For his sixth novel, it is in Japan of the XIIe century transported to us by Denis Thériault (the iguana, XYZ, 2001), in the footsteps of the orphan Matsuo. Alternately warrior, poet, brigand and gardener, he will participate in a poetry contest to win the heart of Yoko, lady of the imperial court and great poet: “Being accountable only for his life, he broke the pact which had been imposed on him, and prepared to fight like a proud warrior of the word. Punctuated with charming wakas (traditional Japanese poems), this novel rich in thrilling adventures and picturesque characters, where historical facts, folklore and fantasy come together seamlessly, embraces the candid gaze of the young man in love with the absolute, of his idyllic childhood. in a forest watched over by the witch Murasaki, passing through the military academy and the dens where his poems are all the rage, until his visit to the Underworld. Rarely has the act of writing been illustrated with so much excitement and exuberance.
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