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NENKOWEB

nenko.neocities.org

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rbuchanan 4 years ago

Three English translations of the pillow book exist. Arthur Waley's rendering is meticulously researched, but its stodgily formal prose belies its source's profoundly personal, feminine essence. Conversely, Meredith McKinney's contemporary translation is nauseatingly familiar; some passages therein read as though indited by an especially obtuse teenager.

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rbuchanan 4 years ago

Ivan Morris' version is ideal: coolly, charmingly, often cattily phrased, never grandiloquent but omitting no rococo details, and tremendously evocative of Shonagon's personality.

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rbuchanan 4 years ago

Howbeit, if you know which Finnish firm was to publish it, you could always contact them to inquire...

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nenko 4 years ago

Thanks for the information about the different versions. If I ever buy the book in English I'll be sure to try to get my hands on the one translated by Morris.

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nenko 4 years ago

I don't really know how long the translation process has been going on for the Finnish version, but it certainly was advertised as a new release back in early 2018. No status updates have been made after that, so who knows what's going on with it.

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