Word: basho
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There is no hero. The central figure is Basho, the great 17th century Japanese poet. To this role, Nicholas Kepros brings a wry gravity of mien and a musical clarity of line delivery that merits his being called Zen Gielgud. Basho is on a quest for enlightenment, a radiant shaft of wisdom that will have the direct luminous perception of one of his poems...
...much; its fragile content defies explanation; its meaning must be found, not only in the haiku's simple imagery, but in the trains of reverie evoked in the reader. Even to the Japanese, this is not always an easy task. A haiku composed by the master, Matsuo Basho (1644-94), has puzzled his disciples for 273 years...