Bill Higginson writes:
"Haiku happen all the time, wherever there are people who
are 'in touch' with the world of their senses, and with
their own felling response to it."
The Haiku Handbook is the first book to give the reader everything
needed to begin writing or teaching haiku. It presents haiku poets
writing in English, Spanish, French, German and five other languages on
an equal footing with Japanese poets. Not only are the four great
Japanese masters of the haiku represented (Basho, Buson, Issa, and Shiki)
but also several major Western authors not commonly known to have written
haiku.The book presents a concise history of the Japanese haiku, including the dynamic changes throughout the twentieth century as the haiku has been adapted to suburban and industrial settings. Full chapters are offered on form, the seasons in haiku, and haiku craft, plus background on the Japanese poetic tradition and the effect of translation on our understanding of haiku. Other unique features are the lesson plans for both elementary and secondary school use; and lists of haiku publishers and magazines (in several languages). The Handbook concludes with a full reference section of haiku-related terms, bibliography, and a comprehensive season-word list to aid in understanding and appreciating Japanese haiku.
"...The most comprehensive compendium of the haiku - its nature, uses and
history - ever to appear in English, or any other language except
Japanese."
- Cor van den Heuvel, author, The Haiku Anthology
Haiku - 4 volumes.
Blyth
"A Zen Wave - Basho's Haiku & Zen" - 192 pages.
Robert Aitken. Published by Weatherhill Inc.
ISBN: 0-8348-0137-X