Poetry and Zen : Letters and Uncollected Writings of R. H. Blyth

Never before published letters and uncollected short writings of R. H. Blyth, champion of Zen and the person who brought haiku to the world. Poetry and Zen assembles a remarkable literary feast: the letters, articles, translations, reviews, and selections from the papers of Reginald Horace Blyth (1898–1964). Following on the landmark success of Zen in English Literature and Oriental Classics (1942), Blyth’s voluminous writings on Zen, Japanese culture, and the Japanese verse forms haiku and senryū captured the imagination of English-speaking readers in the decades following World War II. His enlightening wit and inimitable style struck a particularly sensitive chord in the artistic community, providing inspiration to many poets and writers and helping to kindle global interest in Zen and haiku. Blyth’s penetrating insights on these topics in a series of books published between 1942 and 1970 helped lay the foundation for the remarkable expansion of Zen outside of East Asia, as well as the popularization of haiku as an international verse form that took place after his death. Poetry and Zen is the first collection of Blyth’s letters and short writings. The generous array of Blyth‘s literary output and personal writing on display here showcases the wide-ranging interests and brilliant mind of a pivotal figure in the history of modern Zen and Japanese poetry. Editor’s Preface Introduction LETTERS Letters to Dora Lord and Parents Letters to Robert Aitken Letters to Daisetz Suzuki Letter to Alan Watts PREFACES AND INTRODUCTIONS R. L. Stevenson’s Will O’ the Mill Thoreau’s Journals The Poems of Emerson: A Selection A Shortened Version of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers R. L. Stevenson: Fables Jūroku Nenkan no Oshiego (“My Student for Sixteen Years”) BOOK REVIEWS A Wanderer in Japan Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings Japanese Court Poetry ARTICLES AND ESSAYS Two Autobiographical Essays Freedom Thoughts on Haiku The Position of Haiku and Senryū in World Literature Buddhism and Haiku Buddhist Sermons on Christian Texts Zen and Mysticism Buddhism in Senryū In Praise of Suzuki Daisetz and Zen The Way of Senryū Oriental Humour Buddhism and Humour Untitled What Is Poetry? “Zen” and Daisetz Suzuki Why Nobody Likes Senryū The Zenrinkushū Haiku, Senryū, Zen Mushrooms and Humour English Humour and Japanese Humour "This volume is a collection of the letters, uncollected articles and reviews, and selections from posthumous papers of Reginald Horace Blyth (1898-1964), a man whose books on Zen, Japanese culture, and the Japanese verse forms haiku and senryu captured the imagination of a great many readers in the English-speaking world in the decades following World War II. His enlightening wit and inimitable style struck a particularly sensitive chord in the artistic community, providing inspiration to many poets and writers and playing a very considerable role in kindling Western interest in Zen and haiku. Blyth's penetrating insights on these topics in a series of books published between 1942 and 1970 helped lay the foundation for the remarkable expansion of Zen in the West, as well as the global popularization of haiku as an international verse form that took place after his death"-- Provided by publisher