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A review by trilobiter
Basho's Narrow Road: Spring and Autumn Passages by Matsuo Bashō
4.0
An elegant look at the physical and cultural landscape of Tokugawa Japan. The Narrow Road depicts a country steeped in poetry and legend, and lends insight to the labors and pastimes of its people.
At times, the density of footnotes and endnotes make reading slow and difficult. However, they are necessary to transmit the whole picture. The work of poets like Basho is at once minimalist and highly contextual; without a familiarity with Japanese poetic tradition, key references go by unmarked, and the resulting haiku are diminished.
In short, it is a difficult book to appreciate without an acquaintance with Japanese history, language, and geography. But the reward for careful reading is a portrait in words of a journey through a beautiful countryside.
At times, the density of footnotes and endnotes make reading slow and difficult. However, they are necessary to transmit the whole picture. The work of poets like Basho is at once minimalist and highly contextual; without a familiarity with Japanese poetic tradition, key references go by unmarked, and the resulting haiku are diminished.
In short, it is a difficult book to appreciate without an acquaintance with Japanese history, language, and geography. But the reward for careful reading is a portrait in words of a journey through a beautiful countryside.