Let Those Who Appear

Over twenty-five years ago New Directions, at the urging of Kenneth Rexroth, published Seasons of Sacred Lust, a selection of poems by a young Japanese writer, Kazuko Shiraishi. Since then the book has gone through several printings and toured around the world, accompanying Ms. Shiraishi to almost any country one can think of, places where she gave readings and participated in various poetry events. Indeed, because of Shiraishi's travels, Seasons is probably one of the most widely-distributed books in the New Directions catalog. However, by now Seasons has become dated. It has been followed by more than fifteen new collections and Shiraishi has matured beyond her early Beat-related work; her poetry has developed an impressive range and depth. Let Those Who Appear contains selections from various recently-published books as carefully translated by Yumiko Tsumura and Samuel Grolmes. The title poem is from Shiraishi's 1996 book which received three prestigious awards in Japan—the Yomiuri Literature Award, the Takami Jun Poetry Award, and the Purple Ribbon Medal from the Emperor of Japan.

Author Biography: Born in Vancouver, Canada, in 1931, Kazuko Shiraishi was taken to Japan by her family just prior to WWII. Her first poetry (written at the age of seventeen, published at twenty) emerged from the violence and ugliness of post-war Tokyo.