Japanese Haiku for Cat Lovers

By: William Scott Wilson (Translator), Manda (Illustrator)

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Hardcover | 7 April 2026

At a Glance

Hardcover
96 Pages

Edition Type
Bilingual edition

Dimensions(cm)
21.5 x 15.2

Hardcover

$30.75

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A lyrical celebration of cats-through the timeless beauty of Japanese haiku and brush art.

This beautifully illustrated collection brings together 82 cat-themed haiku by Japan's most celebrated poets-including Basho, Issa, Shiki, Buson, Soseki and many others-translated into English by bestselling author William Scott Wilson-with beautiful color paintings by award-winning French artist Manda.

The passing year!
The cat hunches down
on my lap.
-Natsume Soseki

A night of frost;
opening the window to the cries
of an abandoned cat.
-Issa

The cat scampers into the mulberry field.
A morning
of high wind.
-Hekigodo

The result is a book that will delight all poetry lovers and cat enthusiasts!

About the Author

William Scott Wilson has published over twenty books including The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi and The Life and Zen Haiku Poetry of Santoka Taneda. His translation of the Hagakure, an 18th century treatise on samurai philosophy, was featured in the film Ghost Dog by the director Jim Jarmusch. Wilson was awarded a Commendation from the Foreign Ministry of Japan, and inducted into the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese emperor. He is also the author of A Beginner's Guide to Japanese Haiku and The Illustrated Book of Japanese Haiku (also in collaboration with Manda).

Thirty years ago, Manda felt the need to free herself from academic art and decided to travel to Japan. Frequent stays there gave her the opportunity to adopt new practices. She learned from Japanese masters the "art of the line" as well as the mysteries of haiga, compositions where painted elements and poetry emerge from the same brush, forming a single entity. She has published many books, notably the works of Basho and Santoka. Her art appears in The Illustrated Book of Japanese Haiku, a collaboration with William Scott Wilson.

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