by Adam L. Kern
First published 2018
This collection opens the world of Japanese haiku beyond its familiar image of nature meditation and cherry blossoms. The three-line, seventeen-syllable verse form that peaked between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries reveals itself as frequently erotic, comedic, crude, and playful. Adam Kern journeyed across Japan to locate the finest and most significant examples of the genre. His lively translations capture haiku that surprise readers with their irreverence and wit. The poems make Zen observations about reality through natural imagery, but they also embrace human desires and folly. Kern's selections demonstrate the full range of this compact poetic form, from contemplative moments to bawdy humor. The collection shows how haiku poets used brevity to capture both spiritual insight and earthly pleasure, creating verses that are mischievous as often as they are meditative.
Genres: anthologies, poetry, japanese-literature
Vibes: intimate, irreverent, thought-provoking
Tropes: meditative, mischievous
Setting: Japan
Period: 16th-19th Centuries
544 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics