FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE.
CONTACT: World Haiku Association
c/o Ban’ya Natsuishi, publisher and editor
Fujimi(Saitama, near Tokyo), Japan
www.worldhaiku.net
E-mail: haikubanya@mub.biglobe.ne.jp
World Haiku 2008,
No. 4: a multilingual collection of contemporary haiku from around the
world.
(Published by
Schichigatsudo Publishing, Tokyo, Japan, ISBN 978-4-87944-117-1, $15, €13,
2008, 230 pages, softcover, edited by Ban’ya Natsuishi for the World Haiku
Association)
This year’s edition
of World Haiku (the fourth annual) does not disappoint. It is a first-rate
collection of haiku from around the world, written in both Japanese, English,
French, Portuguese and a myriad of other languages – all proudly
representing contemporary haiku from diverse cultural perspectives. The
contributors to this collection of short works and essays on haiku include such
noted authors as: Casimiro de Brito (Portugal), Mohammed Bennis (Morocco),
Ban'ya Natsuishi (Japan), Sayumi Kamkura (Japan), Leons Briedis (Latvia), Jim
Kacian (USA), Grant Caldwell (Australia), Marius Chelaru (Romania), Santosh
Kumar (India), R. Siqinchogt (Inner Mongolia) and Orlando Gonzalez Esteva
(Cuba). However, in the true spirit of the editor Ban’ya Natsuishi and the
World Haiku Association, many other lesser known haiku artists are also
featured in this multilingual anthology – from Japan and the rest of the
world, and of all ages (including a special section dedicated to haiku by
children and young persons). The intention of this book is therefore to present
the breadth of haiku writing from around the world, to both Japanese and
non-Japanese poets and lovers of haiku in a multilingual publication, thus
featuring some of the more esteemed contemporary haiku artists alongside
aspiring haiku poets.
In addition, this
book features several essays on haiku writing, most notably haiku literary
critical essays by Ban’ya Natsuishi (Japan) and Orlando Gonzalez Esteva (Cuba), but also including fine
essays written by Leons Briedis (Latvia) and Vasile Moldovan (Romania). In his remarkable essay entitled
“Future of World Haiku”, Ban’ya Natsuishi not only puts haiku writing in an
historical and intercultural perspective, but also explains to readers the
difference between haiku and short poems as well as successful and less
successful haiku. Like myself, Mr. Natsuishi questions the concept and practice
of the so-called “haiku moment”. For Ban’ya Natsuishi and myself, true haiku is
more poetic, more concerned with multiple meanings and dimensions, and
intrinsically representative of the “essence” of all poetry. As I have written
elsewhere, haiku is not so much about “limitations” as it is concerned with
creating expressions of artistic, cognitive and experiential expansion within a
format characterized (among other things) by reduced size.
A few of my own
personal favorites include:
O lago não sabe
até que chegue o
vento
quantas ondas tem
by David
Rodrigues (Portugal)
and
Une colline de
parfum
naît en face du
lac
nuée jamais je ne
peux l’atteindre
by Mohammed
Bennis (Morocco)
and
O teu corpo nu
Ao lado do meu
corpo nu:
Música ou
silêncio?
By Casimiro de
Brito (Portugal)
as well as
The blue
sky—
horse dung
becomes a castle
of ants
by Ban’ya
Natsuishi (Japan)
and
The deep color of
girlhood
remains
by Toshiko
Kobayashi (Japan)
For more information
about the World Haiku Association, its publication, or to schedule an
interview, please contact Ban’ya Natsuishi at www.worldhaiku.net,
e-mail: haikubanya@mub.biglobe.ne.jp
ABOUT THE editor:
Ban'ya Natsuishi (JAPAN) which is the pen name of
Masayuki Inui, was born in Aioi City, Hyôgo Prefecture, Japan. He studied at Tokyo University where
he received a Masters of Arts in Comparative Literature and Culture in 1981. In
1992 he was appointed Professor at Meiji University where he continues to
teach. In 1993, he gave lectures at Jilin University in China, and
was invited to a haiku meeting in Germany in 1994, and also in Italy
in 1995. From 1996 to 1998, he was a guest research fellow at Paris 7th
University. In 1998, and together with Sayumi Kamakura, he founded the
international haiku quarterly "Ginyu", functioning as its publisher
and editor-in-chief. In 2000, after attending the Global Haiku Festival in USA,
he co-founded the World Haiku Association, based in Slovenia. He currently
works as the association’s director. In 2001 Natsuishi attended the Vilenica
Poetry Festival in Slovenia, in 2003 the Struga Poetry Evenings in Macedonia,
and in the same year he worked as the Chairman of The Steering Committee for
the 2nd World Haiku Association Conference, which was held in Japan.
In 2004 he was invited to the poetry festival at Porto Santo in Portugal. In
2005 he attended the 3rd World Haiku Association Conference in
Bulgaria, the 3rd Wellington International Poetry Festival, and
presided over the international haiku session of Euro-Japan Poetry Festival in
Tokyo. In 2006 he was invited to Poetry Spring in Vilnius, Lithuania and
the Ohrid P.E.N. Conference in Macedonia. In 2007 he visited Inner Mongolia and
promoted haiku writing there, and also in that year he held the 4th
World Haiku Association Conference in Tokyo, functioning as its chairperson. In
2008 he will preside over the Tokyo Poetry Festival 2008 (functioning
as the director of the festival).
ABOUT THE REVIEWER:
ADAM
DONALDSON POWELL (Norway) is a literary critic and a multilingual author,
writing in English, Spanish, French and Norwegian; and a professional
visual artist. He has published seven books (including collections of
poetry, short stories and literary criticism) in the USA, Norway and India, as
well as several short and longer works in international literary publications
on several continents. He has previously authored theatrical works performed
onstage, and he has (to-date) read his poetry at venues in New York City, Oslo
(Norway), Buenos Aires and Kathmandu (Nepal).