''NEXUS haiku'' - book by Michael Dudley, Tomislav Maretić & Dejan Pavlinović

Ovo je video o suradnji i sustvaralaštvu koji smo snimili prije nekog vremena — video s pet glasova i na dva jezika koji govori o dvojezičnoj, međukulturnoj zbirci haikua, senryua, haiku nizova i rengaya pod nazivom Nexus Haiku (objavljena 2021.). Svaka pjesma u ovoj knjizi, koja uključuje i umjetnička djela Nine Šestanović, predgovor Sanele Pliško te kratke osvrte Gillesa Fabrea i Đurđe Vukelić Rožić, nastala je u suradnji dvojice ili sva tri autora: Michaela Dudleya, Tomislava Maretića i Dejana Pavlinovića.

Kraća verzija videa je premijerno prikazana 28. listopada 2022. na uglednom haiku susretu "Seabeck Haiku Getaway 2022" (SAD).

***

Here is a video about collaboration and co-creation we made some time ago — a video in five voices and two languages that discusses the bilingual, cross-cultural collection of haiku, senryu, sequences, and rengay titled Nexus Haiku (published in 2021). Each poem in the volume — which includes artwork by Nina Šestanović, a foreword by Sanela Pliško, and blurbs written by Gilles Fabre and Đurđa Vukelić Rožić — has been composed by two or all three of the authors: Michael Dudley, Tomislav Maretić, and Dejan Pavlinović.

A short version of the video was premiered on 28 October 2022 at the renowned ''Seabeck Haiku Getaway 2022'' (USA).

solsticij

brazda broda uvija

zadnje zrake sunca

solstice

a ship’s wake curls

the last sunbeams

Little Marvels: An Anthology of Haiku, 2024 (Poetry Pea Press)

pred grobom

proljetna rosulja uslišava

molitvu

at the grave

spring drizzle answers

a prayer

32. Samoborski haiku susreti 2025. / 32nd Samobor Haiku Meeting 2025

poentilizam

prošarano cvjetovima

zelenilo šume

pointillism

dotted with blossoms

the forest green

Sakura Haiku Challenge 2024

granična kontrola 

nijanse stranog jezika

u deset prstiju

border control

the nuances of a foreign language

in ten fingers

YEAR OF THE SNAKE (New Year's Tan-ku, 2025)

kraj staze . . .

trešnjini cvjetovi premošćuju

jezerce

path's end . . .

cherry blossoms bridge

the pond

Sakura Haiku Challenge 2024

kišni oblačić

suncobran se pretvara

u kišobran

little rain cloud

a parasol turns into

an umbrella

16th Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum English Haiku Contest 2024 - Selected Haiku/Odabrani haiku

taj bor

koji mi skreće pogled

s modrog prostranstva

that pine tree

which shifts my gaze

from the blue expanse

16th Yamadera Basho Memorial Museum English Haiku Contest 2024 - Selected Haiku/Odabrani haiku

Prvi maj

opet me žica

za nešto sitniša

Labour Day

he asks me for some change

once again

YEAR OF THE SNAKE (New Year's Tan-ku, 2025)

LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線

RAZGOVORI & RECENZIJE / INTERVIEWS & REVIEWS

ISTRA 24 (razgovor/interview): https://www.istra24.hr/kultura/pulski-haiku-pjesnik-dejan-pavlinovic-nikada-necemo-biti-spremni-za-gubitak-roditelja-jer-tu-ne-igraju-teorija-i-racio-nego-emocija-i-srce

GLAS ISTRE (razgovor/interview): https://www.glasistre.hr/knjizevnost/2024/09/11/ususret-sutrasnjoj-promociji-zbirke-linije-zivota-razgovarali-smo-s-najpoznatijim-pulskim-haiku-pj-955437

GLAS ISTRE (osvrt na promociju/book launch): https://www.glasistre.hr/knjizevnost/2024/09/12/predstavljena-nova-haiku-zbirka-dejana-pavlinovica-955670

POETRY PEA PODCAST, S7E38 - Reading with Croatian Poet Dejan Pavlinović (razgovor/interview): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJAe9qEw-4o

HIA - Haiku International Association (haiku tsurezure - #42), Japan (razgovor/interview): https://www.haiku-hia.com/haiku_tsurezure_en/42.html

BLITHE SPIRIT 35.1 (Journal of the British Haiku Society) - Review by Maya Daneva (recenzija/review): https://smilingcricket.blogspot.com/2025/02/blithe-spirit-35.html

Graham Bates, KOKAKO haiku magazine, Novi Zeland (recenzija/review): https://kokako10.wordpress.com/blog/, https://kokako10.wordpress.com/current-issue/

