Romaji Diary and Sad Toys (Tuttle Classics)

Japanese poet Usgukawa's (1886-1912) collection of tanka traditional 36-syllable poems was published in English translation by Purdue University Press in 1977 as Sad Toys ; the introduction and notes are revised slightly here. The diary covers from April to June 1909 and is here translated in full for the first time; it portrays a disturbed artist in Japan as it was undergoing radical change during the Meiji era. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)