This book examines and re-imagines the turbulent and intertwined lives of Akiko Yosano (1878-1942) and Tekkan Yosano (1873-1935), two poets who sparked a revolution in the world of Japanese 'tanka' (short-verse classical poetry). The author explores their passionate and at times tormented relationship, using documentary sources and their poetry along with her own storytelling abilities in order to evoke the intimate details of their lives, together and apart.
Author Biography
Seiko Tanabe is a fiction writer and the winner of the Akutagawa Prize for her 1964 novel 'Senchimentaru jani' (Sentimental Journey). Meredith McKinney is currently a visiting fellow at the Japan Centre, Australian National University, and works as a freelance translator.