Mister Timeless Blyth: A Biographical Novel: R.H. Blyth's Life of Zen and Haiku, Bridging East and West

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2024 Longlist includes Mister Timeless Blyth, a novel that explores the life of Reginald Horace Blyth, a poet, scholar, musician, linguist, and student of Zen who became a key link and mediator between the Imperial Household and the occupying American forces after World War II. Blyth's work influenced many important writers of the 20th century, and his fingerprints are everywhere today in the study of Zen, Haiku, and Japanese culture. The novel is written in the form of an autobiographical novel filled with Zen and poetry, celebrating a man who built a bridge between East and West for the greater part of his lifetime.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 28 March 2023
Publisher: Tuttle Publishing

*Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2024 Longlist* Lovers of Haiku,Zen and Japan will find this novel truly inspiring! An extraordinary man at a crucial time and place. In Mister Timeless Blyth ,writer Alan Spence has created a fascinating (auto) biography,convincingly in R.H. Blyth s own voice. In it,he has conveyed the haiku scholar s love of music,eastern and western literature,Zen Buddhism,and sly contradictions. Blyth s profound understanding of haiku and his self-deprecating humor permeate every page. Throughout this work,Mr. Spence has included an interesting constellation of characters who influenced Blyth on what he considered his own karmic path,giving us an entirely new perspective of his life and personal development. I could not put the book down. — William Scott Wilson,author of The Life and Zen Haiku Poetry of Santoka Taneda Imprisoned during World War I as a conscientious objector and interned during World War II as an enemy alien,Reginald Horace Blyth was a poet,a scholar,a musician,a linguist and a student of Zen who ultimately became teacher to an emporer. His pivitol works were published in Japan even during his internment. Blyth ultimately became the key link and mediator between the Imperial Household and the occupying American forces,whom many credit with saving Japan from chaos after the war. His fingerprints are everywhere today in the study of Zen,Haiku and Japanese culture,and his work has influenced some of the most important writers of the 20th century— including Huxley,Oshi,Aiken,Watts,Salinger,Kerouac,Ginsberg and others. He was,in many ways,a man who changed the world! Mister Timeless Blyth is his story. Written in the form of an autobiographical novel filled with Zen and poetry,this book recoun.
Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction 2024 Longlist: Lovers of Haiku, Zen, and Japan will find this novel truly inspiring! An extraordinary man at a crucial time and place. In Mister Timeless Blyth, writer Alan Spence has created a fascinating (auto) biography, convincingly in R.H. Blyth's own voice. In it, he has conveyed the haiku scholar's love of music, eastern and western literature, Zen Buddhism, and sly contradictions. Blyth's profound understanding of haiku and his self-deprecating humor permeate every page. Throughout this work, Mr. Spence has included an interesting constellation of characters who influenced Blyth on what he considered his own karmic path, giving us an entirely new perspective of his life and personal development. I could not put the book down. — William Scott Wilson, author of The Life and Zen Haiku Poetry of Santoka Taneda Imprisoned during World War I as a conscientious objector and interned during World War II as an enemy alien, Reginald Horace Blyth was a poet, a scholar, a musician, a linguist, and a student of Zen who ultimately became teacher to an emporer. His pivotal works were published in Japan even during his internment. Blyth ultimately became the key link and mediator between the Imperial Household and the occupying American forces, whom many credit with saving Japan from chaos after the war. His fingerprints are everywhere today in the study of Zen, Haiku, and Japanese culture, and his work has influenced some of the most important writers of the 20th century—including Huxley, Oshi, Aiken, Watts, Salinger, Kerouac, Ginsberg, and others. He was, in many ways, a man who changed the world! Mister Timeless Blyth is his story. Written in the form of an autobiographical novel filled with Zen and poetry, this book recounts Blyth's life from childhood to old age, from his early days as a student of Zen to his later years as a teacher and scholar. Blyth's journey is a testament to the power of Zen and the importance of living in the present moment. He faced many challenges throughout his life, including poverty, illness, and discrimination, but he never gave up on his dreams. Blyth's poetry is beautiful and profound, and it has inspired countless people around the world. His work has been translated into many languages, and he has received numerous awards and honors. Mister Timeless Blyth is a must-read for anyone interested in Zen, Haiku, or Japanese culture. It is a story that will inspire and uplift you, and it will leave you with a deeper understanding of the human spirit.

Weight: 514g
Dimension: 210 x 141 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780804856355