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Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary

by Bashō Matsuo (Author), Makoto Ueda (Editor, Translator)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 13 ratings
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This book has a dual purpose. The first is to present in a new English translation 255 representative hokku (or haiku) poems of Matsuo Basho (1644-94), the Japanese poet who is generally considered the most influential figure in the history of the genre. The second is to make available in English a wide spectrum of Japanese critical commentary on the poems over the last three hundred years.

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  1. ISBN-10
    0804725268
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0804725262
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 1992
  4. Language
    English
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 1.17 x 9 inches
  6. Print length
    468 pages
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The first book in a Western language that conveys the richness, range, genius, and power of Basho's poetry. . . . A gem of a work."―Chanoyu Quarterly

From the Back Cover

“The first book in a Western language that conveys the richness, range, genius, and power of Basho’s poetry. . . . A gem of a work.”—Chanoyu Quarterly

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Stanford University Press (January 1, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 468 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0804725268
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804725262
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.48 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.17 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 13 ratings

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Makoto Ueda

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Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
13 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

An_Amazon_Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL, INTERESTING
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2014
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The haiku in this collection are absolutely beautiful, and the best I have ever read.
Printed next to each haiku, are the literal translations of each word. These literal translations are fascinating and provide insight into both the poet and the translator for the non japanese speaking reader. In addition, below each haiku are several brief reactions/comments written by scholars and poets...there are very, very interesting. The forward is also fascinating. An enjoyable, beautiful, rich and thoughtful book.
4 people found this helpful
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Lothe
4.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2008
Writing about the great haiku poet Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), in both Japanese and English, is  widespread , and  translations  of his  poems  and  prose   works   are   myriad . In "Basho and His Interpreters," Basho authority  Makoto Ueda  gives us something new: an anthology of commentary.

The book features 255 of Basho's poems, arranged in chronological order and spanning his entire life. After each poem are selections from several Japanese commentators--sometimes just two or three, sometimes five or more for especially important or well-known poems. Commentators range from contemporaries of Basho to modern-day thinkers and writers.

Basho has traditionally been revered, and if the book has a weakness it is that the comments on a given poem sometimes blur together as too many cite the same source poem and lavish the same praise. (The pattern is sometimes broken up--for example, by Masaoka Shiki who, writing at the end of the 19th century, felt Basho had been too much loved and sought explicitly to take him down a peg.) More to the point, the best selections of comments reveal the more subtle disputes between interpreters. In regard to one poem ("how solemn!", p. 231), one writer says "The poet's virtuosity here is almost intimidating"; but another states flatly, "This is not a good poem." In another poem (p. 249), commentators debate whether one cicada or several is present.

In addition to the commentaries proper, Ueda adds concise surveys of each year of Basho's life, with emphasis on his artistic development and poetic activities. Ueda's writing is lucid, which is reflected in the poems and commentaries: the translations of the haiku, if not daring, are accurate and perfectly useful in the context; the commentaries are also translated into highly readable prose.

Taken together, these materials should appeal to a range of readers: those interested in Basho on an academic level will find new points of view (and without the work of sifting through the voluminous body of criticism history has left us), while those new to the poet can learn to appreciate the beauty and scope of both his work and his life.

~
11 people found this helpful
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Spinozist
5.0 out of 5 stars Diving board into haiku
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2016
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This book has a certain magic. Each poem is focused on with multiple commentaries as well as two translations, one literary, one literal word by word. Also the Japanese words are provided. The result is haiku "haikued", as the initial focus of the haiku is multiplied by several layers of perspective. You can go deep with this book

The period commentaries are refreshingly not postmodern! They breathe the sensibilities of another era.
4 people found this helpful
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Kalankit Haseena
1.0 out of 5 stars Not up to the mark
Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2020
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I ordered this book with high hopes but shut it firmly after browsing it. The translations are not good. Here is Haruo Shirane's translation of Basho coming across an old battlefield, now overgrown:

summer grasses --
traces of dreams
of ancient warriors

And this is Ueda:

summer grasses
where stalwart soldiers
once dreamed a dream.

Clearly, Ueda has a tin ear.
2 people found this helpful
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sonia fox
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2017
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Great.
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H. Oliver
5.0 out of 5 stars A must for anyone interested in Basho
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2007
This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Basho, haiku, or Japanese literature. Ueda combines Basho's own verse with interpretations by well-known haikai commentators (including Akutagawa, Rohan, Hagiwara, and Abe Jiro etc) and entries from Basho's own travel diaries, in which he describes many of the situations that inspired many of his poems. This is a good introduction for beginners and afficionados alike, for it provides a great deal of background information and a wide scale of interpretations that add depth and connotation to the readers understanding of each verse. The book also includes a glossary of terms as well as a section of short biographies for the commentators.
9 people found this helpful
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Phinaes
5.0 out of 5 stars basho's verse in depth
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2004
this book is great as a collection of representative verses by basho, the greatest master in the haikai tradition.

i'll just add to the other reviewer's remarks that this book can also be read from cover to cover so you can get a feel for basho's development as a poet. overall, a nice book.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

pratima bala
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in India on March 27, 2016
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It is my basic haiku bible
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