The First Modern Japanese: The Life of Ishikawa Takuboku (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780231179720)

Many books in Japanese have been devoted to the poet and critic Ishikawa Takuboku (1886-1912). Although he died at the age of twenty-six and wrote many of his best-known poems in the space of a few years, his name is familiar to every literate Japanese. Takuboku's early death added to the sad romance of the unhappy poet, but there has been no satisfactory biography of his life or career, even in Japanese, and only a small part of his writings have been translated. His mature poetry was based on the work of no predecessor, and he left no disciples. Takuboku stands unique.

Takuboku's most popular poems, especially those with a humorous overlay, are often read and memorized, but his diaries and letters, though less familiar, contain rich and vivid glimpses of the poet's thoughts and experiences. They reflect the outlook of an unconstrained man who at times behaved in a startling or even shocking manner. Despite his misdemeanors, Takuboku is regarded as a national poet, all but a saint to his admirers, especially in the regions of Japan where he lived. His refusal to conform to the Japan of the time drove him in striking directions and ranked him as the first poet of the new Japan.

Author: Donald Keene
ISBN-10: 0231179723
ISBN-13: 9780231179720
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Language: English
Published: 09/27/2016
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.05lbs
Size: 8.60h x 5.60w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 09/01/2016 pg. 105
Choice 03/01/2017