Scifaiku
Encyclopedia
Scifaiku is a form of science fiction poetry first announced by Tom Brinck with his 1995 Scifaiku Manifesto. It is inspired by Japan
ese haiku
, but explores science
, science fiction
, and other speculative fiction
themes, such as fantasy
and horror
. They are based on the principles and form of haiku but can deviate from its structure. For one example of scifaiku:
Scifaiku follow three major principles – minimalism
, immediacy and human insight:
's "Six Haiku" (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1962). Below is number 4 of her 6 SF haiku.
Terry Pratchett
included the following SF haiku as a chapter epigram in his early non-Discworld
novel, "The Dark Side of the Sun
" (© 1976).
It wasn't until 1979 that science fiction haiku were regularly published, with Robert Frazier
's "Haiku for the L5" (Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 1979) and "Haiku for the Space Shuttle" (IASFM, 1980) starting the trend. In 1994, Michael Bishop
's story "Cri di Coeur" (IASFM 1994) featured a haiku contest held on an interstellar ship, with the topic of haiku about astrophysics, subject to the constraint that (as in Japanese haiku) the poems must each feature a season. (The ten haiku featured in the story were written by Bishop and Geoffrey A. Landis
).
The most extensive use of haiku in science fiction is in David Brin
's Uplift Universe
(especially in the novel Startide Rising
), where the uplifted dolphins speak a haiku-like language called Trinary. He has characters quoting haiku by Kobayashi Issa
and Yosa Buson
, and has them spontaneously writing their own haiku. Outside of his Uplift Universe, Brin has haiku as chapter epigrams in his novel The Postman
.
One of the main characters in Neal Stephenson
's Cryptonomicon
, Bobby Shaftoe, is a haiku-writing U.S. Marine Raider during World War II. The book's prologue starts with one of his very rough haiku http://www.sffworld.com/authors/s/stephenson_neal/excerpts/cryptonomicon1.html:
Zoe's boyfriend, in John Scalzi
's 2008 novel Zoe's Tale
, sends a haiku to her PDA.
Two of the more famous science fiction authors who have also written science fiction haiku are Joe Haldeman
and Thomas M. Disch
. The author Paul O. Williams
, who has written a series of science fiction books as well as books of regular haiku and senryū
, has combined both interests with some published science fiction haiku.
The original SciFaiku mailing list was a Univ. of Michigan
-based listserv (where Tom Brinck was in graduate school). The first post on the list was on 23 July 1996.
Later on there was a mailing list organized through scifaiku.com (first post 15 February 1998). After problems with that mailing list server, the scifaiku list moved to Yahoo! Groups on 17 March 2001. As of 22 July 2006 there have been over 13,000 posts just on the scifaiku mailing list at Yahoo! Groups. From the home page:
Group members have also created a few of their own poetry forms, such as the contrail and the Fibonacci-No-Haiku (based upon the Fibonacci number
), written SF poetry based on other short poetry forms such as the cinquain
, and experimented with a number of collaborative poetry forms such as science fiction renga
and stellarenga.
Dr. Ronald Chevalier, a character played by Jemaine Clement
in the Jared and Jerusha Hess
film Gentlemen Broncos
, has a webpage http://ronaldchevalier.com/scifaiku/ which encourages users to write Scifaiku. The three winning entries will be read by Dr. Chevalier at the world premier of Gentlemen Broncos at Fantastic Fest
in Austin, Texas on September 24, 2009.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
, but explores science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
, and other speculative fiction
Speculative fiction
Speculative fiction is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as well as...
themes, such as fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and horror
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
. They are based on the principles and form of haiku but can deviate from its structure. For one example of scifaiku:
-
- Next time you hear
- crickets fiddling, watch out
- for tiny spaceships.
- – Yvonne Aburrow
Scifaiku follow three major principles – minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
, immediacy and human insight:
- Scifaiku follows the haiku model, including its spirit of minimalism. While traditional Japanese haiku usually has 3 phrases of 5, 7, and 5 onOnjiOn is Japanese for "sound". It is used to mean the phonetic units counted in haiku, tanka and other such poetic forms. Known as "morae" to English-speaking linguists, the modern Japanese term for the linguistic concept is hyōon moji ....
