Soseki Natsume’s Collected Haiku

1,000 haiku by Sseki Natsume, collected into one volume for the first time!

Sseki Natsume is Japan’s most popular writer, well known in the West for his satirical novels like I Am a Cat, Botchan and Kokoro. However, he first made a name for himself in Japan as a poet, publishing hundreds of haiku over a period of several decades. Until now very few of these have appeared in English.

Sseki Natsume’s Collected Haiku presents 1,000 of the author’s most famous verses, selected and translated by Erik Lofgren, a leading Sseki expert. The poems are grouped into chapters corresponding to the five traditional Japanese seasons (New Year’s, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter).

In these poems, Sseki explores themes ranging from wabi sabi Zen simplicity to his personal experiences including several years studying in England. His verses are evocative of the splendor of the natural world, the power of human emotions, and the serenity found in living a peaceful life.

Each poem is presented in the original Japanese with a Romanised version and English translation. Audio recordings of the English and Japanese versions are provided online.