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Haiku: A Poet's Guide

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You might like to know the contents of this book:

Forward v

An invitation to Haiku vii
A Note On The Text ix
Acknowledgements x

Contents xii

Haiku -- The Poetry of the Seasons 1
Haiku's seasonal Awareness 3
Japanese Haiku 4
The Development of American Haiku 9

The Art of Haiku 13
Form 14
Season 24
Haiku Moment, Context, and Order of Perception 33
Juxtaposition and Working with Images 38
Senses in Haiku 45
Suggestion and Reverberation 51
Significance and Effect 53

Not Exactly Haiku: Senryu and Zappai 55
Haiku with a Snap: Nature and Human Nature 55
Haiku with a Zap: Wit and Syllable Counting 57

The Craft of Haiku 59
Language 60
Haiku on the Page 67
Other Techniques of Japanese Haiku 77
Haiku Grammar 79
Poetic Devices 84
Objectivity, Subjectivity, and Subjective Realism 92
The Secret to Writing Haiku 104
Getting in the Mood 104

Writing and Revising Haiku 106
Beginners' Haiku 106
A Haiku Typology 108
Why Edit? 112
Guidelines for Editing 112
Publishing Haiku 116

Haiku Arts: Renku, Haibun, and Haiga 119
Linked Verse Forms 119
Haibun 121
Haiga 122

From Basho to Barthes 125
The Aesthetics of Classical Haiku 125
Shiki: Three Stages in the Development of the Haiku Poet 133
Barthes: Finding the Pleats in the Silk of Life 138

From Nature Sketch to Wordless Poem 140
Haiku's Universal Appeal 140
A Look Ahead 143

Works Cited 146

Resources 147

Books 147
Print Journals 152
Online Journals 154
Other Online Resources 154
Haiku Organizations 155

Credits 156

Index 163

***

This is a very informative book about haiku -- what it is and what it is not.

The author's writing is unambiguous and insightful.

He places examples of failed haiku beside successful ones to illustrate the difficulties and subtleties of technique.

***

I was very pleased to find a point addressed that I had always wondered about concerning whether it is better to use the present-tense or participle form for verbs in haiku -- or whether it matters at all.

A haiku almost always will present a moment in the present. That means that the verbs used are likely to be in the form of either the simple present-tense (e.g. runs, paints, fishes, etc.) or participle (e.g. running, painting, fishing, etc).

Well, apparently there is no set rule about which to use, but here is an example of what the use of the participle will allow:

One of my own (not necessarily good) haiku used as an example:

a garden pond
drawing the moon out
from behind a cloud

The use of drawing allows that it can be read as any of these: "a garden pond [is] drawing" or "...[was] drawing," or even "...[will be] drawing."
Using the participial form provides the haiku with a versatility or flexibility with regard to the dimension of time.

Here's what it would be using the simple present tense form:

a garden pond
draws the moon out
from behind a cloud

The versatility that the participle provided is gone, but it also may be true that this version rings more pleasurably to the ear.

Well, anyway he speaks about that in his book and I just appreciated that he addressed that point; no other haiku book that I have ever read had ever done so.

(By the way, if you are interested in reading about this particular point for yourself it is to be found starting on page 79 in the "Haiku Grammar" section.)

***
In conclusion:

The author thoroughly fills you in about haiku's origins, evolution and its future.

There are many examples of successful haiku from many of today's practicing haiku poets included with valuable analysis for each.

This is a very worthwhile book for becoming acquainted with the haiku verse form and I could find no fault with it.

I heartily recommend it to you.

. . . but anyone serious about writing haiku in English (or any language, if they read English) will find *Haiku: A Poet's Guide* invaluable. Unlike other books on haiku which make your head spin with lists and rules for beginners, this one helps beginners get off the ground and soon reach the point where they can evaluate their own work. Coming as it does from the editor of the premiere English-language haiku magazine and a fine poet (get his *Fresh Scent*, while you're at it), this book goes into more depth, yields more insight, than anything else available in the field so far. This is the one to keep on your desk or in your backpack.

An excellent book for the advanced writer of haiku as well as the beginner. You will find yourself referring to it over and over and re-reading it for the sheer pleasure of it. The only error is in the title - I have recommended this wonderful book to many non-poet friends and discovered to my delight that they enjoyed it as much as I. Truly, a treat!

An essential book for anyone concerned with haiku and its writing. Lee Gurga deals with all the technical and philosophical points related to the haiku writing in short, clear, precise chapters . Without grandeliquent discussions, Gurga goes to the important aspects for every point. Each is illustrated by clear examples that help the reader to assimilate it. In my opinion this book is an indispensable introduction for every beginner but also very useful to experienced poets in helping them to reassess his or her own style.

Serge Tome, editor of tempslibres.org

If you want to know "how a haiku means" in English (as the poet John Ciardi might have said), buy this book.

Haiku, A Poet's Guide is a concise introduction to the art, craft, and aesthetics of haiku in English. The example haiku alone, selected by Gurga from poems that were suggested by many poets, are worth the price of the book. Gurga's illuminating comments on individual poems and on haiku in general are even more valuable.

Books on writing haiku break down into two categories -- Gurga's and all the rest! His is in a class all by itself. No matter what your level of experience in haiku -- from beginner to seasoned pro -- this one just MUST be on your shelf...after a dozen enjoyable reads, that is!

I have recently begun writing haiku not knowing much about it except it was a three line poem and it used a 5/7/5 syllable format. What I did not know was the history of haiku, the rules of writing and the development from Japanese to English language. I read a lot of information off the net but then I found this book which really tells you all you need to know about haiku, before you start to write them yourself. It not only gives historical background and explains the problem of syllables but tells you a great deal about the background rules and attitudes that inform the poem, if it can really be called a poem.
I really recommend this to anyone, who wants to know about haiku and its past and curent history, but realise that you may find it a life changing experience

This book is one the best I have ever bought and that is saying a lot because i buy approximately one book a week. It is direct to the point and chock full of information from beginning to end. I wish I had found this book before I had found this book before I started writing haiku. Buy this book and thank yourself later!Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-on Guide

I'm just beginning to get into Haiku and purchased this book based on recommendations here on Amazon. I'm very glad I did.

The book provides a thorough overview of the art of Haiku and its nuiances. Further, the prose is written in a very engaging style -- there were times when I had to force myself to put the book down to do something else that needed to be done.

The book is also printed on very nice paper (smooth to the touch with a good weight) and the presentation is pleasing.

All in all, I'd say this is a good book for at least beginners to have as a reference. (Since I'm not a Haiku expert, I can't really comment on its usefulness for more experience practioners.)

As a haiku newbie, I had many questions. What makes great haiku, how to read haiku, what's the deal with syllables, etc. Haiku: A Poet's Guide answers them all and then some.

It goes into the subtle (and not so subtle) differences between true haiku and what passes for haiku, the differences between haiku, senryu and zappai, and many other distinctions. I had no idea haiku could be so intricate. And beautiful. This book is a gateway to a life long pursuit.

After reading this book once, I feel like I'm on the right path. I'll need to read it several times, though, if I'm going to write and critique my own "truthfulness" haiku (see page 133). Right now, I'm just taking it one haiku moment at a time.

Yesterday it was 70 degrees. Today, 20 with the wind chill factor and snowing. I wrote...

flowers await
the death of winter
a full time job

Lots of room for improvement, I'm sure, but a satisfying moment for me. Thanks to this book.