Zen Haiku: Poems and Letters of Natsume Soseki [Paperback]

Soseki Natsume (Author), Soiku Shigematsu (Author, Translator), Natsume Soseki (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Weatherhill; 1st edition (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0834803240
• ISBN-13: 978-0834803244
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 4.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,409,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Japanese & Haiku
  • #37 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Religion & Spirituality > Buddhism > Zen

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soseki Takes a Haiku, April 22, 2006

By 

Crazy Fox (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Zen Haiku: Poems and Letters of Natsume Soseki (Paperback)

We really get to see a different side of the great novelist Natsume Soseki in this compact little volume. The haiku are refreshing, often whimsical with a light touch of humor. A few thematize Zen ("Emptiness, no holiness, Bodhidharma's statue: Daffodils in the water" p. 107), some thematize Buddhism more generally ("Buddha Nature, if compared, Must be this White bell-flower" p.96), but most, while good, do kind of leave you wondering what is specifically "Zen" about them, but no matter. A real surprise though were the examples of Soseki's paintings and calligraphy; I knew he dabbled with watercolor painting but had little idea he was this accomplished in traditional East Asian art forms in this manner. These add a real nice touch to an artistically arranged book that can still fit in your pocket and travel along wherever you happen to go.