After Ikkyu and Other Poems (Paperback)

by Jim Harrison (Author)

Editorial Reviews

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Bear
Coyote No. 1
The Davenport Lunar Eclipse
North
Return To Yesenin
Sonoran Radio
Time Suite
Twilight
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

Review
"Behind the words one always feels the presence of a passionate, exuberant man who is at the same time possessed of a quick, subtle intelligence and a deeply questioning attitude toward life. He writes so winningly that one is simply content to be in the presence of a writer this vital, this large-spirited."— New York Times Book Review "After Ikkyu typifies the attitude of making the best of an unpredictable and yearning universe, turning basic survival into koans that make the reader think and wonder about the world we live in. Harrison has the poet's gift of making the most everyday occurrences suddenly seem miraculous and fresh."—Kathleen Youmans, Small Press

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Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (August 20, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570622183
• ISBN-13: 978-1570622182
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #722,107 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best work since Harrison's early poems, October 9, 1997

By A Customer

This is a small book, physically - less than 100 pages, poems mostly less than 10 lines, the book printed in a small format, even the printing by Shambala Press was small for the hardbound edition - less than a thousand. But this is certainly some of Harrison's best poetry in years. A few years ago, Harrison gave a reading at Michigan State University (his alma mater, but he's not that fond of the place) and mentioned to an interviewer beforehand that he considers himself an "unreconstructed Buddhist." Perhaps something of the same could be said for Ikkyu, the 15th century Zen priest and poet, who was somewhat unconventional himself. That Harrison should identify with and base these poems on Ikkyu's unconventional style seems, to this reviewer, natural. These poems are small wonders, seemingly effortless in the way that they work on the reader--tho I imagine Harrison would not say that these were effortless to write. Life, death, the moon, the stripper in some bar out west, the friends (two and four-legged), riding a horse, watching the moon... Too many years gone, and not many left. That's a recurring theme. But also another: living means learning lessons, every day. Shut up and listen. An old Zen instruction, but it comes across here as fresh as Ikkyu's work must have been 4 centuries ago. In short - a pretty damn good collection of poems, from a writer whose poetry should be appreciated more.