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Wabi Sabi Simple: Create beauty. Value imperfection. Live deeply. [Paperback]

Richard R. Powell
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)


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Book Description

November 10, 2004
Wabi sabi is an ancient Japanese aesthetic that values the imperfect, the handmade and the simple. By living the wabi sabi life, Westerners would be seeking to find peace and truth through nature, harmony and the little things. Readers can explore all aspects of this wondrous way of life:- Wabi sabi working - doing what one loves and not overdoing it; Wabi sabi eating - valuing the humble and familiar and savouring the exotic; Wabi sabi socializing - gleaning the lessons of the ancient tea ceremony; Wabi sabi creativity - enriching one's life by; valuing individual moments. The author serves as a highly eloquent guide on the reader's journey to a simpler, more fulfilling life.


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard R Powell studied creative writing and holds a BA in Psychology and a certificate in biblical studies.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Adams Media (November 10, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1593371780
  • ISBN-13: 978-1593371784
  • Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.6 x 7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648,951 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David McFadden introduced me to the Japanese poetic tradition in my first creative writing course in 1983. Basho, Issa, and other itinerant poets footing it across a rugged landscape appealed to my youthful imagination. The wandering mendicants reminded me of my own rambles down Kootenay back roads visiting with rural artists and potters. I belonged to those mountain towns, pastoral valleys, and overgrown orchards, and I exposed rolls of film to capture the qualities I loved there. Years later a description of wabi sabi in the book Washi: World of Japanese Paper by Sukey Hughes finally provided words for those qualities.

When I wrote Wabi Sabi Simple the only dedicated book on the market at the time was Leonard Koren's Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers which is still a standard on the subject today. My research continued for my second book, Wabi Sabi for Writers, which is a deeper exploration of the relationship between wabi sabi, poetry, and a quality of writing that Basho arrived at late in his life.

Karumi, as he called it, is the result of following "the way of elegance," a literary path towards lightness, acceptance, and beauty. I'm following the "way of elegance" now as I continue to write from my home on Vancouver Island. I hope you will visit stillinthestream.com for more information and updates on my latest projects.

Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
(12)
3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 54 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Become aware of the Wabi Sabi You're Already Living January 8, 2005
Format:Paperback
In this book, the author looks at the everyday and finds the magic in it. His prose quickly engages and literally sets a mood that helps readers appreciate the ideas he is writing about. In other words, the book itself is an example of what makes Wabi Sabi consciousness special. Although, let me quickly say that Wabi Sabi is like Zen--as soon as you think you have a grip on it, it slips away. With chapters like Wabi Sabi at Home, Wabi Sabi Friends, Wabi Sabi at Work, and Wabi Sabi in the Garden, the author gives us methods and perspectives for more fully appreciating what has always been right in front of our eyes. I have seldom read a book that puts you more in the mood its subject. I highly recommend this book.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Wabi Sabi Subtle November 27, 2006
Format:Paperback
I found this book a bit of a challenge initially because my left, analytical, logical brain was searching for a step-by-step description of what wabi sabi is. Having never heard of wabi sabi, at times I wondered if someone had pulled a fast one me with a spoof of Eastern beliefs and the way Westerners embrace them. As I continued to read I realized that Powell was teaching wabi sabi by writing, shall we say, in a wabi sabi style. He never provides a clear definition, yet his beautiful prose conveys the sense of what wabi sabi is. Powell is a very talented writer, and the book is worth the price just for the prose - elegant, tight, beautiful imagery with sometimes powerful and sometimes subtle metaphors. I would recommend this book as an initial dip into the waters of wabi sabi, with further exploration the responsibility of the reader.
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47 of 59 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars Total waste!! Save yourselves!! December 15, 2005
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is masquerading as a book about wabi sabi, but it actually is a collection of rambling, disorganized, incoherent personal journal entries. The topics include some of the most random and inconsequential subjects I have ever encountered. I have many books on wabi sabi and even the how-to books on things such as the wabi sabi house or the wabi sabi garden cover a deeper level of the philosophy in 4-5 pages than this entire book achieves. This is one of those books that you start reading, and within the first sentences you see, immediately start thinking of how to dispose of it. I would feel guilty selling this book to anyone else because it would not only be a waste of the buyer's money but the buyer's time and shelf space. This is, quite seriously, the worst book I currently own.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!
This is a fantastic little book that I keep bringing out to read and re-read, along with "Wabi Sabi for Writers. Read more
Published 1 day ago by El Jay
5.0 out of 5 stars wabi sabi
This book was written very simply. It has great tips on living a simple and well balanced life. It covers all aspects.
Published 2 months ago by Lourdes V. Arteaga
5.0 out of 5 stars love it!
great read, literally couldn't put it down. great messages. great book to scribble all over and write your thoughts in while reading.
Published 24 months ago by me
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, soft spoken
I bought this book while on a business trip and I planned to read it on the plane home. I could not put it down. Read more
Published on July 12, 2009 by Short Dog
5.0 out of 5 stars Wabi Sabi
This is the first book I've read about Wabi Sabi. Fascinating and well-written with a gentle and informative style. I pick it up quite often to re-read a chapter or so.
Published on September 21, 2008 by Tumblewords
5.0 out of 5 stars Life After Wabi Sabi
If I could personaly thank Mr. Richard Powell, for the imence amount of good his work has done for me, I most certainly would. Read more
Published on July 24, 2006 by Sir. Phillip Heyes III
3.0 out of 5 stars Pretty good.
Maybe not THE book on the subject but certainly a worthwhile read. I don't understand the one star reviews.
Published on April 5, 2006 by petaloka
1.0 out of 5 stars wabi sabi for the simple minded
This is not a good book. I got very little out of it.
Published on January 3, 2006 by spellbinder
1.0 out of 5 stars What a stretch!
The author has little first hand knowledge of the history or experience of the subject.
Published on October 23, 2005 by Charles D. Oesterly
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