
The Pillow Book
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Narrated by:
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Georgina Sutton
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By:
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Sei Shōnagon
About this listen
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.
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Shogun
- The Life and Times of Tokugawa Ieyasu: Japan's Greatest Ruler
- By: A.L. Sadler, Stephen Turnbull - foreword, Alexander Bennett - foreword
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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For 700 years, Japan was ruled by military commanders who waged war against one another incessantly. Shogun tells the fascinating story of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the man who finally unified and brought lasting peace to the nation. He established a new central government which enabled his descendants to rule Japan for the next 260 years—a period in which Japanese culture as we know it today flourished.
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This is a boring reference book
- By Antone Ferreira on 05-25-24
By: A.L. Sadler, and others
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Rashomon
- By: Akutagawa Ryunosuke
- Narrated by: Jesús Brotóns
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Una de las obras capitales del autor japonés Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, de la cual el director Akira Kurosawa tomó varios detalles a la hora de adaptar su película homónima, narra el encuentro de un sirviente humilde que acaba de ser despedido por su señor y una anciana pícara que roba el pelo de los cadáveres y vende carne de serpiente haciéndola pasar por pescado. El cuento, de final inesperado, supone una reflexión sobre los límites de la moral que sacudió a los lectores de la revista universitaria Teikoku Bungaku (Literatura imperial), donde fue publicada por primera vez.
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Stranger in the Shogun's City
- A Japanese Woman and Her World
- By: Amy Stanley
- Narrated by: Joy Osmanski
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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The daughter of a Buddhist priest, Tsuneno was born in a rural Japanese village and was expected to live a traditional life much like her mother’s. But after three divorces - and a temperament much too strong-willed for her family’s approval - she ran away to make a life for herself in one of the largest cities in the world: Edo, a bustling metropolis at its peak. With Tsuneno as our guide, we experience the drama and excitement of Edo just prior to the arrival of American Commodore Perry’s fleet, which transformed Japan.
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Lovely microhistory
- By JS on 07-26-21
By: Amy Stanley
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Emperor of Japan
- Meiji and His World, 1852-1912
- By: Donald Keene
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 38 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Little has been written about the strangely obscured figure of Meiji himself, the first Japanese emperor ever to meet a European. But now, Donald Keene sifts the available evidence to present a rich portrait not only of Meiji but also of rapid and sometimes violent change during this pivotal period in Japan's history. Emperor of Japan conveys in sparkling prose the complexity of the man and offers an unrivaled portrait of Japan in a period of unique interest.
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Great book. Terrible narration.
- By Ken Snyder on 07-05-23
By: Donald Keene
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Dream of the Red Chamber
- A Tale of Betrayal
- By: Cao Xueqin
- Narrated by: Cyril Taylor-Carr, The Cliff
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The Dream of the Red Chamber (also known as The Story of the Stone) is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China, and considered the greatest of them all. Almost 40 main characters and some 500 minor characters tell the fortunes of the Chia family; the book details mainly the life of Chia Pao-yü, the heir apparent, who is described as very intelligent, but also as carefree and self-indulging. The already wealthy Chia family rises to new heights when Pao-yü's elder sister becomes an imperial consort.
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A very difficult listen
- By Amazon Customer on 05-17-23
By: Cao Xueqin
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The Nine Cloud Dream
- By: Kim Man-jung, Heinz Insu Fenkl - translator
- Narrated by: David Shih
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Often considered the highest achievement in Korean fiction, The Nine Cloud Dream poses the question: Will the life we dream of truly make us happy? Written in 17th-century Korea, this classic novel's wondrous story begins when a young monk living on a sacred Lotus Peak in China succumbs to the temptation of eight fairy maidens. For doubting his master's Buddhist teachings, the monk is forced to endure a strange punishment: reincarnation as the most ideal of men.
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Nine Stars
- By MJ Harkins on 06-28-21
By: Kim Man-jung, and others
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The Tale of Murasaki
- A Novel
- By: Liza Dalby
- Narrated by: Allison Hiroto
- Length: 17 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 11th century Murasaki Shikibu wrote the world’s first novel, The Tale of Genji, the most popular work in the history of Japanese literature. In The Tale of Murasaki, Liza Dalby has created a breathtaking fictionalized narrative of the life of this timeless poet - a lonely girl who becomes such a compelling storyteller that she is invited to regale the empress with her tales. The Tale of Murasaki is the story of an enchanting time and an exotic place.
