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言葉について

Contemporary Poet Award

言葉について

Minoru Nakamura

A poetry collection in which Minoru Nakamura, after many decades of writing poems, reflects on the nature and expressions of language through the sonnet form. It distills the humility and fear of people who stumble over words, are misled by them, and still try to approach them.

languagesonnetspoetic practicelate-life reflection

Work Information

A collection that approaches language with humility precisely because it knows language can be frightening.

Kotoba ni Tsuite is a newly written collection of sonnets that takes language itself as its subject, a theme the poet has faced over many years. The publisher presents it as a reflection on the essence and faces of language, grounded in a lifetime of poetic practice.

Review Summaries

  • The collection is received as a restrained work grounded in a long poetic life, balancing affection for language with awe before it. It suits readers who prefer quiet tension and close attention to words over dramatic movement.

Book Information

Publisher
青土社
Published
2016-09-20
Pages
86 pages
Language
日本語
ISBN-13
9784791769513
ISBN-10
4791769511
Price
1980 JPY
Category
本/文学・評論

詩作をはじめて70余年。 その間、豊かな感受性をもって、 言葉に接してきた詩人が、 言葉の本質と相貌を考察した、 書き下ろしソネット20篇。

Reviews

  • 一見簡単実は難解

    表面だけ言葉をなぞると、何でもないように見える言葉の数々。しかし、読み進めるうちに何か奇妙な感覚が生じる。これは、もしかして、何か極めて深淵的な言語状況を少なくとも暗示しているのではないか。そう感じ考えながら、読了した。後日、本詩集が賞を受賞したことを知った。そうか、理解できる選考委員もいるのか、さすが違うと思った。

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