Book of Haikus (Poets, Penguin)

by Jack Kerouac

Other authorsRegina Weinreich (Contributor)

Paperback, 2003

Status

Available

Call number

811.54

Publication

Penguin (Non-Classics) (2003), Paperback, 200 pages

Description

Highlighting a lesser-known aspect of one of America's most influential authors, this new collection displays Jack Kerouac's interest in and mastery of haiku. Experimenting with this compact poetic genre throughout his career, Kerouac often included haiku in novels, correspondence, notebooks, journals, sketchbooks, and recordings. In this collection, Kerouac scholar Regina Weinreich supplements an incomplete draft of a haiku manuscript found in Kerouac's archives with a generous selection of Kerouac's other haiku, from both published and unpublished sources. With more than 500 poems, this is a must-have volume for Kerouac enthusiasts everywhere.

User reviews

LibraryThing member princessponti

I love Jack Kerouac's Haikus, perfect anytime reading. He had an amazing talent for creating a whole scene for the senses in just three tiny lines. Whenever I need a little inspiration I pick up this book.

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LibraryThing member andreablythe

Book of Haikus compiles Jack Kerouac's haiku from various published works and journals (Regina Weinreich does an excellent job with the introduction and with the asides throughout).

Kerouac breaks away from the Japanese syllable counting tradition of 5-7-5 per line. Instead he developed his own

standard of American Haikus, which often exists in direct relation to the Japanese haikuists. His haiku bends the traditions further, playing with seasonal references in new ways and infusing humor into his lines. Sometimes dark sometimes light-hearted, his haiku are always (or almost always) poignant. Kerouac's haiku and his love of Japanese haiku inspires me to want to read the traditional Japanese greats.

I quite enjoyed the poetry throughout this book, and I found it inspirational to my own writing. I'm enthralled by the haiku form, how so much can be said in such a small space. I'm going to have to buy my own personal copy, so that I can flip through it randomly as I'm out and about in the world.

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LibraryThing member soitgoes5

I enjoyed this collection. I will share a few of my favorites. Kerouac does not write purely in the traditional form of three lines with 5, 7,and 5 syllables. He also writes "American haikus" which are simple three line poems without a fixed number of syllables.

Listen to the birds sing!
All the

little birds
Will die!

Dusk-the bird
on the fence
A contemporary of mine

Useless! Useless!
-heavy rain driving
Into the sea

Train tunnel, too dark
for me to write that
"Men are ignorant!"

Dawn-the writer who
hasn't shaved,
Poring over notebooks

Little pieces of ice
in the moonlight
Snow, thousands of em

Praying all the time-
talking
to myself

Shall I break God's commandment?
Little fly
Rubbing it's back legs

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LibraryThing member soitgoes5