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Great book, reader lacked emotion
- By Epiphany on 06-05-18
By: Liza Dalby
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The Narrow Road to the Interior and Hojoki
- By: Matsuo Basho, Kamo no Chomei
- Narrated by: Togo Igawa
- Length: 2 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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The Narrow Road to the Interior and Hojoki are two of the best-loved works of their kind; famous for their beautiful, delicate verse and subtle insight into the human condition. It has been said of The Narrow Road that 'it was as if the very soul of Japan had itself written it'. It takes the form of a travel diary, and traces the poet's journey from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to the northern interior.
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Second story unintelligible
- By Karen on 02-23-10
By: Matsuo Basho, and others
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Tokyo Junkie
- 60 Years of Bright Lights and Back Alleys... and Baseball
- By: Robert Whiting
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Follow author Robert Whiting (The Chrysanthemum and the Bat, You Gotta Have Wa, Tokyo Underworld) as he watches Tokyo transform during the 1964 Olympics, rubs shoulders with the Yakuza and comes face to face with the city’s dark underbelly, interviews Japan’s baseball elite after publishing his first best-selling book on the subject, and learns how politics and sports collide to produce a cultural landscape unlike any other, even as a new Olympics is postponed and the COVID virus ravages the nation.
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Please hire narrators who can pronounce Japanese correctly!!!
- By angelheart on 08-22-21
By: Robert Whiting
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The Tale of Genji
- By: Lady Murasaki Shikibu
- Narrated by: Blaise Adams
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Abridged
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The Tale of Genji is an exquisitely crafted classic work of Japanese literature written in the 11th century. Some consider it to be the world's first novel, or the first modern or psychological novel. The narrative of 54 chapters is embellished by hundreds of little poems spread like a string of pearls through the prose. The story recounts the life of Hikaru Genji, the son of an ancient Japanese emperor and a concubine. Removed from the line of succession, Genji pursues a series of love affairs and a career as an imperial officer.
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great story
- By Cpw on 05-03-20
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Three Simple Lines
- A Writer’s Pilgrimage into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku
- By: Natalie Goldberg
- Narrated by: Natalie Goldberg
- Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the world’s foremost writing teachers invites listeners on a joyful journey into the reading and origins of haiku.
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Splendid simple story
- By barbara s redfield on 03-21-21
By: Natalie Goldberg
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The Plum in the Golden Vase or, Chin P'ing Mei (Volume One: The Gathering)
- By: David Tod Roy - translator
- Narrated by: George Backman
- Length: 17 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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In this first of a planned five-volume set, David Roy provides a complete and annotated translation of the famous Chin P'ing Mei, an anonymous sixteenth-century Chinese novel that focuses on the domestic life of Hsi-men Ch'ing, a corrupt, upwardly mobile merchant in a provincial town, who maintains a harem of six wives and concubines. This work, known primarily for its erotic realism, is also a landmark in the development of the narrative art form - not only from a specifically Chinese perspective but in a world-historical context.
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Excellent narration and rollicking story
- By Caroline on 11-21-14
What listeners say about The Pillow Book
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- Valerie
- 10-28-24
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.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Joanna Sakievich
- 04-14-23
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!
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3 people found this helpful
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- K.G.
- 01-11-23
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.
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3 people found this helpful
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- C L Haight
- 09-05-24
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.
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- Fishlamb
- 04-24-22
Superb narration
The book is fascinating as it is, but the narration adds extra magic to it. A highly enjoyable listening
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3 people found this helpful
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- M. Harari
- 06-20-24
Simply Beautiful
Wonderful and Sutton is incredible. Sei couldn’t have a better voice reading her beautiful book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Emily
- 02-20-24
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.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Lil Y. M. Judd
- 10-12-24
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
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- Anonymous User
- 12-03-24
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
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- Peter W. Kalnin
- 10-08-24
Beautiful
I recommend this classic
More poetic than expected
Beautiful memoir and observations from over a thousand years ago.
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