I love when I see efforts to merge Jane Austen and poetry, so I was intrigued when James W. Gaynor contacted me about his new book, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in 61 Haiku (1,037 Syllables). What a fun idea! Well, my dear readers, today I am delighted to have James as a guest on my blog with an excerpt from the book and a giveaway! Please give him a warm welcome:
From the introduction:
Emily Dickinson once famously remarked that if she felt as though the top of her head were taken off, she knew she was reading poetry. And who among us did not read “It is a truth universally acknowledged, …” and feel our heads explode?
Pride and Prejudice’s opening sentence is also the perfect pick-up line. The narrator zeroes in on her reader and introduces herself with what has become one of English literature’s most quoted opening sentences.
Austen continues to flirt with her reader in the first sentences of each of the book’s 61 chapters. So, how better to acknowledge the power of Austen’s collective one-line poetry than by translating Pride and Prejudice’s opening-sentence poems into contemporary twists on the classic Japanese 17-syllable haiku?
And here you have it: Pride and Prejudice in 61 Haiku (1,037 Syllables!)
It is my hope that readers will find themselves smiling knowingly from time to time as they travel in this redesigned Japanese vehicle across Austen’s familiar English landscape — and that they will forgive my star-struck attempt at this love-letter-poem to the extraordinary woman who still speaks to us in ways that can blast off the top of our heads.
My favorite (well, one of) haiku:
Chapter 7
Mr. Bennet’s property consisted almost entirely in an estate of two thousand a year, which, unfortunately for his daughters, was entailed, in default of heirs male, on a distant relation; and their mother’s fortune, though ample for her situation in life, could but ill supply the deficiency of his.
Five Bennet daughters —
Estate planning that backfired.
Which explains a lot.
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About the Author
James W. Gaynor, author of Everything Becomes a Poem (Nemeton Press), is a poet, artist, editor, and writer. A graduate of Kenyon College, he lived for years in Paris, where he taught a course on Emily Dickinson at the University of Paris, studied the development of the psychological novel in 17th century France, and worked as a translator.
After returning to New York, Gaynor worked as an editor at Grosset & Dunlap, Cuisine magazine, Scriptwriter News and Forbes Publications. His articles, book reviews, poems and essays have appeared in The New York Observer, OTVmagazine.com, The Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide, and Peeking Cat Poetry Magazine. As #HaikuJim, Gaynor publishes a daily haiku drawn from current newspaper headlines and is the creator of Can You Haiku? — a corporate communications workshop based on using 17th-century Japanese poetry techniques to improve effective use of today’s digital platforms. Gaynor recently retired as the Global Verbal Identity Leader for Ernst & Young LLP.
Connect with James: Website | Twitter
Check out Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in 61 Haiku (1,037 Syllables!) on Goodreads | Amazon
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Giveaway
James is generously offering a paperback of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in 61 Haiku (1,037 Syllables!) to one of my readers. This giveaway is open internationally and will close on Sunday, December 3, 2017. To enter, please leave a comment with your email address, and we’d love to hear what intrigues you most about the book. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced in the comments section of this post. Good luck!
Thank you, James, for being my guest today! Congratulations on the new release! I’m looking forward to reading it.
Such a fun concept. I am expecting a lot of very clever ‘sound bites’.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
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It does sound like a lot of fun!
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Happy Thanksgiving! His book certainly is
unique… the Haiku’s interest me very much.
Many thanks for the chance to win Mr. Gaynor’s book. Poetry is something that I
really enjoy.
Cindi
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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A unique idea which interests me greatly. Thanks.
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Thanks for checking it out!
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Reblogged this on susannahgreenberg.
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Can’t believe my eyes,
Favourite book condensed! Approved
Universally!
Fantastic idea! Very clever!! Best of luck with it!
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Ha, love it, Mary!
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This sounds wonderful, can’t wait to have a look. Thanks for the chance to win a copy. crs(at)codedivasites(dot)com
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Thanks for checking it out!
