Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary / Edition 1

by Makoto Ueda

Overview

This book has a dual purpose. The first is to present in a new English translation 255 representative hokku (or haiku) poems of Matsuo Basho (1644-94), the Japanese poet who is generally considered the most influential figure in the history of the genre. The second is to make available in English a wide spectrum of Japanese critical commentary on the poems over the last three hundred years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804725262
Publisher:	Stanford University Press
Publication date:	05/01/1995
Edition description:	1
Pages:	468
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.05(d)

About the Author

Makoto Ueda is Professor of Japanese at Stanford University.

Editorial Reviews

"The first book in a Western language that conveys the richness, range, genius, and power of Basho's poetry. . . . A gem of a work."—Chanoyu Quarterly

From the Publisher

"The first book in a Western language that conveys the richness, range, genius, and power of Basho's poetry. . . . A gem of a work."

Chanoyu Quarterly

Matsuo Basho is perhaps the best known of all classical Japanese poets, achieving a prodigious output in a variety of genres and styles. His impact on the literature and philosophy of that country has been great. Ueda aids us by selecting some of Basho's best efforts and then relating them to the body of criticism available. This approach is especially effective, for it facilitates use of the text for the two stated purposes of translation and criticism availability. More than that, a useful chronological history of Basho the man emerges from the work and commentaries provided. Especially helpful are the references to hokku' s development into haiku, and the emergence of karumi, that style of ``lightness'' that is the hallmark of the mature Basho. Filled with erudite scholarship and evocative of an age of great literature, this book is essential for all collections of poetic literature and criticism and is highly recommended for academic libraries as well.-- Mike Heines, USAF Rome Laboratory Technical Lib., N.Y.

Library Journal