Lucien Stryk
Encyclopedia
Lucien Stryk is an American Zen
poet, translator, and former English professor at Northern Illinois University
(NIU).
Stryk was born in Poland, moved to Chicago
aged four, and served on the Northern Illinois University
faculty from 1958 until his retirement in 1991. He also has taught at universities in Japan
, and was a Fulbright lecturer both in Japan
and in Iran
.
Stryk has written or edited more than two dozen volumes of poetry, collections, and translations of Chinese and Japanese Zen poetry. He has also recorded much of his work on Folkways Records
. His poetry has been influenced by Walt Whitman
, Paul Éluard
, and Basho
, and translated into Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Swedish and Italian.
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
poet, translator, and former English professor at Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
(NIU).
Stryk was born in Poland, moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
aged four, and served on the Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University is a state university and research institution located in DeKalb, Illinois, with satellite centers in Hoffman Estates, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon. It was originally founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895 by Illinois Governor John P...
faculty from 1958 until his retirement in 1991. He also has taught at universities in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and was a Fulbright lecturer both in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Stryk has written or edited more than two dozen volumes of poetry, collections, and translations of Chinese and Japanese Zen poetry. He has also recorded much of his work on Folkways Records
Folkways Records
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
. His poetry has been influenced by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
, Paul Éluard
Paul Éluard
Paul Éluard, born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel , was a French poet who was one of the founders of the surrealist movement.-Biography:...
, and Basho
Matsuo Basho
, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
, and translated into Japanese, Chinese, French, Spanish, Swedish and Italian.
Selected works
- The Awakened Self: Encounters With Zen, Kodansha International, 1995, ISBN 9781568360461
- Bird of time: HaikuHaiku' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
of BashoMatsuo Basho, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku... - Prairie voices: a collection of Illinois poets, Spoon River Poetry Press, 1980, ISBN 9780933180215
- Encounter With Zen: Writings on Poetry and Zen, Ohio University Press, 1981, ISBN 9780804004053 (reprint Grove Press, 1994, ISBN 9780802130952)
- Lucien Stryk (ed) Cage Of Fireflies : Modern Japanese HaikuHaiku' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
, Swallow Press, 1993, ISBN 9780804009768
Poetry
- Bells of Lombardy, Northern Illinois University Press, 1986, ISBN 9780875801278
- Of Pen & Ink & Paper Scraps, Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, 1989
- And Still Birds Sing : New & Collected Poems, Swallow Press/Ohio University Press, 1998, ISBN 9780804010054
External links
- Stryk Discography at Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
- "Lucien Stryk", PoetryPoetry
- short note on Stryk