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I like this unique idea: P & P Haiku. It sound like this collection is a winner! Thank you for hosting this giveaway. I will add it to my blog’s sidebar. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
suko95(at)gmail(dot)com
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Thanks, Suko! Happy Thanksgiving!
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I love haiku and can’t wait to read this. I’m hoping for some laughs and swoons! Thanks for the chance to win!
Kimpru1 at aol(dot)com
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Thanks for checking it out!
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Such an interesting idea, I love how fans keep Jane Austen’s work alive and always developing into something new. Never letting it get old. Very excited to read your newest work!
readingnookcorner(at)gmail(dot)com
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There are definitely a lot of authors keeping her work alive. So glad for that!
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This was a fun read!
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It seems like it. I hope to have a chance to read it soon!
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Thank you so much for this interesting introduction.
I admit I have never heard of this book until To Pemberley from Milton article and I was completely fascinated by it.
As a graduate in Japanese language and literature and as a Jane Austen’s fan, I find this new approach to Pride and prejudice very interesting. I would like to ask the author if he knows or studied Japanese haiku poets and if someone has inspired him particularly.
Thank you for this book, I can’t wait to read it! And thank you for the international giveaway!
My email is: LorenDushku at gmail dot com
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Thanks, Loren! I will make sure James sees your question.
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Thank you Anna!
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You’re welcome!
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What a concept! I’ve added this to my “TBR” and hope to get into it in the new year as that list is lengthy.
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Thanks for checking it out!
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Hi, Anna,
This book ROCKS. I want it. BAD. ly. Wanna WIN. !! 😁
What a concept, what skill. What FUN.
Never saw this one coming !!
Thanks!!!
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Oops. Email:
karyleebm@gmail
Merci!
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Anna, I’m so deeply touched by the responses from your readers! The question I get asked a lot about this book is, “So, how did you come up with this idea?” And I usually answer, “I’m not really sure, but it took years!” And when I read these responses, I’m glad I persevered. To answer Loren’s question, I’ve been particularly influenced by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694), who is widely considered to by the “father” of haiku, and was declared a god in the Shino pantheon in 1793. I’m also very fond of the work Takarai Kikaku (1661-1707). I’ve studied haiku in translation (my Japanese is, after “Please” , “Thank you” and a few set phrases, nonexistent), and I enjoy creating my own versions of classics, building on the work of other translators. I also write a daily haiku commentary based on an article in the NYTimes that appears on my blog at jameswgaynor.com
Haiku is such a malleable form, encouraging everyone’s inner poet to come out and create.There is something wonderful and powerful in the format. Children in the US now study them their three-line format in grammar school
(5 syllables / 7 syllables / 5 syllables) and, in my teaching experience, adults always seem to enjoy learning how to write them.
The classic haiku contains a duality of message (such as joy in the moment coupled with sadness at its transient nature), and attempts to answer three questions:
1. What? (the object, the action, e.g., falling leaf or petal, sound of water)
2. Where? (geography, e.g., house, garden, mountain)
3. When? (seasonal reference, e.g., spring, summer, winter, fall)
In the book, I created a summarizing word-image haiku of each of the chapters in Pride and Prejudice. In so doing, I found that a somewhat ironic and unexpected voice emerging as each first sentence became a short poem. I began to hear what might be Austen’s acidic feminine wit blending with my 21st-century masculine sensibility — not surprising, given that I fell in love with Jane Austen when I first heard “It is a truth universally acknowledged …” and she and I have been in a committed relationship for more than 50 years now.
Again, thank you all for your interest! Please let me know what you think of the book?
お 返事へんじを 待まちしております
(which translates as “I look forward to hearing from you”)
#HaikuJim
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This is a unique concept combining Jane Austen’s most popular masterpiece with poetry. It’s something I’ve never seen done before. Thank you for offering the giveaway, James.
evangelineace2020(at)yahoo(dot)com
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Thanks to everyone who stopped by to check out Jim’s book. The giveaway winner is Karylee. Congrats and happy reading (please check your email)!
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