Basho: The Complete Haiku

By far the best collection of Basho's poetry in my opinion. A thorough introduction to his life, works, and impact is followed by virtually all of his works by stages of his life, introduced with a text and laid out beautifully with 4-5 poems per page. The poems are numbered, and at the end of the book one can find a short opening-up of each poem, with the Japanese original, its transliteration, possible puns or translation difficulties, or perhaps other helpful information to put the haiku into context. All of this is accompanied by wonderful artwork by Shiro Tsujimura, which make this a wonderful object to have in one's home.

It's pleasing to have the complete text of these splendid poems under one convenient cover, along with a kind of crib to the Japanese - especially useful to those like myself whose Japanese is minimal. However the English versions don't, to my ear, convey much beauty or atmosphere, and many of the notes read like recipes for writing pseudo-haiku in English (I know people do this, but why?) I'd have preferred more insight into Basho's world and how he saw (and heard and smelt) it, and how he differed from other writers such as Issa and Buson.

This book is a delight to read. The haiku are first presented in English so can be read as any translated poetry book, although inevitably losing something of the original. The second part of the book provides not only the romaji transliteration and a literal translation, but also the original kanji script, which IMO always adds a wonderful additional layer of expression, not to mention their aesthetic attraction. It also provides explanations and background information which again, add much to the enjoyment of reading these poems. The index of first lines is really useful.One minor issue for me is that the kanji are printed rather small and are thus difficult to read, particularly for someone who is still very much at the start of learning to read them. I guess this might have made the book even thicker, but maybe someone out there has published such a version, or may do so in the future. Ideally, for study purposes, it would be better to have the translation on the same page as the original to avoid constantly flipping to the back section to get a better understanding of the haiku.However, overall, this book is excellent value for money, nicely presented hardback and a wonderful introduction to Basho's work.

If you like this type of poetry, you must have this book in your home library!!!I'm glad a bought a hardcover - it is easier to hold.

Brought this as a Xmas present for my brother last year was really pleased with it and my brother loved it. He really likes Haiku and Basho so was really happy with this beautifully written book l got him.

Basho poetryTouches your heart so deepSeagulls in the Sea

Excellent book well written. Fast delivery and good packaging. Reasonable price.

I was a little dubious about Jane Reichold, but I have to say she's written a fabulously insightful forward and her love of haiku is apparent. Basho's writing is very though-provoking and inspiring, and an excellent companion for all seasons.