Basho, one of the greatest of Japanese poets and the master of haiku, was also a Buddhist monk and a life-long traveller. His poems combine 'karumi', or lightness of touch, with the Zen ideal of oneness with creation. Each poem evokes the natural world - the cherry blossom, the leaping frog, the summer moon or the winter snow - suggesting the smallness of human life in comparison to the vastness and drama of nature. Basho himself enjoyed solitude and a life free from possessions, and his h...

A masterful translation of one of the most-loved classics of Japanese literature—part travelogue, part haiku collection, part account of spiritual awakeningBashō (1644–1694)—a great luminary of Asian literature who elevated the haiku to an art form of utter simplicity and intense spiritual beauty—is renowned in the West as the author of Narrow Road to the Interior, a travel diary of linked prose and haiku recounting his journey through the far northern pro...

'It was with aweThat I beheldFresh leaves, green leaves,Bright in the sun'When the Japanese haiku master Basho composed The Narrow Road to the Deep North, he was an ardent student of Zen Buddhism, setting off on a series of travels designed to strip away the trappings of the material world and bring spiritual enlightenment. He writes of the seasons changing, the smell of the rain, the brightness of the moon and the beauty of the waterfall, through whic...

'Nothing more lonely -'A selection of Basho's most magical haikuIntroducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and ...

A lively new translation of "the greatest of all Japanese books of spiritual wandering" (Robert Hass).In the spring of 1689, Basho set off from Tokyo on a now-famous pilgrimage: this epic walk, spanning about 1500 miles, took him to the deep north of Honshu, and then back along the island’s western coast and finally down to Lake Biwa. Along his route he encountered friends and fellow travelers, the changing seasons and terrains, renowned sites (temples, waterfalls,...

Vivid new translations of Basho's popular haiku, in a selected format ideal for newcomers as well as fans long familiar with the Japanese master.Basho, the famously bohemian traveler through seventeenth-century Japan, is a poet attuned to the natural world as well as humble human doings; "Piles of quilts/ snow on distant mountains/ I watch both," he writes. His work captures both the profound loneliness of one observing mind and the broad-ranging joy he finds in ou...

A stimulating exploration of the haiku masterpiece.Matsuo Basho (1644-94) is considered Japan's greatest haiku poet. Narrow Road to the Interior (Oku no Hosomichi) is his masterpiece. Ostensibly a chronological account of the poet's five-month journey in 1689 into the deep country north and west of the old capital, Edo, the work is in fact artful and carefully sculpted, rich in literary and Zen allusion and filled with great insights and vital rhythms....

Anton ChekhovH.H. Munro (SAKI)HP LovecraftBjørnstjerne BjørnsonStephen LeacockSherwood AndersonO. HenryAmbrose BierceMatsuo BashoJames JoyceEdted by Ahmet Ünal ÇAM

Motherhood is defined in the dictionary as "the experience of having and raising a child". But we know that there is much more to motherhood than the simplicity of this definition. The stories in this book were inspired by purity and pain, by joy and apprehension, by the countless nuances of being a mother. Discover the seven stories selected by the critic August Nemo that explore the beauty and uniqueness of motherhood. This book contains: - Motherhood by Sherwood Anderson. - The Burglar'...

One of the functions of literature is to share experiences and reflections, thus improving the community as a whole. It is in this spirit that the authors compiled here wrote stories full of important lessons. Critic August Nemo selected seven short stories with timeless messages: The Aged Mother by Matsuo Basho - The Five Boons of Life by Mark Twain - The Awful Fate of Melpomenus Jones by Stephen Leacock - Work, Death and Sickness by Leo Tolstoy - The Father by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson - Ema...

Deeply emotional and empathetic, the loyal and gentle Cancer will feel your pain and sincerely celebrate your victories. Its dark side hides a tendency to resentment and manipulation. In this book you will find seven short stories specially selected to illustrate the different aspects of the Cancer personality. For a more complete experience, be sure to also read the anthologies of your rising sign and moon! This book contains: - Second Labor of Hercules, the Hydra. - The Aged Mother by Ma...

Japanese poetry is well-known for its clarity and concision, and Narrow Road to the Interior and Hōjōki are two of the best-loved, and most intensely Japanese, works of their kind; famous for their beautiful, delicate verse and subtle insight into the human condition. It has been said of Narrow Road that ‘it was as if the very soul of Japan had itself written it’. It takes the form of a travel diary, and traces the poet’s journey from Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to the northern interior. Hōjōki...