Through the Letterbox

by George Bruce

Paperback

First published May 1, 2003

About the author

A former freelance journalist who worked as a sub-editor for Reuters and as European news editor for UPA, George Bruce was an author of popular military histories and company histories.

Reviews

[Xenia Tran · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are looking for a collection of true haiku penned by a popular Scottish poet, this collection of micro-poems fails to convince that the poet understood what haiku is. What we have here are seeds, ideas and thoughts that might have given birth to a haiku at some point in the future.

The poet himself had wanted to discard them and it was his close friend, neighbour, editor and publisher all rolled into one who collected these loose ideas and thought they'd make a good collection. George Bruce then produced more of these and put them through her letterbox, hence the title. The lovely illustrations by Elizabeth Blackadder fail to mask that the micro-poems, thoughts, jokes and overheard remarks presented here aren't haiku.

For anyone interested in haiku 'How to read a Japanese Poem' by Steven D Carter, 'Writing and Enjoying Haiku' by Jane Reichhold and 'The Haiku Handbook' by William J Higginson and Penny Harter are good starting points, as well as reading the classics by Basho, Buson, Issa, Chiyo-Ni and Shiki before moving on to the work of contemporary haiku poets from around the world, such as the beautiful haiku presented in the World Haiku Series and reputable haiku journals.

[Katy Wheatley]

This is a book of haikus by acclaimed Scottish poet, George Bruce. They follow the technical parts of what a haiku demands, but unlike the classic poems, they do not always feature the simplicity of nature, captured in a moment. They are more complex in their subject. Some are written to other people and about particular times and events. They are more like small diary entries, beautifully and fluidly illustrated by acclaimed Scottish painter, Elizabeth Blackadder.