Gabriel Rosenstock, Irska (recenzija/review): https://www.academia.edu/122720795/OUTSTANDING_HAIKU_FROM_CROATIA

Maxianne Berger, Haiku Canada Review, October 2024 (recenzija/review): http://www.haikucanada.org/publications/documents/archives/2024/Haiku%20Canada%20Review%20Oct%202024.pdf

Dimitar Anakiev, Bugarska (recenzija/review): https://gabriell-e-lit.com/izdatelstvo/za-linii-na-jivota-na-dejan-pavlinovic-dimitar-anakiev/spisanie-kartini-s-dumi-i-bagri/

Iain Maloney, Japan/UK (recenzija/review): https://iainmaloney.substack.com/p/august-reads-part-two

Pravat Kumar Padhy, Indija (recenzija/review): https://www.thewiseowl.art/life-lines

Brijesh Raj, Cafe Haiku (review): https://cafehaiku.wordpress.com/2025/03/13/book-review-life-lines/

Modern Haiku 56-1 (brief review): https://modernhaiku.org/issue56-1/MH56-1-briefly-reviewed.pdf

kintsugi

tijek razgovora nakon

pomirbenog seksa

kintsugi

the flow of a conversation

after make up sex

YEAR OF THE SNAKE (New Year's Tan-ku, 2025)

samorefleksija

čak me i ogledalo ne želi

pogledati

self-reflection

even the mirror refuses

to look at me

YEAR OF THE SNAKE (New Year's Tan-ku, 2025)

zimska šetnja

i ovaj cvrkut izgubljen

u šumi

winter walk

this chirp also lost

in the woods

Blithe Spirit 35.1

(Journal of the British Haiku Society)

Blithe Spirit 35.1 (Journal of the British Haiku Society) - Review by Maya Daneva (page 79-80), February 2025

Linije Života / Life Lines / 生命線  by Dejan Pavlinović, Udruga Tondak, 2024, paperback, 156 pages, ISBN: 9789334603116, €14+€3 p&p, available from dejan.pavlinovic@gmail.com

 

This trilingual book (Croatian, English, and Japanese) is the second solo collection by internationally acclaimed haiku poet Dejan Pavlinović. Elegantly crafted, the book features a textured cream-colored cover and a sleek, minimalist design that radiates a sense of peacefulness and draws the reader into a Zen atmosphere. Moreover, the addition of a bookmark in the same design is a thoughtful touch.

The 156 pages of this collection contain 100 haiku, thematically organized into four sections: Life Lines, Breath of Air, Coexistence, and Breaking Waves. In each section, some poems filled me with Zen-like calm, others brought a smile to my face, and still others provoked deeper reflection on the most important relationships in our lives.

Many of the poems explore the complexities of human emotions - love, joy, loss, and grief - reflecting not only our relationships with others but also with ourselves, especially the child we once were or still are. A few haiku and senryu contemplate the passage of time and the remnants of things that were once so close to our hearts. I was deeply moved by the following poems:

running / down the street / yesterday’s snowman

worn out cross / I spell my father’s name / once more

church bells / her monologue / takes a break

 

As someone who has profoundly explored haiku as a medium for expressing the complex emotional landscapes of death and grief – an avenue that helped me process the loss of my mother - many of these poems resonated with me on a deeply personal level. In particular, I identified with the poet's sentiments in these senryu:

 

mother's death.../ a butterfly settles / on my coffee cup

life lines / my aging hands / down father's ribs

 

I highly recommend this book to lovers of haiku and senryu. For anyone passionate about these forms, it offers excellent examples of both. The book is both a source of inspiration and a gentle reminder to slow down and reflect on some of the most important facets of life. It is truly a delight to experience!

 

Maya Daneva

godišnjica braka

i dalje je u pravu

kad je u krivu

 

wedding anniversary

she is still right

when she's wrong

Poetry Pea Podcast - S8E6 Poetry of Love

zimska šuma

obrisi čovjeka

iz magle

winter forest

contours of a human

out of the fog

YEAR OF THE SNAKE (New Year's Tan-ku, 2025)

crkvena zvona

njezin monolog

uzima predah

church bells

her monologue

takes a break

Haiku zbornik Ludbreg 2024

struganje leda

cvrkut vrapca upotpunjuje

svitanje

scraping ice

a sparrow's chirp completes

the daybreak

31. Samoborski haiku susreti 2024. / 31st Samobor Haiku Meeting 2024

bolnički krevet

večernja kiša poprima

drugačiji zvuk

hospital bed

the evening rain takes on

a different sound

Haiku zbornik Ludbreg 2024

o čemu smo

jučer razgovarali . . .

očevo hladno tijelo

what did we

talk about yesterday . . .

