Essays in idleness and Hōjōki / Yoshida Kenkō and Kamo no Chōmei ; translated with an introduction and notes by Meredith McKinney.
Contributor(s): Yoshida, Kenkō [author]
| Kamo, Chōmei [author] | McKinney, Meredith [translator, writer of introduction].
Material type: 
BookSeries: Penguin classics: Publisher: London : Penguin Books, 2013Description: xxxi, 188 pages : 1 illustration (black and white), 1 map (black and white) ; 20 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9780141192109 (paperback).Subject(s): Yoshida, Kenkō, 1282?-1350. Tsurezuregusa | Kamo, Chōmei, 1153?-1216? Hōjōki | Religious life -- BuddhismDDC classification: 294.34 Summary: "These two works on life's fleeting pleasures are by Buddhist monks from medieval Japan, but each shows a different world-view. In the short memoir Hôjôki , Chômei recounts his decision to withdraw from worldly affairs and live as a hermit in a tiny hut in the mountains, contemplating the impermanence of human existence. Kenko, however, displays a fascination with more earthy matters in his collection of anecdotes, advice and observations. From ribald stories of drunken monks to aching nostalgia for the fading traditions of the Japanese court, Essays in Idleness is a constantly surprising work that ranges across the spectrum of human experience." - Back cover.
| Item type | Current library | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Lending | MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending | 294.34 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | Available | 00228270 |
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Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
These two works on life's fleeting pleasures are by Buddhist monks from medieval Japan, but each shows a different world-view. In the short memoir H j ki , Ch mei recounts his decision to withdraw from worldly affairs and live as a hermit in a tiny hut in the mountains, contemplating the impermanence of human existence. Kenko, however, displays a fascination with more earthy matters in his collection of anecdotes, advice and observations. From ribald stories of drunken monks to aching nostalgia for the fading traditions of the Japanese court, Essays in Idleness is a constantly surprising work that ranges across the spectrum of human experience.
Includes bibliographical references.
"These two works on life's fleeting pleasures are by Buddhist monks from medieval Japan, but each shows a different world-view. In the short memoir Hôjôki , Chômei recounts his decision to withdraw from worldly affairs and live as a hermit in a tiny hut in the mountains, contemplating the impermanence of human existence. Kenko, however, displays a fascination with more earthy matters in his collection of anecdotes, advice and observations. From ribald stories of drunken monks to aching nostalgia for the fading traditions of the Japanese court, Essays in Idleness is a constantly surprising work that ranges across the spectrum of human experience." - Back cover.
Author notes provided by Syndetics
Kenk was born around 1283 in Kyoto. He probably became a monk in his late twenties, and was also noted as a calligrapher. Today he is remembered for his wise and witty aphorisms, 'Essays in Idleness'.Ch mei was born into a family of Shinto priests in around 1155, at at time when the stable world of the court was rapidly breaking up. He became an important though minor poet of his day, and at the age of fifty, withdrew from the world to become a tonsured monk. He died in around 1216.
Meredith McKinney is a translator of Japanese literature, both contemporary and classical. She lived in Japan for twenty years and is currently a visitng fellow at the Australian National University in Canberra.