Dr. Angelee Deodhar’s Hindi-English translation of David Lanoue’s The Distant Mountain: The Life and Haiku of Kobayashi Issa
The Distant Mountain: The Life and Haiku of Kobayashi Issa by David B. Lanoue, bilingual Hindi-English edition, translated and published by Angelee Deodhar, Chandigarh, India, 2009. Trade paperback, 202 pages, perfect bound, 5½" x 8½", B&W interior, full color exterior.
Price Information: $10.00 USD postpaid ($5 for the book and $5 for postage).
Contact Information:
Dr. Angelee Deodhar
1224, Sector 42-B
Chandigarh 160036, India Email: angeleedeodhar@gmail.com
I have had the great fortune to receive a copy of the estimable Dr. Angelee Deodhar’s newest Hindi-English book, her translation of David Lanoue’s The Distant Mountain: The Life and Haiku of Kobayashi Issa. This is an exquisite book in English (the haiku translations also are by Dr. David G. Lanoue, Professor of English at Xavier University of Louisiana) and so it is simply wonderful that it is now available to Hindi readers, and in a lovely edition, at that! In her acknowledgments, the translator notes that this is her sixth Hindi-English haiku book "and the first of its kind about Issa not only in India but also in the world." Dr. Deodhar further explains, "The idea is to expose the bilingual Indian poet to the poetry of the Japanese masters."
The Distant Mountain includes a very informative Introduction and Chronology prefacing the expertly selected haiku in five traditional seasonal sections: "New Year," "Spring," "Summer," "Autumn," and "Winter." The volume’s verso pages are in English with the Hindi translations on the facing recto pages. Very helpful notes are included with many of the haiku. As a lover of Issa’s haiku, I consider this a most valuable work. What a treasure this bilingual edition is for Hindi readers!
I recommend this book wholeheartedly. While this is seminal work in Hindi, it is also a very fine book for English readers. When I sat down to read it, I did not rise until I had finished it. It is a most enjoyable book and, for those unfamiliar with Issa’s haiku, it is a great introduction.
Denis M. Garrison
NOTE: Please feel free to share this review and post it on other websites. DMG, reviewer
I fully agree with the views of Denis Garrison. Angelee was kind to send me a copy of the collection and i too enjoyed reading it. The Hindi translation gives us a view of Issa's haiku as translated in English. The book would have created a deeper impact had the haiku been translated from Japanese to Hindi.
-R.K.Singh
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