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Just at the moment, I am reading a fascinating book called The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon. It was given to me for my birthday by a bibliophile friend. It's probably not the kind of book I would ever have found for myself, but I'm very glad to have had it thrust in front of me!

Sei Shonagon was a court lady in Japan during the middle of the tenth century. She served as lady-in-waiting to Empress Sadako and became known as one of the finest wits and poets of her day. During her time at the palace, she began to keep what was known as a "pillow book" - a notebook kept near to one's bed, in which one could note down any stray thoughts or musings before one went to sleep. Apparently, some of these books were even kept inside the drawer of the wooden pillows used by Japanese people at that time.

By great good fortune, Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book has somehow survived through the centuries (although the original manuscripts are lost), giving us a fascinating glimpse into all the rituals and gossip and rivalries of court life at the time. The book is composed of a number of small numbered sections, some of which describe funny anecdotes, others which contain descriptive passages or recollections of earlier times, and some which are merely lists of things that interested the author. What makes the book so much fun is the character of Sei Shonagon, which comes across very clearly. She's a dreadful snob and can't help but pat herself on the back when she says something clever, but she is also very affectionate and lively, and she seems to have the happy knack of taking great pleasure in the ordinary things in life.

One of the most striking things about her book is the way that, despite the difference in centuries and geography and culture, the aspects of human nature she describes seem incredibly familiar. She reminds me a little of a character from Jane Austen, in fact, especially when she comes out with one of her clever put downs.

As a little taste, here is one of my favourite anecdotes from the Pillow Book. Shonagon is laughing at one of the court officials, Nobutsune, who thinks a great deal of himself but who is in fact rather dim.

`He has an appalling hand,' someone explained after [Nobutsune] had left the room. `Whether in Chinese characters or Japanese script, the results are always equally poor. People are always laughing at him about it. [...]'

One day when Nobutsune was serving as Intendent in the Office of Palace Works he sent a sketch to one of the craftsmen indicating how a certain piece of work should be done. `Kindly execute it in this fashion,' he added in Chinese characters. I happened to notice the piece of paper and it was the most preposterous writing I had ever seen. Next to his message I wrote, `If you do the work in this style, it will certainly turn out strangely." The document found its way into the Imperial apartments, and everyone who saw it was greatly amused - except, of course, Nobutsune, who was furious and after this held a grudge against me.

(Penguin Classics Edition, p.128)