Despite the occasional vague pronoun reference or f-bomb, I've always fancied myself a relatively articulate and polite English speaker (growing up so close to Canada has its consequences). En français, however, I undergo a Jekyll-like transformation from Midwestern Judith Martin to angry truck driver doing stand up for the French navy. A typical conversation is … Continue reading Sappho in Paris: The Poetic Value of Lexical Cosmopolitanism
Tag: #japanese
Spitting Blood: Rediscovering the Japanese Death Poem
On July 24th, 1927, Ryunosuke Akutagawa, considered to be one of the greatest modern writers of Japan, had his aunt deliver the following poem to the family doctor, who himself was a haiku poet: One spot, alone, left glowing in the dark my snotty nose That very night, propelled by “a vague sort of anxiety … Continue reading Spitting Blood: Rediscovering the Japanese Death Poem
Oakland Arts Review 