David Jacobson (4)

What an absolutely lovely - and unusual - combination of biography, poetry collection, and children's book. I had never heard of Misuzu before - and when I reached the notes at the end that was well explained by the regret expressed that her poems have not before been translated and published in English. (As the book was published in 2016, hopefully I might find that has changed. . . My Japanese is still a long way from being good enough to read her poetry as originally written and take it show more in.)

Misuzu seems to have lived a fascinating life . . . if undeniably tragic and far too short. I would say the poems cross from the natural world to the manmade one with surprising grace, but more so it seems that they are approached as though there is no 'cross' to be taken between. The poems are thoughtful, lovely, cute, and funny, with illustrations that pair wonderfully (both for the poems and the biography section). show less

Misuzu Kaneko, who in the 1920s was a well-known author of poetry for children, almost faded into obscurity after her early death at the age of twenty-six only to have her work rediscovered in 1982. Since then her poetry has been met with great admiration and acclaim. Despite having her work translated into nearly a dozen different languages, Kaneko is relatively unknown in English. Are You an Echo?: The Lost Poetry of Misuzu Kaneko, published by Chin Music Press in 2016, is a beautifully show more illustrated and crafted children's book created by a multi-national team with members hailing from Japan, the United States, and Canada in an effort to bring Kaneko's work to a larger audience. Before reading Are You an Echo? I was unaware of both Kaneko and her poetry. After reading the volume I can only hope that more of her work will be translated in the future–the book is a marvelous introduction.

Are You an Echo? consists of two main parts. The first is a biographical narrative written by David Jacobson, a journalist and editorial consultant at Chin Music Press, which outlines both the life of Kaneko and the history of her work and its rediscovery by Setsuo Yazaki, another poet who also provides the foreword to the book. Although Are You an Echo? is meant for a young audience, Jacobson is honest and touches upon some of the sadder aspects of Kaneko's story such as her unhappy marriage, unfortunate illness, and eventual decision to end her own life. However, the topics are handled with gentleness and sensitivity. Several of Kaneko's poems are incorporated directly into the narrative while the second part of Are You an Echo? is specifically devoted to a selection of her work. The poems are presented in both their original Japanese and in an English translation jointly composed by Michiko Tsuboi and the poet Sally Ito.

The format is somewhat unusual for a children's book, but I feel the decision to include a biography along with a selection of Kaneko's work in a single volume is ultimately a good one. Are You an Echo? not only introduces Kaneko's poetry, it also places it within a greater context. Jacobson' s narrative is easily accessible and the story of how Kaneko and her work have come to positively influence the lives of so many people is a wonderful one. Hajiri's illustrations are likewise captivating. The artwork is colorful without being garish and has a gentle softness to it that complements both Jacobson's text and Kaneko's poetry. Hajiri depicts scenes from Kaneko's life and imagination and provides a lovely visual accompaniment to and interpretation of her work.

Twenty-five of Kaneko's surviving five-hundred-twelve poems are included in Are You an Echo?. The translators have taken obvious care in rendering Kaneko's work into English. Kaneko wrote in a feminine form of Japanese which doesn't have a direct equivalent in English, but Ito and Tsuboi have successfully crafted a translation that reads well and captures the feelings and intentions of the originals. The poems collected in Are You an Echo? are utterly delightful. One of the things that I found most striking about Are You an Echo? is the tremendous empathy that Kaneko exhibits through her work. Though a touch of melancholy can frequently be found, the poems embody the natural curiosity, wonder, and earnestness of the children for whom she was writing. Kaneko's poetry is immensely charming and deeply compassionate; I am so incredibly glad to have encountered it. While the book may be intended and suited for younger readers, there is still plenty for adults to enjoy and appreciate about it, too. Are You an Echo? is a treasure.

Experiments in Manga show less

Born in a fishing village in Japan, Misuzu Kaneko (1903-1930) was an observant, thoughtful child who asked lots of questions: “What does it feel like to be snow?....Where do stars go in the daytime?” And what she pondered as a child made its way into poetry as she grew older, clearly evident as the book alternately shares Misuzu’s life story and her poems. Although many girls in that era only went through sixth grade, Misuzu went to high school, as her mother, manager of a bookstore, show more valued education. By age 20, Misuzu was a published poet, but her life took a tragic turn when her abusive husband forced her to stop writing and she took her own life. For years, no one heard of her poetry and much was only published decades later. Her words, however, were brought to life after the tsunami of 2011 reaching “millions of people in Japan just when they needed it.” Additional poems in both English and Japanese are included. This sensitively-illustrated, picture book biography provides a lens into another culture, and yet the child-friendly poems show universality of feelings the world over. Indeed, the poetry could inspire readers to translate their wonderings to poems. show less

A lovely biography and poetry collection of Misuzu Kaneko with gorgeous illustrations. The book starts with the story of how the author came to learn about Misuzu and his journey bringing her story and poetry to life for English-speaking audiences. Then we get Misuzu's biography; a gentle and sincere look at her short life and tragic death. Finally, we get a collection of her poetry with side-by-side original Japanese and English translation. Her poetry has a beautiful innocence and sweet show more simplicity that quiets the restless heart. I can understand why her work became so prolific in multiple eras of Japanese history. The final notes from the author and translators really show the efforts they made to show respect to Misuzu's poetry and her life.

If it weren't out of print, I'd buy this book for myself (I borrowed a copy from the library). show less