("sound symbols"), haiku in English usually has seventeen (or fewer) syllableSyllableA syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
s. Scifaiku is even more flexible and may be shorter or longer (allowing for longer technical terms, e.g. anisomorphism), although most often still written, as English language haiku, in three lines.
- Immediacy is the use of direct sensory perceptionsPerceptionPerception is the process of attaining awareness or understanding of the environment by organizing and interpreting sensory information. All perception involves signals in the nervous system, which in turn result from physical stimulation of the sense organs...
to give a sense of being in the moment. Concrete, rather than abstract termsAbstractionAbstraction is a process by which higher concepts are derived from the usage and classification of literal concepts, first principles, or other methods....
are used. MetaphorMetaphorA metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
and allegoryAllegoryAllegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
are rarely explicit though sometimes implied.
- Human insight comes from the idea that the purpose of much science fiction is to understand ourselves better through exploring possible futures or speculative realities.
Science fiction haiku
Before there was scifaiku on the internet, there was science fiction haiku. Probably the earliest publication of science fiction haiku was Karen AndersonKaren Kruse Anderson
Karen Kruse Anderson is the widow and sometime co-author of Poul Anderson, and mother-in-law of writer Greg Bear.She is noted as the first person to use the term filk music in print. She also wrote the first published science fiction haiku , "Six Haiku"...
's "Six Haiku" (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1962). Below is number 4 of her 6 SF haiku.
-
- Those crisp cucumbers
- Not yet planted in Syrtis --
- How I desire one!
Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
included the following SF haiku as a chapter epigram in his early non-Discworld
Discworld
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle, Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R....
novel, "The Dark Side of the Sun
The Dark Side of the Sun
The Dark Side of the Sun is a science fiction novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1976. It is similar to the work of Isaac Asimov. According to Don D'Ammassa, both this and Pratchett's 1981 sci-fi novel Strata are spoofing parts of Larry Niven's Ringworld...
" (© 1976).
-
- Hark to the crash of
- the leaves in the autumn, the smash
- of the crystal leaves.
-
- Charles Sub-Lunar, 'Planetary Haiku'
-
It wasn't until 1979 that science fiction haiku were regularly published, with Robert Frazier
Robert Frazier
Robert Alexander Frazier is an American writer of speculative poetry and fiction, as well as an impressionist painter on Nantucket Island....
's "Haiku for the L5" (Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, 1979) and "Haiku for the Space Shuttle" (IASFM, 1980) starting the trend. In 1994, Michael Bishop
Michael Bishop
Michael Bishop may refer to:* Michael Bishop, Baron Glendonbrook , British businessman and politician* Michael Bishop , American science fiction/fantasy author...
's story "Cri di Coeur" (IASFM 1994) featured a haiku contest held on an interstellar ship, with the topic of haiku about astrophysics, subject to the constraint that (as in Japanese haiku) the poems must each feature a season. (The ten haiku featured in the story were written by Bishop and Geoffrey A. Landis
Geoffrey A. Landis
Geoffrey A. Landis is an American scientist, working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration on planetary exploration, interstellar propulsion, solar power and photovoltaics...
).
The most extensive use of haiku in science fiction is in David Brin
David Brin
Glen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:...
's Uplift Universe
Uplift Universe
The Uplift Universe is a fictional universe created by science fiction writer David Brin. A central feature in this universe is the process of biological uplift.His books which take place in this universe:* Sundiver...
(especially in the novel Startide Rising
Startide Rising
Startide Rising is a 1983 science fiction novel by David Brin and the second book of six set in his Uplift Universe . It earned both Hugo and Nebula Awards for Best Novel...
), where the uplifted dolphins speak a haiku-like language called Trinary. He has characters quoting haiku by Kobayashi Issa
Kobayashi Issa
, was a Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest of the Jōdo Shinshū sect known for his haiku poems and journals. He is better known as simply , a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea...
and Yosa Buson
Yosa Buson
was a Japanese poet and painter from the Edo period. Along with Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa, Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period. Buson was born in the village of Kema in Settsu Province...
