The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches

Feb 23, 2026 6:52 PM

Author:Matsuo Basho,Nobuyuki Yuasa,Nobuyuki Yuasa

'It was with awe

That I beheld

Fresh leaves, green leaves,

Bright in the sun'

When the Japanese haiku master Basho composed The Narrow Road to the Deep North, he was an ardent student of Zen Buddhism, setting off on a series of travels designed to strip away the trappings of the material world and bring spiritual enlightenment. He writes of the seasons changing, the smell of the rain, the brightness of the moon and the beauty of the waterfall, through which he sensed the mysteries of the universe. These writings not only chronicle Basho's travels, but they also capture his vision of eternity in the transient world around him.

Translated with an Introduction by Nobuyuki Yuasa

Reviews

A delightfully witty tale

—— Woman's Weekly

This is Forster writing at her very best

—— Daily Mail

How does it feel to be the mother of a juvenile thug? Or the mother of that thug's hapless victim? It is the pain of such mothers that Margaret Forster explores most brilliantly in her dark, harrowing and extremely topical novel

—— Val Hennessy , Daily Mail

Forster is remarkably honest, skilful and perceptive

—— Observer

Margaret Forster has a remarkable gift for taking huge social issues and welding them into minutely observed human dramas that are perfect portraits of the way we live now...The story grips and the heart bleeds for these good mothers who are, like all mothers, never good enough

—— Polly Toynbee , Sunday Express

'McAdam's narrative weaves in virtuoso dialogue as well as genuine warmth-Exhilarating'

—— Observer

'Impressive and ambitious'

—— Independent

'A highly intelligent and moving book'

—— Time Out

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