| NOTA |
(★)(In this pathbreaking volume, literary scholar and critic Koji Kawamoto analyzes and explains the mechanics of Japanese poetic forms, looking behind the ´mystic aura´ that surrounds the traditional forms of haiku and waka to show just how the deceptively simple metrics of seven and five syllables that are the building blocks of traditional Japanese poetic forms pack information and intense emotional content into a short space. The author´s purpose is nothing less than to demystify Japanese poetry by examining its conventions and demonstrating how they work. Why are classical Japanese poems mostly restricted to short lyrics? How does one ´read between the lines´ of the verbal fragments to infer their meanings? Why is there so much emphasis on the seasons, and so much use of stereotypes and conventions? Why are syllabic segments limited to sevens and fives? The author dissects the themes, diction, and forms of Japanese verse, using copious examples from both classical and modern literature, and compares these elements with those of Western and Chinese verse. This volume´s presentation of the history of Japanese poetic forms, its detailed analysis of dozens of examples, and its presentation of the critical discussion that has surrounded poetry in Japan over the centuries combine to form a rich, multi-textured discussion of the subject. In its original Japanese version, this book won wide critical and popular acclaim, and was awarded several important literary prizes. This translation makes it available to readers and scholars of Japanese and comparative literature around the world. Koji Kawamoto is Professor of Comparative Literature and Culture at the University of Tokyo.) |
BASE de DATOS, Biblioteca del Centro Cultural de la Embajada de Japon
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