Sam Hamill

"Bashō (1644-1694)--a great luminary of Asian literature who elevated the haiku to an art form of utter simplicity and intense spiritual beauty--is renowned in the West as the author of Narrow Road to the Interior, a travel diary of linked prose and haiku recounting his journey through the far northern provinces of Japan. This edition features a masterful translation of this celebrated work. It also includes an insightful introduction by translator...

The ancient Chinese text known as CHUANG TZU has been translated into English many times, but never with the freshness, accessibility, and accuracy of this remarkable rendering--the result of a unique collaboration between one of America's premier poet-translators and a leading Chinese scholar. At turns playful and acerbic, the book presents a philosophy of life that is politically radical and deeply spiritual.