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Loading... Haiku, Volume 1: Eastern Cultureby R. H. Blyth
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  tombrinck | May 13, 2006 |  no reviews | add a review
Belongs to SeriesHaiku (Volume 1)
Reginald Horace Blyth (1898-1964) was a prime mover in the popularization of haiku and Zen philosophy in western culture. Born in England, Blyth spent most of his working life in Japan, where he acted as a professor of English and foreign liaison, and became a great admirer of Japanese poetry. Long considered by haiku enthusiasts an essential resource for English-speaking readers, Blyth's four-volume haiku anthology is a testament to his love and deep understanding of this singular art form. Presenting the best work of Japan's haiku masters alongside his own lucid commentary, Blyth's volumes communicate the true meaning and spirit of haiku in a way rarely accessible to western readers.In Haiku Vol. I (Eastern Culture), Blyth introduces the reader to the many aspects of Japanese culture that contributed to the formation of haiku, among them religion, Zen, selflessness, loneliness, humor, and puns, with examples taken from the poetry of Basho, Issa, Buson, and others. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)895.6104108Literature Literature of other languages Asian (east and south east) languages Japanese Japanese poetry Lyric, balladsLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (4.15)
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Wikipedia in English (4)
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It's not completely clear who Blyth intended these books for. First published in 1949, a slightly outdated world-view peeps through now and then. As a whole, the books are not really a terribly good introduction to haiku, since he seems to presume some vague knowledge of terms and topics before beginning each one. At the same time, the level is simple enough to be a good second book to read after learning some of the basic terminology, and the coverage of all things "haiku" is comprehensive. If anything, the books seem to be aimed at some European-educated literati -- it's as if he's trying to convince some group of the legitimacy of haiku by connecting it to traditional poetic and Christian ideals. Furthermore, while Japanese and Chinese are well-translated, he throws in untranslated German and Italian without a second thought, as if any reader could be assumed to know them (don't worry, the book is still quite readable without knowledge of German or Italian). Blyth demonstrates himself throughout to be quite well-read, but the one thing that especially bugs me is that his constant attempts to relate haiku to European literature seem forced, unconvincing, and entirely unnecessary.
Even with the odd tone, the books make a very good learning experience. The analysis of haiku is well-informed, thoughtful, and generally right on the mark. Blyth is also an excellent translator from my point of view: he makes a straightforward literal translation, but he is quite sensitive to the difficult task of preserving the subtleties and intent of the original Japanese, as well as nicely capturing some of the ambiguities, which are very hard to capture in translation. (