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Reviews
The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches (Yuasa) by Matsuo BashÅ, Nobuyuki Yuasa
sl0w_reader's review against another edition
3.0
This 'little book of travel' through Japan by one its greatest poets is simple, subtle and charming, if a little stiff in places (the translation?). A small sip from its pages each night was a gentle invitation to let the mind wander. I particularly enjoyed the sample verses from Basho's poetic companions given occasionally alongside his own, all written at the same time, which helped build up a sense of the varied possibilities of haiku.
_tourist's review against another edition
what do mountains care
for the fame of human words?
we who eat mountains
for the fame of human words?
we who eat mountains
scheu's review against another edition
5.0
A small taste of a placid and genuine world that I hope to revisit soon.
hexagong's review against another edition
4.0
The introduction in this book is almost my favorite part. It is very informative and interesting, helping you understand the context of the time, and Basho as a person. I recommend it as a starter to Basho because of the great intro, which takes up half of this short book.
pickle_burner's review against another edition
4.0
The post script of Narrow Road was like a punch in the stomach. You can see that current narratives like Drive My Car are very much from the same culture though separated by hundreds of years.
Reading this, I am reminded how little I know. There is a whole world of references and cultural assumptions in these narratives that I know nothing about. The footnotes help, but rather than bringing you the familiarity you long for, they just give you a sense of how much distance there is between you now and Japan then.
I could see Narrow Road being made into a movie, tho one that is less about the journey and more about Basho.
Reading this, I am reminded how little I know. There is a whole world of references and cultural assumptions in these narratives that I know nothing about. The footnotes help, but rather than bringing you the familiarity you long for, they just give you a sense of how much distance there is between you now and Japan then.
I could see Narrow Road being made into a movie, tho one that is less about the journey and more about Basho.
_bookmoth's review against another edition
3.0
More like a travel log than a haiku companion. I guess I am too unfamiliar with Japanese geography and topography to appreciate the travels that much, though writing poems during travels is an inspiring idea.