The Haiku Anthology (Paperback)

by Cor van den Heuvel (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Generous, irreplaceable. . . . It's an eye-opener and a who's-who of haiku today. -- Providence Sunday Journal

This is an exceptional selection of English-language haiku at its finest. -- Library Booknotes

Product Description
Originally a Japanese form that flourished in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, haiku has recently experienced tremendous growth in popularity in the English language. The Haiku Anthology, first published in 1974, is a landmark work in modern haiku, honoring a genre of poetry that celebrates simplicity, emotion, and imagery--in which only a few words convey worlds of mystery and meaning. This third edition, now completely revised and updated, comprises 850 haiku and senryu (a related genre, usually humorous and concerned with human nature) written in English by 89 poets, including the top haiku writers of the American past and present. A new foreword details developments since the publication of the last edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393321185
• ISBN-13: 978-0393321180
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #646,736 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful collection of contemporary haiku, May 5, 2001

By	Matthew Cheney (New Hampton, NH USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have not seen a more comprehensive collection of contemporary English-language haiku than Cor van den Heuvel's remarkable anthology. The book presents over 800 poems, and the introductions (the ones from the previous editions are included) give helpful direction to the overwhelmed reader.

The greatest beauty of this collection, though, is that you can carry it around with you and open randomly to any page and discover something surprising, exciting, wondrous, even breathtaking.

If you think of haiku as silly poems you wrote in elementary school, those three line ditties in a syllable pattern of 5-7-5, then you need this book to purge your preconceptions and demonstrate the many possibilities of the haiku form.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A gathering of silences, January 27, 2000

By	hugh riminton (Sydney) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Haiku Anthology (Hardcover)

The point is often made that haiku is an increasingly popular poetic form in English, although the truth is probably more that Americans, among English speakers, have for some reason particularly taken to this classical Japanese discipline. Almost without exception, the 89 writers featured in this anthology are from the USA or Canada, losing it a star - in my estimation - for lack of global range. That said, this book contains many delights. There is a clear and useful introduction explaining the technical differences between classical haiku forms (with their zen-like focus on nature, seaons, and a permanent present tense) and "senryu", which concentrate on human relationships and the distinctly human condition. An anthology survives on its works, however, and there is much here to intrigue. The late Nicholas Virgilio's best known work is included here, full of classical Japanese haiku spirit.

lily:/ out of the water../ out of itself

Some of the senyru owe as much to Homer Simpson as Basho or Buson. Try Alan Pizzarelli's

the fat lady/ bends over the tomatoes/ a full moon

Many deal with unequivocally modern subjects. For example, Alexis Rotella's

Discussing divorce/ he strokes/ the lace tablecloth

For a non-American, many of the works here seem too self-absorbed - the very opposite of haiku's original intention. There are also too many works that are meretricious, that seem dashed off, as if their slight size makes haiku light weight. But in 850 works, there are plenty that achieve the elusive gift of transferring epiphany. This pleasingly bound little hardback should inspire writers, poets, readers. It will also, hopefully, direct the curious back to the great works of the Japanese Masters, Basho, Buson and Issa, in particular. Mostly though, it is a book to nag at us gently, infuriate us occasionally, as slowly its little gems work their way into our thoughts.

my dead brother../ hearing his laugh/ in my laughter

(N. Virgilio)

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intro to English-language haiku through its poets., October 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Haiku Anthology (Hardcover)

I have a single poem that appears in this collection of 850 haiku. It represents a decade of work preserved in small press haiku publications and self-published chapbooks. The poem is based on my first parachute jump on June 13, 1982, in Perris, California. What I remember about the jump is intersecting an incredibly sweet silence with the solemnity of sunset filling my eyes. When you read this beautiful book, know that the work--and the included haiku poets--are only the tip of the iceberg.