Best known for his interpretations of Western Continental philosophy, Japan's Kuki Shuzo (1888-1941) was also the author of several collections of poetry. This volume contains translations of his collections of free verse as well as his 31-syllable poems ( tanka ), which were written in Paris during the 1920s. Also included are some rhyming poems and essays by Shuzo on poetry and a variety of other topics. Marra (Japanese literature, UCLA) addresses the apparent contradictions between Kuki's philosophical thought and the metaphysical ideas expressed in his verse in the introduction. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)