, and has them spontaneously writing their own haiku. Outside of his Uplift Universe, Brin has haiku as chapter epigrams in his novel The Postman
The Postman
The Postman , is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by David Brin. A drifter stumbles across the uniform of an old United States Postal Service letter carrier and with empty promises of aid from the "Restored United States of America", gives hope to a community threatened by local warlords...
.
One of the main characters in Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson
Neal Town Stephenson is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction.Difficult to categorize, his novels have been variously referred to as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and postcyberpunk...
's Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon
Cryptonomicon is a 1999 novel by American author Neal Stephenson. The novel follows the exploits of two groups of people in two different time periods, presented in alternating chapters...
, Bobby Shaftoe, is a haiku-writing U.S. Marine Raider during World War II. The book's prologue starts with one of his very rough haiku http://www.sffworld.com/authors/s/stephenson_neal/excerpts/cryptonomicon1.html:
-
- Two tires fly. Two wail.
- A bamboo grove, all chopped down
- From it, warring songs
Zoe's boyfriend, in John Scalzi
John Scalzi
John Michael Scalzi II is an American author and online writer, and president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Hugo Award-nominated science fiction novel Old Man's War, released by Tor Books in January 2005, and for his blog , at which he has written...
's 2008 novel Zoe's Tale
Zoe's Tale
Zoe's Tale is the fourth full-length book by John Scalzi set in the Old Man's War universe.-Plot synopsis:Zoe's Tale is a retelling of Scalzi's third Old Man's War novel, The Last Colony, written as a first-person narrative from the viewpoint of Zoë Boutin Perry...
, sends a haiku to her PDA.
Two of the more famous science fiction authors who have also written science fiction haiku are Joe Haldeman
Joe Haldeman
Joe William Haldeman is an American science fiction author.-Life :Haldeman was born June 9, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His family traveled and he lived in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Washington, D.C., Bethesda, Maryland and Anchorage, Alaska as a child. Haldeman married Mary Gay Potter, known...
and Thomas M. Disch
Thomas M. Disch
Thomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W...
. The author Paul O. Williams
Paul O. Williams
Paul O. Williams was an American science fiction writer and haiku poet. Williams was professor emeritus of English at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois....
, who has written a series of science fiction books as well as books of regular haiku and senryū
Senryu
is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 or fewer total morae . Senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious...
, has combined both interests with some published science fiction haiku.
Scifaiku mailing lists
There have been three different internet scifaiku mailing lists in succession. These mailing lists have been the primary base for the writing and sharing of scifaiku on the internet.The original SciFaiku mailing list was a Univ. of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
-based listserv (where Tom Brinck was in graduate school). The first post on the list was on 23 July 1996.
Later on there was a mailing list organized through scifaiku.com (first post 15 February 1998). After problems with that mailing list server, the scifaiku list moved to Yahoo! Groups on 17 March 2001. As of 22 July 2006 there have been over 13,000 posts just on the scifaiku mailing list at Yahoo! Groups. From the home page:
- "This group is for the writing and sharing of science fiction haiku (aka scifaiku). We also occasionally write similar genres, such as fantasyFantasyFantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
haiku and horrorHorror fictionHorror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
haiku. The members also write SF poems using other short poetry forms, such as tanka, senryū, sijoSijoSijo is a Korean poetic form. Bucolic, metaphysical and cosmological themes are often explored. The three lines average 14-16 syllables, for a total of 44-46: theme ; elaboration ; counter-theme and completion [Ibid., Rutt, pp. 10 ff]...
, kanshiKanshi (poetry)is a Japanese term for Chinese poetry in general as well as the poetry written in Chinese by Japanese poets. It literally means "Han poetry". Kanshi was the most popular form of poetry during the early Heian period in Japan among Japanese aristocrats and proliferated until the modern period.The...
, etc."
