The Classic Tradition of Haiku: An Anthology – Faubion Bowers (Editor)

18 November, 2015

FEATURED 📌 Rating: ★★★★★ 15/11/15 Haiku should be just small stones dropping down a well with a small splash – James Kirkup (8) Haiku or the complexity of subtlety As a big fan of etymology, I was captivated by this book’s introduction. It is a clear and detailed recount of the history of haiku. The present enthralling … More The Classic Tradition of Haiku: An Anthology – Faubion Bowers (Editor)

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I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud – William Wordsworth

25 September, 2019

Rating: ★★★★ 14/09/19  * I was googling “dancing daffodils” (I had my reasons) and found this fascinating poem by chance. It starts with a beautiful line, a familiar state of mind. I wandered lonely as a cloud – sheer brilliance. But the sense of familiarity and solace doesn’t end there. I wasn’t particularly drawn to Wordsworth’s … More I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud – William Wordsworth

The Genius Of The Crowd – Charles Bukowski

19 August, 2019

Rating: ★★★★ 17/08/19  Yesterday, to celebrate Bukowski’s 94th birthday, “the poet of the mundane”, some Twitter account posted: cuidado con aquellos que necesitan constantes multitudes, no son nada solos.* I translated the phrase and found a poem called “The Genius of the Crowd”, and doing justice to my ambivalent feelings about this writer, I loved every … More The Genius Of The Crowd – Charles Bukowski

Inch by Inch: 45 Haiku by Issa – Kobayashi Issa

28 July, 2019

Rating: ★★★★ 22/05/19  How lovely through the torn paper window —the Milky Way Born as Kobayashi Nobuyuki in 1763, in today’s Nagano Prefecture, the poet later known as Issa got acquainted with death since his early years. Such loneliness and his love for nature were portrayed in the over 20.000 haiku he wrote. Frogs, sparrows, snails, … More Inch by Inch: 45 Haiku by Issa – Kobayashi Issa

The Penguin Book of Zen Poetry – Lucien Stryk

16 June, 2019

Rating: ★★★★ 06/04/19  Taking hold, one’s astray in nothingness; Letting go, the Origin’s regained. Since the music stopped, no shadow’s touched My door: again the village moon’s above the river. —Kokai (1403-1469) This anthology consists of four parts: Chinese poems of enlightenment and death, Poems of the Japanese Zen masters, Japanese haiku and selected poetry by … More The Penguin Book of Zen Poetry – Lucien Stryk

The Moon Over Tagoto: Selected Haiku of Buson – Gabriel Rosenstock, John McDonald

1 June, 2019

Rating: ★★★★★ 02/03/19  The man who talked poetry Yosa Buson (1716–1784), a Japanese poet and painter of the Edo period. He is one of the four masters of haiku, the others being Matsuo Bashō, Kobayashi Issa and Masaoka Shiki. It has been said that Buson admired Bashō greatly (The Narrow Road to the Interior was a … More The Moon Over Tagoto: Selected Haiku of Buson – Gabriel Rosenstock, John McDonald

Great Tranquillity: Questions and Answers – Yehuda Amichai

26 April, 2019

Rating: ★★★★ 30/03/19  Closed are the doors Closed are the doors that were to be open to me forever. And those I can open guard vacant places like ancient despolied graves. I think about the love of people who have forgotten to take down decorations after the festival: what do they have left? Farewell to you … More Great Tranquillity: Questions and Answers – Yehuda Amichai