On Love and Barley: Haiku of Basho: The Haiku of Basho - Hardcover

Matsuo, Basho

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0824810120 ISBN 13: 9780824810122

Publisher: University of Hawaii Press, 1985

Synopsis

In a thoughtful and perceptive introduction, Stryk sets the stage for an appreciation of what Basho's poetry has to offer, sketching his life, his times, his spirit. For most of his life Basho was a recluse. He lived on the outskirts of Edo (Tokyo) in a hut shaded by an exotic banana tree (the Basho). When he traveled, he relied entirely on the hospitality of temples and fellow poets. His poems were strongly influenced by the Zen sect of Buddhism and its ideals of lightness, detachment, and appreciation of the commonplace. Basho aspired to and achieved unity of life and art, his poems become inseparable from nature.

About this title

About the Author:

Basho was born near Kyoto in 1644. A poet and diarist, he spent his youth as companion to the son of the local lord, and with him studied the writing of poetry. In 1667 he moved to Edo (now Tokyo) and continued to write verse. Eventually, he became a recluse. His writings are strongly influenced by the Zen sect of Buddhism.
Lucien Stryk is a well-known translator.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
• Publication date: 1985
• ISBN 10: 0824810120
• ISBN 13: 9780824810122
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 108