Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches

Matsuo Basho (Author) Matsuo Basho, the Japanese poet and diarist, was born in Iga-ueno near Kyoto in 1644. He began to write verse while studying as the companion of the son of the local lord, and continued to write when he moved to Edo (now Tokyo) in 1667. He eventually became a recluse, and on his travels relied on the hospitality of temples and fellow poets. His work was much influenced by Zen Buddhism.Nobuyuki Yuasa (Translator) Nobuyuki Yuasa taught English at the University of Hiroshima.

• The Narrow Road to the Deep NorthAcknowledgmentsIntroductionThe Records of a Weather-Exposed SkeletonA Visit to the Kashima ShrineThe Records of a Travel-Worn SatchelA Visit to Sarashina VillageThe Narrow Road to the Deep NorthMap 1. Central JapanMap 2. Central JapanMap 3. Northern JapanNotes

1. 5/5

   Ett fulländat och poetiskt mästerverk

   "Bashô had been casting away his earthly attachments, one by one, in the years preceding the journey, and now he had nothing else to cast away but his own self which was in him as well as around him. He had to cast this self away, for otherwise he was not able to restore his true identity (what he calls the 'everlasting self which is poetry", så står det i introduktionen till Penguin Books utgåva av den japanska poeten Matsuo Bashôs största verk Oku no Hosomichi. En resedagbok där vi får följa Bashô medan han reser och begrundar naturen och dess säsonger. I takten av långsamma slag målar Bashô poesi över sin historia. När dåtida japanska konstnärer ritade tavlor ville de inte att vi enbart skulle se bilden, utan också att vi skulle medvetet följa de penseldragen konstnären haft i åtanke. När Bashôs berättelse tar slut har vi följt många penseldrag, och tillsammans utgör de en bild som lätt blir till insikt.

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   29 juli 2012