An Unexpected Haiku Poet

Richard Wright's literary reputation was secured in 1940 with the publication of Native Son. The novel became a bestseller with 250,000 hardcover copies sold within three weeks. It was selected by the Book of the Month Club in March, 1940.

Native Son remains at number 71 on the American Library Association's list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1900-2000. The Modern Library places it at number 20 on its list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century. And Time Magazine included it in the 100 best English language novels from 1923 to 2005.

Many people are surprised when they learn that
the author of such a powerful novel as Native Son also wrote haiku poetry. In fact, Wright, who only took up haiku in the last year or two of his life, wrote over 4,000 haiku!

In the midst of a grueling battle with amoebic dysentery, Wright reviewed his poems and chose his personal favorites for publication, 817 in all. It took 38 years for the collection to be published as HAIKU -- This Other World. Will we have wait another 38 years to see the other 3,200 poems?

Richard Wright had wonderful gifts of description and humor, as these examples will confirm.

Upon a pine tree
A snail slides out of its shell
To witness the spring.

A soft wind at dawn
Lifts one dry leaf and lays it
Upon another.

The dog's violent sneeze
Fails to rouse a single fly
On his mangy back.

As the sun goes down,
a green melon splits open
and juice trickles out.

A butterfly makes
The sunshine even brighter
With fluttering wings.

With a twitching nose
A dog reads a telegram
On a wet tree trunk.

The crow flew so fast
That he left his lovely caw
Behind in the fields.

After seven days,
The corpse in the coffin
Turned on its side.

I almost forgot
To hang up an autumn moon
Over the mountain.