Haiku : An Anthology of Japanese Poems

by ADDISS, STEPHENYAMAMOTO, FUMIKO Y.

• ISBN13: 9781590307304
• ISBN10: 1590307305
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-13
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

This celebration of what is perhaps the most influential of all poetic forms takes haiku back to its Japanese roots, beginning with poems by the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century masters Basho, Busson, and Issa, and going all the way up to the late twentieth century to provide a survey of haiku through the centuries, in all its minimalist glory. The translators have balanced faithfulness to the Japanese with an appreciation of the unique spirit of each poem to create English versions that evoke the joy and wonder of the originals with the same astonishing economy of language. An introduction by the translators and short biographies of the poets are included. Reproductions of woodblock prints and paintings accompany the poems.

Author Biography

Stephen Addiss, PhD, is Tucker-Boatwright Professor in the Humanities: Art at the University of Richmond, Virginia, as well as a world-renowned calligrapher. He is a leading authority on Japanese art and the author of more than thirty-five books.