Over twenty-five years ago New Directions, at the urging of Kenneth
Rexroth, published Seasons of Sacred Lust, a selection of poems by a
young Japanese writer, Kazuko Shiraishi. Since then the book has gone
through several printings and toured around the world, accompanying Ms.
Shiraishi to almost any country one can think of, places where she gave
readings and participated in various poetry events. Indeed, because of
Shiraishi's travels, Seasons is probably one of the most
widely-distributed books in the New Directions catalog. However, by now
Seasons has become dated. It has been followed by more than fifteen
new collections and Shiraishi has matured beyond her early Beat-related
work; her poetry has developed an impressive range and depth. Let Those
Who Appear contains selections from various recently-published books as
carefully translated by Yumiko Tsumura and Samuel Grolmes. The title
poem is from Shiraishi's 1996 book which received three prestigious
awards in Japanthe Yomiuri Literature Award, the Takami Jun Poetry
Award, and the Purple Ribbon Medal from the Emperor of Japan.