By Ayukawa Nobuo, selected and translated by Shogo Oketani and Leza Lowitz
Kaya Press, 2008
America and Other Poems is the first English translation of a single volume by the Japanese Modernist poet, Nobuo Ayukawa. One of Japan’s most influential yet overlooked poets, Ayukawa was an important voice for peace and probity in the years that followed World War II and the collapse of Japan’s rationale for war. This selection spans from 1947 through 1976, and includes work ranging from early writings about the poet’s experience on the front line to later poems focused on the influence of Western culture on Japanese society. Ayukawa’s lyrical, complex poetry offers a rare perspective on war from an ordinary Japanese soldier’s point of view. It also provides a window into the complex post-war relationship between Japan and America, and between European literary culture and the Japanese struggle to make sense of post-War accountability. (Publisher’s description)
