“Anthology of Japanese Literature: from the earliest era to the mid-nineteenth century”, compiled and edited by Donald Keene

 

448 pages, Grove Press, ISBN-13: 978-0802150585

Anthology of Japanese Literature: from the earliest era to the mid-nineteenth century was originally compiled and edited by Donald Keene in 1955, although this edition is a reprint from 1994. Many of the poems and tales collected here were done so for the first time back in ’55, and Keene was keen (heh) to provide as complete an overview of Japanese literature as possible, from the Nō dramas from the 14^th Century to novels and poems up until the mid-18^th Century. And the collection is wonderful, as almost the whole of ancient and old Japanese literature is condensed into less than 500 pages:

• From the Ancient Period (prior to 800), “Man’yoshu”, or “Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves”
• From the Heian Period (794 to 1185), “Kokinshu” or “Collection of Ancient and Modern Poetry,” “The Tosa Diary” of Ki No Tsurayuki, “Yugao” from “Tales of Genji” of Murasaki Shikibu, and “The Pillow Book” of Sei Shonagon
• From the Muromachi Period (1336 to 1573), “The Tale of the Heike” from the Kamakura Period; Plan of the No Stage, “Birds of Sorrow” of Seami Motokiyo, and “Three Poets at Minase”
• From the Edo Period (1603 and 1868), sections from Basho, including “The Narrow Road of Oku,” “The Love Suicides at Sonezaki” by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, and Waka and haiku of the Tokugawa court

I know very little…okay, next to nothing…alright, NOTHING WHATSOEVER about Japanese literature, so this collection was a great introduction to this ancient civilization. While I have no ear for poetry, I found the works presented here appealed to me like no Western poems outside of Poe did, so for that, I am eternally grateful to the Japanese. So while I plan to continue studying Japanese history, this Anthology will, I believe, add another dimension to what is read.