Journey to the Interior: American Versions of Haibun
Ross, a former president of the Haiku Society of America and editor of Haiku Moment (Tuttle, 1993), has collected American Haibun, a Japanese form of autobiographical journal writing that combines the language of prose with the short gestures of poetry. After the well-written and comprehensive introduction?a full third of the volume wherein Ross cites Basho, Emerson, Thoreau, Kerouac, Rexroth, and Snyder?the book literally veers from a burdened sense of self and the cosmic (e.g., "between space/ and time.../ infinity arises") to an accomplished conservative American transcendentalism (e.g., "the fire smokes/ as I sleep/ the wolf exhales"). Though the revelations are scarce?only rarely does the writing reach the level of the likes of Heather Allen's award-winning Leaving a Shadow (Copper Canyon, 1996)?this is the first collection of its kind and will appeal to teachers and anyone interested in nature and travel writing or creative nonfiction.?Scott Hightower, NYU/Gallatin, New YorkCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.