Group members have also created a few of their own poetry forms, such as the contrail and the Fibonacci-No-Haiku (based upon the Fibonacci number
Fibonacci number
In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers are the numbers in the following integer sequence:0,\;1,\;1,\;2,\;3,\;5,\;8,\;13,\;21,\;34,\;55,\;89,\;144,\; \ldots\; ....
), written SF poetry based on other short poetry forms such as the cinquain
Cinquain
Cinquain is a class of poetic forms that employ a 5-line pattern. Earlier used to describe any five-line form, it now refers to one of several forms that are defined by specific rules and guidelines.-Crapsey cinquain:...
, and experimented with a number of collaborative poetry forms such as science fiction renga
Renga
' is a genre of Japanese collaborative poetry. A renga consists of at least two or stanzas, usually many more. The opening stanza of the renga, called the , became the basis for the modern haiku form of poetry....
and stellarenga.
Dr. Ronald Chevalier, a character played by Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Clement is a New Zealand comedian, actor and musician, best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Bret McKenzie.-Early life:...
in the Jared and Jerusha Hess
Jared and Jerusha Hess
Jared Lawrence Hess and Jerusha Elizabeth Hess are husband-and-wife American filmmakers known for their work Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre and Gentlemen Broncos , all of which they co-wrote and directed...
film Gentlemen Broncos
Gentlemen Broncos
Gentlemen Broncos is a 2009 comedy film written by Jared and Jerusha Hess, and directed by Jared Hess. The film stars Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Sam Rockwell and Jennifer Coolidge.-Plot:...
, has a webpage http://ronaldchevalier.com/scifaiku/ which encourages users to write Scifaiku. The three winning entries will be read by Dr. Chevalier at the world premier of Gentlemen Broncos at Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of The Iron Giant and Secondhand Lions. The festival focuses on genre films such as horror,...
in Austin, Texas on September 24, 2009.
Scifaiku and science fiction haiku publications
- Haiku by Unohu by Keith Allen Daniels, Anamnesis Press, April 2000, ISBN 1-892842-09-2 (because most of the poems are humorous, they could be best be described as science fiction senryūSenryuis a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction: three lines with 17 or fewer total morae . Senryū tend to be about human foibles while haiku tend to be about nature, and senryū are often cynical or darkly humorous while haiku are more serious...
) - Scifaikuest, a quarterly online and print scifaiku journal, Sam's Dot Publishing (as of November 2007, there have been 18 issues) ISSN 1558-9757
- Stellar Possibilities by John J. Dunphy, Sam's Dot Publishing, 2006 (a collection of scifaiku and haibun)
- Red Planet Dust by Deborah P. Kolodji, Gromagon Press, 2006 (a chapbook of scifaiku)
- A Nameless Place by Joanne Morcom, Sam's Dot Publishing, 2006 (a chapbook of scifaiku, tanka and haibun)
- Random Planets edited by Teri Santitoro and L.A. Story Houry, Sam's Dot Publishing (an anthology of scifaiku)
- Dwarf Stars: 30 Stellar Short-Short Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Poems from 2004, Edited by Deborah P. Kolodji, 2005 (an anthology of scifaiku and other very short speculative fiction poems; the first in an annual series published by the Science Fiction Poetry AssociationScience Fiction Poetry AssociationThe Science Fiction Poetry Association was established in 1978 by Suzette Haden Elgin to bring together poets and readers interested in science fiction poetry. The organization administers the Rhysling Award and publishes the journal Star*Line, as well as providing market listings and industry news...
)
External links
- SciFaiku.com.
- mailing list at Yahoo! Groups
- Rethinking The Scifaiku Manifesto
- The Periodic Table of Haiku (archived version)
- Chemical Elements Reduced to Words All Things ConsideredAll Things ConsideredAll Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
, June 9, 2005 · Melissa Block and Robert SiegelRobert SiegelRobert Siegel is an American radio journalist best known as host of the National Public Radio evening news broadcast All Things Considered.-Career:...
read scifaiku from the Periodic Table of Haiku
- Chemical Elements Reduced to Words All Things Considered
- Five Haiku by Geoffrey A. Landis (astronomy haiku from http://astropoetica.com)