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chrislatray's review against another edition
5.0
How much do I love this book? The warped cover and stained pages from the butt sweat of carrying it on multiple hikes best answers the question....
_ninahannah's review against another edition
4.0
It's one of those things that I can acknowledge the art of without necessarily enjoying it.
fil's review against another edition
3.0
I found Basho's travelogue much more interesting than his haiku. The sites, his travel companions, the scenery, all of it was a wonderful read.
As a general rule I think haiku, on their own, are overrated and kind of bland. The poetry within the reminiscences is beautiful since it is relevant to the memory, it helps a lot to have a frame of reference for the tired 5-7-5 setup.
I like how Basho viewed himself, he is refreshingly honest about the person he was. In one encounter he attaches a gift, as a 'thank you' to the farmer, to a guide horse (who can find his way home on his own). On the flip side he lets an abandoned child fend for himself after giving him some food. He is disillusioned by poets who seek fame but takes advantage of his own celebrity status. Although some instances make him look like less of a good person, they are not omitted from his memoirs.
The haiku part of this book was only skimmed, here and there. Their supposed beauty is completely lost on me, oh well...
As a general rule I think haiku, on their own, are overrated and kind of bland. The poetry within the reminiscences is beautiful since it is relevant to the memory, it helps a lot to have a frame of reference for the tired 5-7-5 setup.
I like how Basho viewed himself, he is refreshingly honest about the person he was. In one encounter he attaches a gift, as a 'thank you' to the farmer, to a guide horse (who can find his way home on his own). On the flip side he lets an abandoned child fend for himself after giving him some food. He is disillusioned by poets who seek fame but takes advantage of his own celebrity status. Although some instances make him look like less of a good person, they are not omitted from his memoirs.
The haiku part of this book was only skimmed, here and there. Their supposed beauty is completely lost on me, oh well...
alex34's review against another edition
5.0
Мацуо Башо е хаику-мајсторот на јапонското поднебје! Книга што вреди да се прочита, барем неколку пати. Сигурна сум дека дел од хаику-песничките остануваат со и во нас и после читањето. Интересното нешто е тоа што можеме тихо да си ги повторуваме, речиси како мантра. Песните на Башо се вжештени Сонца коишто не' облеваат после долгите, исцрпувачки денови поминати во мракот. Не само што е одличен познавач на човековата психологија, туку и се фокусира врз историските, книжевните движења на Јапонија и околните држави. Сето тоа суптилно прикажано низ доживувањето на природноста - шизен и леснотијата - каруми, прочуени карактеристики на древните јапонски вредности.
uroybd's review against another edition
5.0
Art is, to me, the most authentic self-expression. Beauty is secondary. Art thrives on our individuality, on our differences. This also implies that art is a mode of living. And how Bashō lived art!
Being a writer myself, I envy Bashō and his time. Yes, it was war-torn medieval Japan. But, people in general are so cincere. Even prostitues used to utter Haikus. More than that people used to remember poems with their context and history which is, in this age only done by experts. They cherished art and artists. Without so much distractions of our era, a person can live on very little and a poet could have been a hermit.
Bashō lived art in that time. He practices Zen. He immersed himself in writings of his predecessors. He preached his way of poetry and lived by his rules with absolute honesty. He tought himself to be one with the nature and when he wrote about nature, he wrote about himself.
And, what did he achieved? To me, Bashō is synonymous with excellence.
Being a writer myself, I envy Bashō and his time. Yes, it was war-torn medieval Japan. But, people in general are so cincere. Even prostitues used to utter Haikus. More than that people used to remember poems with their context and history which is, in this age only done by experts. They cherished art and artists. Without so much distractions of our era, a person can live on very little and a poet could have been a hermit.
Bashō lived art in that time. He practices Zen. He immersed himself in writings of his predecessors. He preached his way of poetry and lived by his rules with absolute honesty. He tought himself to be one with the nature and when he wrote about nature, he wrote about himself.
And, what did he achieved? To me, Bashō is synonymous with excellence.
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