The Essential Bashō

The Essential Basho is the most complete single-volume collection of the writings of one of the great luminaries of Asian literature. Basho (1644-1694) - who elevated the haiku to an art form of utter simplicity and intense spiritual beauty - is best known in the West as the author of Narrow Road to the Interior, a travel diary of linked prose and haiku that recounts his journey through the far northern provinces of Japan. Included here is a masterful translation of this celebrated work, along with three other less well-known but important works by Basho: Travelogue of Weather-Beaten Bones, The Knapsack Notebook, and Sarashina Travelogue. There is also a selection of over 250 of Basho's finest haiku. In addition, the translator has provided an introduction detailing Basho's life and work and an essay on the art of haiku.