Penguin book of haiku (Penguin Books)

First Penguin volume§Of best Japanese haiku§Vivid translations§§A Japanese poetry form that flourished from the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, haiku are defined aby their brevity: they are usually only three lines long and a total of seventeen syllables. Most famously, they use natural imagery to make Zen-like observations about reality. However, as this anthology reveals, there's much more to haiku than cherry blossoms and waning moons: the verse included here is frequently erotic, funny, rude, and mischievous. Adam Kern has travelled throughout Japan to gather the best and most important examples of the genre, and his vivid and engaging translations form the basis of the Penguin Book of Haiku.§§For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced żeby introductions and notes aby distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations aby award-winning translators.