{"product_id":"the-pillow-bookbooks","title":"The Pillow Book","description":"\u003cdiv\u003eIn the tenth century, Japan was both physically and culturally isolated from the rest of the world. \u003ci\u003eThe Pillow Book\u003c\/i\u003e recaptures this lost world with the diary of a young court lady. Sei Shōnagon was a contemporary of Murasaki Shikibu, who wrote the well-known novel \u003ci\u003eThe Tale of Genji. \u003c\/i\u003eUnlike the latter's fictionalized view of the Heian-era court, Shōnagon's journal provides a lively miscellany of anecdotes, observations, and gossip, intended to be read in juicy bits and pieces.\u003cbr\u003e This unique volume was first rendered into English in 1889. In 1928, Arthur Waley, a seminal figure in the Western studies of Japanese culture, undertook a translation. The distinguished scholar devised this abridged version of the text, re-creating in English the stylistic beauty of its prose and the vitality of its narrative. Waley's interpretation offers a fascinating glimpse of the artistic pursuits of the royal court and its constant round of rituals, festivals, and ceremonies.\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Shonagon, Sei","offers":[{"title":"Paperback (Classics)","offer_id":47621721096416,"sku":null,"price":4.2,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Tuttle Paperback","offer_id":53449004876000,"sku":null,"price":9.0,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0330\/3125\/8248\/files\/images_2_1752b5cf-c49b-43ec-ba72-ce13bc746150.jpg?v=1784388991","url":"https:\/\/agricola-street-books.myshopify.com\/products\/the-pillow-bookbooks","provider":"Agricola Street Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}