On Sunday November 9, Mayflower Bookshop welcomes translators Henk Akkermans and Wim Boot for an afternoon devoted to a fascinating form of Japanese poetry: the renga (連歌), or “linked verse.”
Their talk marks the publication of De renga-meester – Alle kettingverzen van Matsuo Bashō (Uitgeverij Noordboek, 2025), which for the first time brings together all seventeen renga sequences composed under the guidance of the great poet Matsuo Bashō (1644–1694).
In the Japan of the Edo period (1600–1868), writing renga was a popular pastime among the educated classes. Each poem consisted of 36 alternating stanzas of three and two lines, composed by several poets in turn. A “master” guided the sequence, ensuring that each link connected subtly to the previous one: evoking association, contrast, and resonance rather than a straightforward narrative.
Akkermans and Boot will offer an introduction to the genre, to Bashō’s role as renga master, and to the art of creating meaningful connections between verses. They will also discuss one of the seventeen cycles in detail, revealing how collaboration and intuition shaped these poetic masterpieces.
Sunday, November 9, 2025 – 16.00 – 17.00
Free admission
Mayflower Bookshop, Breestraat 70, Leiden