The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches

In his beautifully crafted haiku, Basho captures the natural world with simplicity and deep feeling. As an ardent student of Zen Buddhism, he embarked on travels aimed at shedding material distractions and seeking spiritual enlightenment. His writings reflect the changing seasons, the scent of rain, the brightness of the moon, and the beauty of waterfalls, revealing the mysteries of the universe. This seventeenth-century travel writing chronicles Basho's challenging journeys through Japan while expressing his vision of eternity in the transient world around him. Nobuyuki Yuasa’s lucid translation preserves the lyrical qualities of Basho's poetry and prose, using contemporary language and rhythms. The introduction explores the haibun style, where poetry and prose coexist, and the edition includes maps and notes for context. For over seventy years, Penguin has been a leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world, offering a diverse collection of more than 1,700 titles. Penguin Classics is trusted for its authoritative texts, enhanced by introductions and notes from distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, along with modern translations by award-winning translators.