After Ikkyu and Other Poems

By Jim Harrison

Book Overview

Jim Harrison's popular novels represent only part of his literary output--he has also been widely acclaimed for the "renegade genius" of his powerful, expressive verse, collected in several books such as The Theory and Practice of Rivers and Other Poems (Clark City Press, 1989). After Ikkyu is the first collection of Harrison's poems that are directly inspired by his many years of Zen practice.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570622183
• ISBN13: 9781570622182
• Release Date: August 1996
• Publisher: Shambhala
• Length: 112 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Best work since Harrison's early poems

This is a small book, physically - less than 100 pages, poems mostly less than 10 lines, the book printed in a small format, even the printing by Shambala Press was small for the hardbound edition - less than a thousand. But this is certainly some of Harrison's best poetry in years. A few years ago, Harrison gave a reading at Michigan State University (his alma mater, but he's not that fond of the place) and mentioned to an interviewer beforehand that he considers himself an "unreconstructed Buddhist." Perhaps something of the same could be said for Ikkyu, the 15th century Zen priest and poet, who was somewhat unconventional himself. That Harrison should identify with and base these poems on Ikkyu's unconventional style seems, to this reviewer, natural. These poems are small wonders, seemingly effortless in the way that they work on the reader--tho I imagine Harrison would not say that these were effortless to write. Life, death, the moon, the stripper in some bar out west, the friends (two and four-legged), riding a horse, watching the moon... Too many years gone, and not many left. That's a recurring theme. But also another: living means learning lessons, every day. Shut up and listen. An old Zen instruction, but it comes across here as fresh as Ikkyu's work must have been 4 centuries ago. In short - a pretty damn good collection of poems, from a writer whose poetry should be appreciated more.