Chūya Nakahara (1907-1937) was one of 20th century Japan’s greatest poets. He’s admired by both casual readers and scholars alike. The former are drawn to his intimate voice and his universal themes (love, heartbreak, personal doubt, wonder, happiness). Scholars discuss his rich rhythms and expert use of techniques adapted from European poetry, especially French Symbolists.
He’s most closely associated with Yamaguchi prefecture, where he was from, but he spent formative teen years as a student in Kyoto before moving to the Tokyo area, where he lived out most of the rest of his life. He died young in Kamakura of illness, having only produced two volumes of poetry (and dozens of uncollected poems). After WWII, he was ‘rediscovered’ and became a national sensation.
I’ve been translating Chūya’s poetry for 25 years, and am pleased to announce that I’ve recently released a new translation of his first book, Poems of the Goat. It’s in bilingual format and published in Yokohama. Here, I share a small sampling from the new book, which is available online (brightwavemedia.com/shop) and from the stores listed below. I hope you enjoy him in English as millions have in Japanese!
Books are available at:
| Takahashi Shoten bookstore | Motomachi |
| Cafe Elliott Avenue | Yamashita-cho |