Sei Shōnagon

Sei Shōnagon was a Japanese writer of the Heian period, born around 966 into the Kiyohara family of scholars and poets; her father, Kiyohara no Motosuke, was a noted poet. Her real personal name is unknown: Sei comes from her family name, and Shōnagon was a court title. She was probably married young and had a son. Around 993 she entered the service of the Empress Sadako, consort of Emperor Ichijō, and became one of her favorite ladies-in-waiting, admired for her learning, quick wit and knowledge of Chinese poetry. During these years she wrote the notes that became The Pillow Book, filled with lists, anecdotes and sharp opinions about court life. The Empress's family lost power after the death of her father, Fujiwara no Michitaka, in 995, and the Empress herself died in 1000. Little is known of Sei Shōnagon's life after she left court; she may have married again. Her contemporary Murasaki Shikibu criticized her in her diary as vain. The Pillow Book is a classic of Japanese prose.

Sei Shōnagon is also an author in the library: author page and works.

Faith: Faith not well documented; by one tradition she spent her last years as a Buddhist nun. Source: Wikipedia