This is a hard book to review on its own for me, as it is the book of one of my most favourite movies, of the same name.
Peter Greenaway set out to make a movie very loosely based on the Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, a court lady of the Heian period of Japan. This book contains the script of the movie, along with pictures. But it is more than a movie script, it stands alone as a work of art. It is, for me, an exploration of the beauty of the written word, for both what it represents (the story told by the word)and the sheer beauty/art of the words (the calligraphy).
It is hard to write about this book (and movie) without sounding like a pretencious tosser! But believe me, if you love art, beauty, the orient, or Ewan McGregor (there are a lot of you out there)you are sure to appreciate something from, if not all of,the Pillow Book. ( )