Sei ShÅnagon
Sei Shonagon (Japanese清 少 纳 言, Sei Shonagon; * to 966; † around 1025) was a writer and lady in waiting at the Japanese imperial court during the Heian period.
Life and work
Sei Shonagon was born into the family of scholars Kiyohara, her father, Kiyohara Motosuke, was one of the 36 great poets of the country; Although the family had offices at court, but was not particularly well off financially. Her real name is unknown: Be referred to the family name, the Kiyohara, Shonagon their court rank lower than consultant. Her poetry was like her father's entrance into the official anthologies of the empire, but their fame justified her as a pillow book became known prose collection of sketchy essays and reports.
After marriage and the birth of a son, she took 993, may already divorced, the service at the imperial court in Kyoto on, as maid of honor of the imperial wife Fujiwara no Sadako, called Empress TEICHI ( 976-1001 ), wife of the Emperor Ichijo.
Externally probably not very attractive, she looked like this deficiency by grace of style, education and a sensitive observation, as expressed in her work. For ten years, from 1001-1010, she kept a diary under the title makura no soshi ( sketchbook under the pillow, dt Pillow Book ), which is one of the classics of Japanese literature.
Sei Shonagon describes it in the style of her justified Zuihitsu literature ( where the writing brush leads ) seemingly trivial, own and others' experiences, stories of everyday life, even gossip from the imperial court, much to the understanding of the culture of the time and for sparse biography of her ladies - colleague and time comrade, Murasaki Shikibu, contributes, the author of the novel Genji Monogatari.
The approximately 300 different long texts that circulated first in copies at court and their arrangement goes back to a later time, are written in a stylistically mature, sometimes scarce up to the Laconian and artless Japanese without Chinese or learned Bays - a reference to the author, thoroughly read and write Chinese could in his own words, but also to the readers of the court, which preferred the simpler kana font system. Also knowledge of Chinese as Japanese prose and poetry must have been assumed with her.
About the contemporary historical documentation beyond that distinguish them from other Hoftagebüchern ( nikki ) is not very different, it is possible the well-read, educated, but also sharp-tongued as quick-witted observer, the hustle and bustle in the court, and the personalities of their environment and the mood of the Heian period ( 794-1185) to capture, in the literature came to full flower. As a confidant of the Empress, at whose court she had lived since her 26th birthday, she coined with its literary originality, their ability to improvise, their acumen and critical thinking as well as her charm the prose of Japan to this day.
Chapter headings such as music on a rainy day, rare things, impropriety, What one regrets, What you lose patience, birds, or after a rainy show the range of views, in which nature, human psychology, and the role of man in society play a central role.
With its open, self-confident, sometimes even feminist perspective, which could reach up to the point of caricature, she made herself, according to the diaries her contemporary Murasaki admittedly few friends:
- " Sei Shonagon for example, was terribly conceited. She considered herself very clever and scattered all kinds of Chinese characters in their letters a, but when you looked closer, there remained but to wish all kinds left. Who believes he is superior to any other, will inevitably experience suffering and come to a bad end, and who is so precious, ... perceive in the most inappropriate situations every little way out to return to acting soon ridiculous and artificial. How will it end in the future? "
Little is known about their fate: after the death of her imperial mistress in childbirth (1001 ) she remained for another decade at the farm, 1017 is about her life nothing more Reliable known. So she should have married again and had a daughter, died alone and abandoned after a long odyssey on the island of Shikoku and as a nun in the outskirts of Kyoto.
Reviews
- "It [ the pillow book ] describes in detail ... life on the farm, however, reveals little about life outside. It is presented to us a small elite society that is preoccupied with art and literature, and always ready at hand when it comes to criticize a bad brush stroke, an unsuccessful verse, an inappropriate tone or an awkward movement. We see refined connoisseur of emotional life and strict judge of ceremonies and etiquette. You ... are intent on nothing but itself " Sansom, Japan
- " In some ways, Sei Shonagon as a person less important than the other diary writers, but it is these imperfections that make her book into one of the most memorable ever. " Mason / Caiger, Japan, pp. 92