring, dawn passage, which span onehundredandthirtyfive years and sixteen languages. A fat person with a great amount of hair looks hot someone whos. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. The 2nd part of the pillow book with fengjiu and donghua. The pillow book of sei shonagon asia for educators.
The pillow book of sei shonagon is a fascinating, detailed accou. She wrote the notes that made up her diary or pillow book while she was a member of the court of empress sadako. Every now and then she provides a list of things, which are like. To include a comma in your tag, surround the tag with double quotes. The pillow book is a book written by sei shonagon c. See more ideas about reading pillow, book pillow and machine embroidery. Inspired by the ancient japanese journal of sei shonagon, lady in waiting to empress teishi sadako, pillow book gallery is the chronicle of life and love.
Meredith mckinney is an awardwinning translator of classical and modern japanese literature, whose translations include sei shonagons eleventhcentury classic the pillow book, and kokoro and kusamakura by the early modern novelist natsume soseki. The pillow book is a compendium of seis thoughts on various subjects, in the form of anecdotes, rants, and lists. Sei shonagon, ostensibly for her own amusement, the pillow book. Apr 20, 2017 the pillow book makura no soshi is a personalised account of life at the japanese court by sei shonagon which she completed c.
These are detective stories with sei shonagon as a principal character and feature many of her lists. The pillow book finds the filmmaker at his most atypically. Includes x new translations of some of saigyos finest waka. Series 1 to 7 are omnibus editions, series 8 comprises 5 x 15 programmes. A book containing erotic images and texts, often intended as a guide to sexual practices.
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