The Modern English Haiku

Bruce K. Filson was a freelance writer and critic residing in Chesterville, Ontario.

This short primer gives a concise history, description, and discussion of the modern haiku written in English. It explains the difference between the ancient Japanese poetic genre and the contemporary English variety, with cogent examples. In point form and brief anecdote, it highlights the evolution and practise of what the Japanese call, simply, the one-line poem.

It is a competent primer for a form that is popular and well established in a free verse world. It succinctly explains why the haiku, that essence of brevity that captures eternity, is so powerful and exquisite. It dispels certain misconceptions, such as the necessity of 17 syllables. It gives a reasonable definition and set of guidelines for the modern haiku, which rely on requirements of both form and content. These rules are intended to teach the cosmic, objective, and imagistic nature of the haiku rather than to set rigid rules for their own sake.

The primer is an especially good springboard for further reading, as it contains much well-organized bibliographic information.