is a Japanese
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
and
translator
Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...
who was born in
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, Canada. She is a modernist, outsider poet who got her start in
Katsue Kitazono's "VOU" poetry group, which led Shiraishi to publish her first book of poems in 1951. She has also read her poetry at jazz performances.
She has appeared at readings and literary festivals all over the world.
Kenneth Rexroth
Kenneth Charles Marion Rexroth (1905–1982) was an American poet, translator, and critical essayist. He is regarded as a central figure in the San Francisco Renaissance, and paved the groundwork for the movement. Although he did not consider h ...
called her "the Allen Ginsberg of Japan," and edited a volume of her poetry in English for New Directions Press.
Translations available in English
Hiroaki Sato Hiroaki Sato may refer to:
*, Japanese fighter and wrestler with ring name Hikaru Sato
*, Japanese figure skater
*, Japanese footballer
*, Japanese poet and translator
* Hiroaki Sato (animation director) (born 1959)
{{hndis, Sato, Hiroaki ...
has translated Shiraishi's poetry for ''BOMB Magazine'',
and
several of her anthologies have appeared in English:
* ''Seasons of Sacred Lust''. Translated by Ikuko Atsumi, John Solt, Carol Tinker, Yasuyo Morita, and Kenneth Rexroth. Edited by Kenneth Rexroth. New Directions Press, 1975.
* ''Let Those Who Appear''. Translated by Samuel Grolmes and Yumiko Tsumura. New Directions Press, 2002.
* ''My Floating Mother, City''. Translated by Samuel Grolmes and Yumiko Tsumura. New Directions Press, 2009.
* ''Sea, Land, Shadow''. Translated by Yumiko Tsumura. New Directions Press, 2017.
References
Further reading
*
Quarterly Conversation''. "My Floating Mother, City by Kazuko Shiraishi,"by Levi Stahl.
1931 births
Living people
Writers from Vancouver
Japanese poets
Japanese translators
Japanese women poets
Date of birth missing (living people)
International Writing Program alumni
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