Janine Beichman on translating Japanese Haiku and Tanka

This episode starts out with Amy and Janine talking about Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) and the poetic reforms that took place from 1868 during Japan's transition from the Edo to the Meiji period. It was a time when Shiki (and his friend Natsume Sōseki), was influenced by Western literary styles and culture. These effects are reflected in Shiki's haiku, tanka and prose. Beichman's literary biography Masaoka Shiki: His Life and Works (Cheng & Tsui Co, 2002) delves into Shiki's influence on poetry, his invention of the tanka series and the publication of his poetic diaries. Janine also discusses the differences between haiku and tanka (waka) and their variations.Janine then details her path to discovering feminist poet Yosano Akiko (1879-1942) and tells how she came to the decision to focus on this particular poet to write a literary biography. Embracing the Firebird: Yosano Akiko and the Birth of the Female Voice in Modern Japanese Poetry (Univ of Hawaii Press, 2002) is the result. Janine talks about Akiko and her relationship with nature in poetry and feminism. Beichman reads a poem from Yosano's collection "Tangled Hair" included in her book.See University of Hawaii Press for indexes for Embracing the Firebird:Introduction by the AuthorFirst Lines of PoemsNext, Janine charts her relationship with poet Makoto Ooka, and how she started writing for his magazine which later led to him asking her to translate a book of his poems. The book was originally published by Catydid Press and later Kurodohan released a second English edition called Beneath the Sleepless Tossing of the Planets. Read a review by Christopher Blasdel of Sleepless Tossing of the Planets here.Janine also discusses Makoto Ōoka, how she became involved translating his poetry and how she chose which to poems to include in the anthology Ori Ori no Uta.Lastly, Janine reveals who her favorite Japanese poets and poetry books are.Unfortunately, Janine's book wasn't near release at the time of the podcast recording, but her latest endeavor is the translation of Well-Versed: Exploring Modern Japanese Haiku (Japan Library/JPIC, March 25, 2021). Read an excerpt.The Books on Asia Podcast is sponsored by Stone Bridge Press, publisher of fine books on Asia for over 30 years.