The Poems of Nakahara Chuya

by Nakahara Chuya, Paul Mackintosh (Translator), Maki Sugiyama (Translator)

Born in 1907 Nakahara Chuya was one of the most gifted and
colourful of Japan’s early modern poets. A bohemian romantic,
his death at the early age of thirty, coupled with the delicacy of his
imagery, have led to him being compared to the greatest of French symbolist poets. Since the Second World War Nakahara’s stature has risen, and his
poetry is now ranked among the finest Japanese verse of the 20th
century. Influenced by both Symbolism and Dada, he created
lyrics renowned for their songlike eloquence, their personal
imagery and their poignant charm.

This selection of poems from throughout Nakahara’s creative life
includes collected and uncollected work and draws on recent
scholarship to give a full account of this extraordinary figure.

Genres: Poetry, Classics

146 pages, Hardcover

Published November 24, 2017

Reviews

[k4zuh1gh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally, all of his best work gathered in one place. It's moving and inspirational. Motivated me a lot to write myself and had a great impact on my writing. I recommend it to everyone as it's easy and fast to read, yet you have to spend a moment to think about it. Truly beautiful.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

many of these poems are very good, however i am struck by how much is lost in translation, and how... awkward... some phrases are the way they've been translated.

[Emma Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful! I love his poetry, and I wish I could read Japanese so that I can experience his poetry in the language it was originally intended to be read in.

I highly recommend checking out his poetry collection, especially "Gone Never to Return," which is my favorite from the collection.

Podcast review: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7oAR...