The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku [Paperback]

William J. Higginson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 15, 1992

The Haiku Handbook is the first book to give the reader everything needed to begin writing or teaching haiku. It presents haiku poets writing in English, Spanish, French, German, and five other languages on an equal footing with Japanese poets. Not only are the four great Japanese masters of the haiku represented (Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki) but also several major Western authors not commonly known to have written haiku.

The book presents a concise history of the Japanese haiku, including the dynamic changes throughout the twentieth century as the haiku has been adapted to suburban and industrial settings. Full chapters are offered on form, the seasons in haiku, and haiku craft, plus background on the Japanese poetic tradition, and the effect of translation on our understanding of haiku.

Other unique features are the lesson plans for both elementary and secondary school use; and lists of haiku publishers and magazines (in several languages). The Handbook concludes with a full reference section of haiku-related terms, bibliography, and a comprehensive season-word list to aid in understanding and appreciating Japanese haiku.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

WILLIAM J. HIGGINGSON studied Japanese at Yale University where he discovered the haiku, and served, with the U.S. Air Force in Japan. He is a charter member of the Haiku Society of America, founded in 1968, and edited and published Haiku Magazine (1971-76). He has three published collections of longer poems and one of haiku, and has work appearing in magazines and anthologies worldwide. He has also taught in the National Endowment for the Arts "Poets-in-the Schools" program, leading writing workshops in hundreds of schools, and he regularly speaks at conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. Higginson's international anthology of haiku for children, Wind in the Long Grass, is a classroom favorite. His two-volume sequel to The Haiku Handbook, The Haiku Seasons and Haiku World, gives a comprehensive view of the history, present state, and international possibilities of seasonal consciousness in poetry.

PENNY HARTER, Higginson's wife and collaborator on the Handbook, is a poet and teacher with 14 collections of poems to her credit. She has received three grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts for her poetry, and an award from the Poetry Society of America. She has served as a visiting poet for the Council and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation in classes from kindergarten through high school. Her work is published internationally; among her recent books are Shadow Play: Night Haiku, a collection for children, and her latest book, Turtle Blessing. The couple lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where Harter teaches at Santa Fe Preparatory School.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

[Following is the first section in Chapter 1, "Why Haiku?"]

Haiku Happen

We often see or sense something that gives us a bit of a lift, or a moment's pure sadness. Perhaps it is the funnies flapping in the breeze before a newsstand on a sunny spring day. Or some scent on the wind catches us as we step from the bus, or bend to lift the groceries from the car. Something tickles our ankle and, looking down to see what it is, we see more:

a baby crab
climbs up my leg--
such clear water

Or we are lying awake, alone with our thoughts, and as we turn to look at the clock

at midnight
a distant door
pulled shut

and we find ourselves more alone, because of the being on the other side of that door, than when we had no thoughts for others anywhere in the world.

The first of these two short poems was written about three hundred years ago by the Japanese poet Matsuo Basho. The second is by a twentieth-century Japanese poet, Ozaki Hosai. Both poems are haiku.

Moments that can give rise to haiku are not foreign to the Americas. Mark Cramer has translated the following poem, originally written in Spanish by the Mexican poet Jose Juan Tablada a few years before Hosai wrote "at midnight":

Tender willow
almost gold, almost amber,
almost light...

And just recently New Jerseyan Penny Harter found

the old doll
her mama box broken
to half a cry

Haiku happen all the time, wherever there are people who are "in touch" with the world of their senses, and with their own feeling response to it.

Product Details

• Paperback: 331 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha USA (March 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770014309
• ISBN-13: 978-4770014306
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #832,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Upon Reading the First Page, I Knew this Book was a Winner, July 11, 2001

By 

L. Curtis "Millicent Y. Curtis" (Memphis, Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku (Paperback)

Unlike some books, one usually have to read towards the middle to determine whether a book is excellent or lousy. Not so with "The Haiku Handbook". It's excellent from beginning to end. Mr. Higginson has done a wonderful job in explaining the origins and grand beauty of haiku poetry. My favorite chapters were the one's on "The Four Haiku Masters", "Sharing Haiku" and "Haiku for Kids". This book is evident that Mr. Higginson has vast knowledge of the Japanese culture and language. Not only does he discuss the haiku of Japan but also haiku from all over the world. I simply love the translations of haiku in the various languages such as french, spanish, german etc. In conclusion, for anyone cosidering haiku as a hobby or a professional literary career, this book is an excellent springboard.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good book for learning how to write English haiku., March 3, 1998

By 

stochasticity (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku (Paperback)

This book really lives up to its title. This is the only book that I've seen that does a good job of teaching HOW to write English-language haiku. To help the reader learn about haiku, it has plenty of examples of modern haiku from around the world, as well as examples of historical Japanese haiku. Besides teaching about haiku, this book would be a very good book for anyone seeking a general introduction to haiku. It also has a good capsule history of haiku. You will, however, have to go to other books for greater detail on the history of haiku, or if you want greater emphasis on specifically Japanese haiku.

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Reference Book!, November 22, 1998

By 

Hortensia Anderson "Hortensia Anderson" (nyc, ny, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book for the novice writer, reader AND teacher of haiku. Higginson manages to fit a decent representation of haiku (Japanese masters as well as African-American, Beat, and multi-lingual)as well as a brief history of related Japanese genres and "season word" lists.

Higginson definitely whets the appetite for even more information about and examples of haiku. An indispensable addition to any haiku and haiku-related library.