Haiku: A Poet's Guide

by Lee Gurga

An introductory guide to writing and reading haiku.

Genres: Poetry, Writing, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lee Gurga (born July 28, 1949 in Chicago, Illinois) is an award-winning American haiku poet. In 1997 he served as president of the Haiku Society of America. He was the editor of Modern Haiku magazine from 2002 to 2006, and is the current editor of the Modern Haiku Press. Gurga lives in Lincoln, Illinois, where he works as a dentist. Also involved in the translation of Japanese haiku into English, Gurga cites Matsuo Bashō, a Japanese poet from the Edo period, as one of his main appreciations. One of his most known haiku is about graduation day for students and is presented in his book Haiku: A Poet's Guide

Reviews

[tortoise dreams · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the U.S. haiku is seen as a means of teaching syllabification to small children, or a means to write short, comic verse. In Japan and around the world haiku is taken more seriously, though there are different modes of haiku including some intended to be humorous. For the last hundred years haiku has gradually been gaining a small place in serious poetry, including by noted authors such as Richard Wright, Jack Kerouac, Sonia Sanchez, and Etheridge Knight. In Haiku: A Poet's Guide, Lee Gurga, a well-known American haiku poet, first enables the reader to understand and read haiku, and then how to write it. He concisely summarizes the essential elements of the craft and provides guidelines for constructing and editing. He emphasizes the importance of attention and perception, the ability to see and feel the moment before trying to capture it in words: "direct experience and literal images." Gurga's own approach is more traditional (though not 5-7-5 haiku), closer to the Japanese, and Zen oriented, but acknowledges that there's space for experimentation and diverging from old roads. He provides examples of a wide variety of haiku, from a single word to the 17-syllable haiku we learned as children. Instructively, he also provides examples of badly written haiku so the reader can learn to edit and improve. He notes that Roland Barthes wrote some commentary on haiku that I now want to find. My one caveat is that some of the examples of haiku provided are too coy, obvious, or cute (though accessible) -- not having the openness to interpretation that I associate with the best haiku. An excellent resource for anyone seeking to understand, read, or write haiku. One to be read again. [5★]

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an indispensable guide to anyone considering writing haiku in English (or reading it, for that matter). Well-written, straightforward, lacking jargon, filled with examples, this book is about all things haiku: its history and development, how English poets use it, how to write it, how to appreciate it. As the author says in his introduction, “The writing of a haiku is a smooth process of rather short duration, but I have 'deconstructed' the art into a series of independent subjects to be analyzed separately.” Chapter headings include “Haiku Grammar,” “Poetic Devices,” and “Why Edit?” for example. On my copy there’s an endorsement on the back of the book from Lawrence Ferlinghetti: “Wow! Breath of the Buddha!”

[Alex Fyffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is difficult to imagine a guide into the world of modern English-language haiku better than Lee Gurga. For the merely curious, Haiku: A Poet's Guide is a concise history of haiku and a clear explanation of what makes a strong haiku in modern English; for the beginning haiku poet, it is the perfect textbook complete with masterful illustrations of the form and critical analyses of how they are constructed; and for the experienced poet, it not only reinforces the foundations of the craft but also theorizes on the future of English-language haiku, asking many important questions about the significance of haiku and how it might transform in the 21st century.

Gurga not only provides excellent haiku examples throughout the many detailed sections of the book, but he also shows how those poems could have been much worse by intentionally rewriting them with mistakes (usually added words and/or a rearrangement of words/lines) to illustrate particular points that he wants to teach. This is a smart approach, allowing the reader to easily compare good and bad choices with various techniques. The book is also well-researched, quoting other poets and haiku scholars throughout, and providing countless insights into related genres and theoretical approaches to the form.

Toward the end of the book, Gurga states that he espouses a particular style of haiku--he leans more toward traditional methods when it comes to seasonal references, the juxtaposition of two images, and avoiding figurative language--but he also admits that there is room for experimentation and other methods that can stretch the boundaries of the form, providing some examples like a minimalist poem from Cor van den Heuvel and a concrete poem from Carolyn Hall. A further exploration of haiku experimentation and the Modernist movement of the 20th century might have been enlightening for readers with an avant-garde bent. However, that is outside this guide's scope, and the book more than adequately fulfills its intended purpose as an insightful introduction to the haiku form as a whole. On the cover, van den Heuvel himself calls this "an important book," and I agree that it is an essential text for anyone wanting to make the most of reading, understanding, and writing haiku.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt beyond where I am as a writer at this point, but even so I got a lot out of it. So much here that is good advice for all poets plus a really good dive into what it really means to write haiku...which includes changing how you look at the world around you. So glad I read this.

[Andy McLellan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best guides to writing haiku that I have read thus far.

Very much recommended if you can get your hands on a copy.

[Robert H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended especially for anyone new to haiku. This useful guide gives practical tips on writing and editing English language haiku. It provides hundreds of examples of good haiku and some bad ones too for comparison. Haiku is more than just a 3 line 17 syllable form and often quite less; indeed, as I learned, 5 7 5 is not really a thing in English language haiku. I also learned that there is not much room for figurative language or end rhymes in haiku which make the form a bit challenging to the uninitiated.

If you are a newbie to haiku or want to improve your skill in writing the form, this guide is for you.

[Don Wentworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for haiku poets and a seminal introduction to the form for all interested in haiku.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good. Concise and well argued with lots of examples and counter-examples too.

This book
not seeking betterment
strikes gold

[Kristine Thurston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to the art of writing haiku.

[Firdaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a must read for haiku writers and readers.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned much about haiku in this book. There are many good examples.

[Aubrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike some other books out there on haiku and how to write haiku, this is written from a poet's perspective rather than from a scholar's. The book then is more about crafting haiku rather than the history and related forms and how haiku fits into the haikai arts. It focuses mainly on the structure and the parts of a haiku. It's straightforward, gets directly to the writing, and provides examples for each of the sections.

The craft from a writer's perspective helps understand the Gurga's great on breaking down the concepts and fundamental elements, what is "acceptable" and what isn't. The main complaint I have about this book is that Gurga is rather set in his ways and rigid in his instruction. When reading it, I don't feel there's a lot of wiggle room. Overall, this book does give a nice introduction of how to write haiku as long as the reader keeps in mind that the rules are heuristic and not written in stone.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

One accomplished haiku poet's perspective on the craft of haiku. The author has very set opinions on certain aspects of haiku and this comes off as a bit rigid but over all the book has excellent essays. I can imagine returning to read sections for inspiration.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book with good and thorough examinations of the craft of haiku but the editing sucks...esp. considering who the editor is.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book encouraged my attempts at writing haiku. So full of rich explanation. I think I'll read it again.