The Poems of Nakahara Chuya

First off can I just say, the shipping is amazing! It took 1 day! I’m very happy, this was a gift for my best friend, and she wanted this book, so I got it for her, it said it will be her on Friday may 1, nope! April 27! Holy buckaroo I’m very happy also amazing condition

This book was a gift to my daughter, specifically at her request. And, she has read the entire book and loves it all ... some poems more than others, of course. She has laughed, marveled, and been slightly taken aback.

I gave this to my friend for a birthday gift. She absolutely loved it

I love the book, it first explains who Chuuya Nakahara is or was and then it has the Table of Context of the poems. This is very great for BSD fans i myself is one everything is great and worth it!

It came in good condition and on time, I read it often as well.

Obviously, translating poetry from one language to another is always a challenge, and translating between such different languages as Japanese and English is even moreso. The translation notes included make it very clear that this translation cannot come close to recreating the meter of the original, and that they’ve chosen to focus on reproducing the progression of imagery for that reason. The result is that occasionally, the text becomes very dry compared to some more modern translations.Another reason for the 4 stars is that I feel that the layout of the book is lacking. There are cultural and translation notes throughout the book to help an English audience understand nuances in the text, but they’re compiled in the back of the book. I think some of these (like explanations for poems named or dedicated to specific persons) are perfectly fine staying in the back of the book, but others should have been included as footnotes instead. I think with this format, some of the original Japanese could have been preserved with better results. For example, one poem has the narrator sitting “at a table” while a girl “sits on the floor”, but the translation notes inform the reader that the table in question is a kotatsu, a low table with a heating element and blanket where sitters are on the floor. This brings a much different mental image forward than swapping the very specific Japanese for a much more generic English terms, then hiding the context off page.Overall, it’s a nice introduction to the poet for an English speaking audience, but it’s clear that there is a lot that could be improved in both translation efforts and general book format.

Wonderful book of poetry! I bought because of two anime’s - Bungo Stray Dogs and Bungo & Alchemist: Gears of Judgement both containing a character derived from this author. Rewarded with beautiful poetry!!

i really liked this book, plus the introduction helped alot for context when reading the poems! definitely recommend

Me encantó, venía en estado impecable y el material de la cubierta del libro es divino

came in good condition, and with the classic new book smell! as a bsd fan i am very happy :3

I cant Beginn to describe the good this book has! Its awsome to take with you on trains and everywhere you’d like!

Been meaning to get this for so long, but it's really expensive so I figured getting it here made sense. 100% good quality and everything is just like it looks! Super fast delivery, too.