Finding My Predecessor.

My ex-wife had some unusual tastes, including a fascination with Chinese and Japanese culture, and especially their literature. Two of her favourite works were The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon, and I had occasion to mention the fact in a YouTube comment tonight.

So then I read the Wiki articles and found this description of The Pillow Book:

‘The Pillow Book (枕草子^? Makura no Sōshi) is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi (定子) during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002.

The work of Shōnagon consists of a collection of essays, lists, anecdotes, poems, and descriptive passages that have little connection to one another except for the fact that they are ideas and whims of what Shōnagon was thinking of in any given moment in her daily life.’

It sounds almost eerily redolent of my blog, and so I wondered whether I might become famous in a thousand years time, and whether I should re-title my little effort: The Pillow Book of JJ Beazley. I concluded that it doesn’t have quite the same ring, so I don’t think I’ll bother.