NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW

An independent small press poetry review

NHI independent review
ERICA FACEY: DIVING GREBE
France-Do,Co.,Ltd.
1-9-61-102 Sengawa-Tyo
Chofu-Si
Tokyo 182-0002
Japan
ISBN 4 89402 761 5
¥2600

www
NHI review home page
FAQ page
Notes for Publishers

book reviews
anthologies
magazines
other media

Web design by Gerald England
This page last updated: 11th December 2007.
ERICA FACEY: DIVING GREBE

DIVING GREBE is a bilingual hardback book. There are 60pp front to middle in English and 112pp reading from back to middle in Japanese. The haiku, all written between 2000 and 2005, are divided into three sections.

STONE HAIKU, the first section, depicts the four seasons of the ancient Roman Empire in the West. At Mt. Vesuvius we have

	Sitting on the lava
	having climbed the mountain:
	how far away the sea
and at Mykonos
	How varied are the
	different kinds and forms of love
	under the beach parasols
The POSTCRIPT informs us that
I have come to a fuller understanding of Basho's view of haiku as an "impromptu" — Sokkyo. It would be wrong to think of Sokkyo purely as a snapshot.
The second section GREBES IN ENGLAND come from the author's wanderings around London and Epping Forest. Spring brings us
	Budding, undefeated,
	the cherry trees surge
	in the February snows
Summer has
	The coot's nest
	with willow built into it:
	a green reflection in the water
Autumn
	Wild crysanthemums
	growing by the roadside verge
	where the car crashed
and Winter
	Horse racing:
	clouds of white breath
	shouts of encouragement
EAST AND WEST, the final section, we are told
depicts the internationalisation of the East and West through frequent cultural exchanges, both formal and informal. The Western sense of beauty is not so different from that of "Kireisabi" — bright and colourful Sabi.
Perhaps my favourite from this section is
	Coming from the film of
	Soseki's "Heart"
	seagulls calling at the riverside
This is a nice edition to include in any haiku library.

reviewer: Gerald England