Machi Tawara's first book of poems, The Anniversary of the Salad combines the classical 'tanka' form with the subject of a modern love affair. It became a sensation, selling over 2 million copies - and the 'salad phenomenon' in Japanese culture was comparable to the 'bananamania' that followed publication of the first novel by Tawara's contemporary Banana Yoshimoto. Contains 15 poems:
'August Morning' 'Baseball Game' 'Morning Necktie' 'I Am the Wind' 'Summertime Ship' 'Wake-up Call' 'Hashimoto High School' 'Pretending to Wait for Someone' 'Salad Anniversary' 'Twilight Alley' 'My Bisymmetrical Self' 'So, Good Luck' 'Jazz Concert' 'Backstreet Cat' 'Always American'
"these poems mix the ancient grace and musicality of the tanka form with a modern insight and wit. With a light, fresh touch and a cool eye, Machi Tawara celebrates the small events in a life fully lived and one that is wonderfully touched by humor and beauty. This book will stay with you through the day, and long after you have finished it." — Reading Group Choices
"It is no wonder this book triggered a cultural phenomenon in Japan. She describes the source of her desires and frustrations with such precision that they become universal. . . Machi Tawara’s Salad Anniversary is an acutely self-aware portrait of modern life and love. . . Sensorial experiences string together past, present, and future, creating a narrative based on emotionally evocative images. " — Asymptote Journal
"Haruki Murakami is doleful, Hanya Yanagihara’s crestfallen, Banana Yoshimoto is a near infinite abyss. The poet Machi Tawara is of a different ilk; she has a distinctly sanguine tone. . . Tawara is a champion of gratitude and glee, best capturing simple satisfactions. . . From the garden to the produce aisle, her verses are full of zest—combining a feeling of contentment with images of ripening fruit. . . Tawara’s tanka bunch together like an overfull vine of grapes, creating powerful narratives that often have a timeless feeling, like that of a folk legend. . . It is the weaving together of the part (her hopeful tanka) and the whole (the narrative of her poems) that yield such a fruitful collection, perfect for the coming summer." — The New Orleans Review
Machi Tawara (b. 1962) is a contemporary Japanese poet, writer and translator, most famous for her revitalization of the classical 'tanka' form of poetry. Her 50-poem sequence August Morning received the Kadokawa Tanka Prize, and Anniversary of the Salad became a bestseller on its publication in 1987.
Translated from the Japanese by Juliet Winters Carpenter.
Machi Tawara's first book of poems, The Anniversary of the Salad combines the classical 'tanka' form with the subject of a modern love affair. It became a sensation, selling over 2 million copies - and the 'salad phenomenon' in Japanese culture was comparable to the 'bananamania' that followed publication of the first novel by Tawara's contemporary Banana Yoshimoto. Contains 15 poems:
'August Morning' 'Baseball Game' 'Morning Necktie' 'I Am the Wind' 'Summertime Ship' 'Wake-up Call' 'Hashimoto High School' 'Pretending to Wait for Someone' 'Salad Anniversary' 'Twilight Alley' 'My Bisymmetrical Self' 'So, Good Luck' 'Jazz Concert' 'Backstreet Cat' 'Always American'
Reviews
"these poems mix the ancient grace and musicality of the tanka form with a modern insight and wit. With a light, fresh touch and a cool eye, Machi Tawara celebrates the small events in a life fully lived and one that is wonderfully touched by humor and beauty. This book will stay with you through the day, and long after you have finished it." — Reading Group Choices
"It is no wonder this book triggered a cultural phenomenon in Japan. She describes the source of her desires and frustrations with such precision that they become universal. . . Machi Tawara’s Salad Anniversary is an acutely self-aware portrait of modern life and love. . . Sensorial experiences string together past, present, and future, creating a narrative based on emotionally evocative images. " — Asymptote Journal
"Haruki Murakami is doleful, Hanya Yanagihara’s crestfallen, Banana Yoshimoto is a near infinite abyss. The poet Machi Tawara is of a different ilk; she has a distinctly sanguine tone. . . Tawara is a champion of gratitude and glee, best capturing simple satisfactions. . . From the garden to the produce aisle, her verses are full of zest—combining a feeling of contentment with images of ripening fruit. . . Tawara’s tanka bunch together like an overfull vine of grapes, creating powerful narratives that often have a timeless feeling, like that of a folk legend. . . It is the weaving together of the part (her hopeful tanka) and the whole (the narrative of her poems) that yield such a fruitful collection, perfect for the coming summer." — The New Orleans Review
Author
Machi Tawara (b. 1962) is a contemporary Japanese poet, writer and translator, most famous for her revitalization of the classical 'tanka' form of poetry. Her 50-poem sequence August Morning received the Kadokawa Tanka Prize, and Anniversary of the Salad became a bestseller on its publication in 1987.
Translated from the Japanese by Juliet Winters Carpenter.
