Haibun
Encyclopedia
Haibun is a literary composition that combines prose
and haiku
. The range of haibun is broad and includes, but is not limited to, the following forms of prose: autobiography
, biography
, diary
, essay
, history
, prose poem, short story
and travel literature
.
The 17th century Japanese poet, Matsuo Bashō
, was one prominent early writer of haibun. He wrote some haibun as travel accounts during his various journeys, the most famous of which is Oku no Hosomichi
(Narrow Road to the Interior). Bashō’s shorter haibun include compositions devoted to travel and others focusing on character sketches, landscape scenes, anecdotal vignettes and occasional writings written to honor a specific patron or event. His Hut of the Phantom Dwelling can be classified as an essay while, in Saga Nikki (Saga Diary), he documents the day-to-day activities of his disciples and himself on a summer retreat.
A haibun may record a scene, or a special moment, in a highly descriptive and objective manner or may occupy a wholly fictional or dream-like space. The accompanying haiku may have a direct or subtle relationship with the prose and encompass or hint at the gist of what is recorded in the prose sections.
Several distinct schools of English haibun have been described, including Reportage narrative mode such as Robert Wilson's 'Vietnam Ruminations', Haibunic prose, and the Templum effect.
The first contest for English-language haibun took place in 1996, organized by Michael Dylan Welch, and judged by Tom Lynch and Cor van den Heuvel
. Anita Virgil won first prize, and David Cobb won second prize. The contest resulted in the publication of Wedge of Light (Press Here) in 1999. The first anthology of English-language haibun was Bruce Ross's Journey to the Interior: American Versions of Haibun (Tuttle), published in 1998.
Contemporary practice of haibun composition in English is evolving rapidly. Generally, a haibun consists of one or more paragraphs of prose written in a concise, imagistic haikai
style, and one or more haiku.
Modern English-language haibun writers of note include David Cobb, Jeffrey Harpeng, Ken Jones, Jim Kacian
, Bruce Ross
, Mark Nowak
, Michael McClintock, Paul Conneally
, Stanley Pelter, William Ramsey, Jeffrey Woodward and Ray Rasmussen.
Prose
Prose is the most typical form of written language, applying ordinary grammatical structure and natural flow of speech rather than rhythmic structure...
and haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
. The range of haibun is broad and includes, but is not limited to, the following forms of prose: autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, biography
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
, diary
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
, essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, prose poem, short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
and travel literature
Travel literature
Travel literature is travel writing of literary value. Travel literature typically records the experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel. An individual work is sometimes called a travelogue or itinerary. Travel literature may be cross-cultural or transnational in focus, or...
.
The 17th century Japanese poet, Matsuo Bashō
Matsuo Basho
, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
, was one prominent early writer of haibun. He wrote some haibun as travel accounts during his various journeys, the most famous of which is Oku no Hosomichi
Oku no Hosomichi
, translated alternately as The Narrow Road to the Deep North and The Narrow Road to the Interior, is a major work by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō considered "one of the major texts of classical Japanese literature."...
(Narrow Road to the Interior). Bashō’s shorter haibun include compositions devoted to travel and others focusing on character sketches, landscape scenes, anecdotal vignettes and occasional writings written to honor a specific patron or event. His Hut of the Phantom Dwelling can be classified as an essay while, in Saga Nikki (Saga Diary), he documents the day-to-day activities of his disciples and himself on a summer retreat.
A haibun may record a scene, or a special moment, in a highly descriptive and objective manner or may occupy a wholly fictional or dream-like space. The accompanying haiku may have a direct or subtle relationship with the prose and encompass or hint at the gist of what is recorded in the prose sections.
Several distinct schools of English haibun have been described, including Reportage narrative mode such as Robert Wilson's 'Vietnam Ruminations', Haibunic prose, and the Templum effect.
The first contest for English-language haibun took place in 1996, organized by Michael Dylan Welch, and judged by Tom Lynch and Cor van den Heuvel
Cor Van Den Heuvel
Cor van den Heuvel is an American haiku poet, editor, commentator and archivist.-Biography:Van den Heuvel was born in Biddeford, Maine, and grew up in Maine and New Hampshire. He lives in New York City with his wife Leonia Leigh Larrecq....
. Anita Virgil won first prize, and David Cobb won second prize. The contest resulted in the publication of Wedge of Light (Press Here) in 1999. The first anthology of English-language haibun was Bruce Ross's Journey to the Interior: American Versions of Haibun (Tuttle), published in 1998.
Contemporary practice of haibun composition in English is evolving rapidly. Generally, a haibun consists of one or more paragraphs of prose written in a concise, imagistic haikai
Haikai
Haikai is a poetic genre that includes a number of forms which embrace the aesthetics of haikai no renga, and what Bashō referred to as the "poetic spirit" , including haiku, renku , haibun, haiga and senryū ."Haikai" is sometimes used as an abbreviation for "haikai no...
style, and one or more haiku.
Modern English-language haibun writers of note include David Cobb, Jeffrey Harpeng, Ken Jones, Jim Kacian
Jim Kacian
James Michael Kacian, an American haiku poet, editor, publisher, and public speaker was born on July 26, 1953, in Worcester, Massachusetts, then adopted and raised in Gardner, Massachusetts. He has lived in London, Nashville, Bridgton and now resides in Winchester, Virginia...
, Bruce Ross
Bruce Ross
Bruce Ross is a Canadian poet, author, humanities educator and past president of the Haiku Society of America. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario....
, Mark Nowak
Mark Nowak
Mark Nowak is an award-winning American poet from Buffalo, New York. Nowak is currently the director of the graduate creative writing program at Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY.-Works:*Revenants, Coffee House Press, 2000, ISBN 9781566891073...
, Michael McClintock, Paul Conneally
Paul Conneally
Paul Terence Conneally is a poet, artist and musician based in Loughborough, UK.-Poetry and art:In the field of poetry Conneally is best known for his haiku and haiku-related forms including haibun and renga/renku. His definition of haibun is quoted among others on the Contemporary Haibun Online...
, Stanley Pelter, William Ramsey, Jeffrey Woodward and Ray Rasmussen.
External links
- contemporary haibun Online - an edited journal of haibun prose and haiku poetry
- Haibun Today: The State of the Art - Jeffrey Woodward's haibun and criticism blog
- Haibun Today's extensive haibun bibliography
- Modern Haibun & Tanka Prose - biannual journal of haibun and tanka prose
- Ray Rasmussen's haiku & photography web site featuring examples and definitions of haibun
- Simply Haiku 2003–2009 – complete archive of the online journal which contained a section of English-language haibun
- Modern Haiku - an independent journal of haiku and haiku studies, offering a few modern English haibun online from each print edition
- The Hut of the Phantom Dwelling by Matsuo Bashō - 17th century Japanese haibun in translation
- Vietnam Ruminations by Robert Wilson - Example of 'reportage narrative' school of haibun at Temps Libres