Haiku Guy Omnibus: A 20th Anniversary Edition of Haiku Guy, Laughing Buddha, Haiku Wars, Frog Poet, and Dewdrop World

The publication of this omnibus edition of five short novels coincides with the twentieth anniversary of that of the first installment, “Haiku Guy,” which came out in the year 2000. Five interconnected narratives explore the art of haiku by following the adventures of Buck-Teeth, a fictional student haiku master Cup-of-Tea, the historical Issa. Sliding easily back and forth between Old Japan and contemporary New Orleans, between the unfolding stories and the author’s writing group commenting on those stories, the five meandering narratives reflect on the meaning of life, the purpose of poetry, and the search for enlightenment. Though each little novel stands alone, together they form parts of a greater whole that, author David G. Lanoue suggests, can be discovered in the same way that one finds shapes in midsummer clouds—hence his advice to the reader with which he ends his Preface, “Squint hard.”