A small commemoration

This rambling set of thoughts, lists and impressions is named after The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon (清少納言), written about 1000 years ago this year. I reckon it's all very well (and perhaps unexpected) for me to have a pretty blog with an Asian lady as its frontispiece, but I say give credit where it's due!

In many respects, her book could be considered the world's first blog - a selection of little entries, in various formats, in which she documented her life in the Heian court. She and Murasaki Shikubu, author of The Tale of Genji, are two of the foremost ladies of Japanese literature.

The Pillow Book (枕草子 makura no sōshi) is a lovely thing to have beside one's bed, it's perfect for dipping into, or indeed to read straight through.

Of course there are plenty of other blogs that reference her style, including THIS ONE (a fun literary blog).

For a slightly less sensational read, my other FAVOURITE book at the moment is by Liza Dalby. (Who, in glorious synchronicity, wrote a lovely novel about Murasaki!) It's called East Wind Melts The Ice and it's a compendium of thoughts throughout the seasons - based somewhere between California and Japan. No prizes for guessing why I'm enjoying it so much.