Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary [Hardcover]

Makoto Ueda (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Matsuo Basho is perhaps the best known of all classical Japanese poets, achieving a prodigious output in a variety of genres and styles. His impact on the literature and philosophy of that country has been great. Ueda aids us by selecting some of Basho's best efforts and then relating them to the body of criticism available. This approach is especially effective, for it facilitates use of the text for the two stated purposes of translation and criticism availability. More than that, a useful chronological history of Basho the man emerges from the work and commentaries provided. Especially helpful are the references to hokku' s development into haiku, and the emergence of karumi, that style of "lightness" that is the hallmark of the mature Basho. Filled with erudite scholarship and evocative of an age of great literature, this book is essential for all collections of poetic literature and criticism and is highly recommended for academic libraries as well.
- Mike Heines, USAF Rome Laboratory Technical Lib., N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“The first book in a Western language that conveys the richness, range, genius, and power of Basho’s poetry. . . . A gem of a work.”—Chanoyu Quarterly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 468 pages
• Publisher: Stanford University Press; 1 edition (April 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804719160
• ISBN-13: 978-0804719162
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #317,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Japanese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Overview of a Master, March 25, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary (Hardcover)

This is a great book just to browse at random. The interpretations given after each haiku are an interesting twist. Reading them after letting the haiku soak in is somewhat like sharing the poems with other enthusiasts. Some of them also shed a fascinating light on the circumstances of their composition and Basho's attitudes. And if haiku just makes you scratch your head, the remarks will show you interesting ways of looking at each one. Ueda helpfully adds biographical sketches between sections to put the poems into context and provides the original Japanese and word for word translations, and although I have found better translations of individual poems, his are adequate at least and often elegant. Basho of course is great, and this is the perfect book to linger over when you're in a thoughtful mood.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars basho's verse in depth, December 6, 2004

By 

Phinaes "daigu" (either Japan or Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary (Paperback)

this book is great as a collection of representative verses by basho, the greatest master in the haikai tradition.
i'll just add to the other reviewer's remarks that this book can also be read from cover to cover so you can get a feel for basho's development as a poet. overall, a nice book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone interested in Basho, February 4, 2007

By 

Hannah O. (Los Angeles, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Basho, haiku, or Japanese literature. Ueda combines Basho's own verse with interpretations by well-known haikai commentators (including Akutagawa, Rohan, Hagiwara, and Abe Jiro etc) and entries from Basho's own travel diaries, in which he describes many of the situations that inspired many of his poems. This is a good introduction for beginners and afficionados alike, for it provides a great deal of background information and a wide scale of interpretations that add depth and connotation to the readers understanding of each verse. The book also includes a glossary of terms as well as a section of short biographies for the commentators.