Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was the most famous Japanese poet of the Edo period. Basho’s works have greatly influenced generations of poets and artists, including Ezra Pound and the Imagists, J.D. Salinger, the Beats, Yasunari Kawabata, and Octavio Paz. Meredith McKinney is an award-winning translator of classical and modern Japanese literature, including works by Sei Shonagon and Natsume Soseki.

"When we read Basho, we're struck by how the cycle of seasons, so attentively studied, are experienced through the inconveniences and discomforts they bring as much as in the ecstatic beauty they bestow upon our eyes and minds."

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was the most famous Japanese poet of the Edo period. Basho’s works have greatly influenced generations of poets and artists, including Ezra Pound and the Imagists, J.D. Salinger, the Beats, Yasunari Kawabata, and Octavio Paz. Meredith McKinney is an award-winning translator of classical and modern Japanese literature, including works by Sei Shonagon and Natsume Soseki.

"When we read Basho, we're struck by how the cycle of seasons, so attentively studied, are experienced through the inconveniences and discomforts they bring as much as in the ecstatic beauty they bestow upon our eyes and minds."

Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was the most famous Japanese poet of the Edo period. Basho’s works have greatly influenced generations of poets and artists, including Ezra Pound and the Imagists, J.D. Salinger, the Beats, Yasunari Kawabata, and Octavio Paz. Meredith McKinney is an award-winning translator of classical and modern Japanese literature, including works by Sei Shonagon and Natsume Soseki.

"When we read Basho, we're struck by how the cycle of seasons, so attentively studied, are experienced through the inconveniences and discomforts they bring as much as in the ecstatic beauty they bestow upon our eyes and minds."