dad’s cold body

昨日

何を話したっけー

父の冷たくなった体

LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線 

(nova knjiga / new book)

jesenska šetnja

između dvaju kišobrana

naše ruke se moče

autumn walk

between two umbrellas

our hands get wet

31. Samoborski haiku susreti 2024. / 31st Samobor Haiku Meeting 2024

dignuta jedra

vjetar zapeo

u krošnjama

hoisted sails

the wind trapped

in the treetops

Haiku zbornik Ludbreg 2024 / Haiku miscellany Ludbreg 2024

Poetry Pea Podcast S7E38

Urednica Patricia McGuire intervjuirala me za Pea TV Haiku Readings. Kako se ovo poklapa s nedavnom promocijom moje nove haiku zbirke LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線, bilo je mnogo razgovora o novoj knjizi, uključujući čitanje pjesama, kao i razgovor i pjesme iz moje prve samostalne knjige "Mliječnom stazom" iz 2016. 

Poetry Pea Podcast S7E38 

I was interviewed by editor Patricia McGuire for the Pea TV Haiku Readings. Since it coincides with the recent launch of my new book of haiku poetry LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線, there is a lot of talk about the new book including poem readings, as well as a chat about and poems from my first solo book ''Down the Milky Way'' from 2016. 

YOUTUBE (video+audio): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJAe9qEw-4o...

POETRY PEA PODCAST (video+audio): https://poetrypea.com/s7e38-poetry-pea-reading-with.../

SPOTIFY (audio): https://open.spotify.com/episode/7xh4S80i7J8F8XXzOrG175...

LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線

LIFE LINES - A BRIEF BOOK DESCRIPTION:

LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線 is Pavlinović's third (second solo) collection of haiku poetry comprising 100 haiku poems, including those published, awarded, and commended in various domestic and international competitions. The book has 156 pages, and is trilingual (Croatian, English, and Japanese), with the English translations of the poems done by the author himself, as he writes and publishes in both Croatian and English, while the Japanese translations are the work of Japanese poet Ikuyo Yoshimura. The foreword was written by the distinguished Croatian haiku poet Nina Kovačić, and the book features short reviews by renowned Canadian poet Michael Dudley and translator and poet Ikuyo Yoshimura. Additional contributors include Sanela Pliško (co-editor), Matko Plovanić (cover, layout, and design), and Thierry Dubois (illustrations). The book is published by TONDAK in 2024.

"Precise and perceptive, the expressive haiku of Life Lines meaningfully explore the complex intersections of love and loss, of delight and grief, of acceptance and reflection.  Comprehensive in scope and arranged in a thematic four-part structure, each attentive section of poems evokes a myriad of resonant mind and heart responses to life's interconnected seasons." (Michael Dudley)

"Pavlinović’s book Life Lines contains haiku characterized by careful choice of words, balanced style, clarity, rhythm, and atmosphere. His haiku are striking and insightful, cleverly organized into an original concept. The artistic expression and aesthetic values of Dejan Pavlinović’s haiku confirm and enhance his status as one of the most compelling and creative contemporary authors, not only on the Croatian haiku scene." (Nina Kovačić)

"The love for family is like the flow of a river. Whether it's a small stream or a mighty river, both bask in the sunlight and, at times, pour into the vast ocean with intense rains. Family ties connect that love from generation to generation, eternally. Through Dejan Pavlinović's collection of haiku poetry, you can acknowledge the enduring love within a family." (Ikuyo Yoshimura)

LIFE LINES BOOK SPECIFICATIONS:

Title: LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線
Author: Dejan Pavlinović
Publisher: TONDAK
Language: Croatian, English & Japanese
Price: 14 EUR/15 USD + shipping (3 EUR/4 USD)
Pages: 156
Size: 140 x 205 mm (5.51″ x 8.07″)
Binding: perfect softbound with flaps
Year of publication: 2024
ISBN: 978-953-46031-1-6

CONTACT & BOOK ORDER:
Dejan Pavlinović: dejan.pavlinovic@gmail.com
Web/Blog: https://smilingcricket.blogspot.com

DEJAN PAVLINOVIĆ - SHORT BIOGRAPHY:

DEJAN PAVLINOVIĆ was born in 1968 in Pula, Croatia, but spent part of his childhood in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Today he is an English and German teacher, part-time tour guide and member of the indie band The Chweger from Pula. He served on the Iris haiku magazine editorial staff, and he is the founding editor of the Haiku HR Facebook page. He runs the Pula Gymnasium Haiku club in his school and conducts haiku workshops for students and adults. He judges haiku competitions for both children and adults. He has been writing haiku since 2007. His work is featured in two Croatian haiku anthologies. His poems have been published in various national and international haiku magazines, newspapers, websites and anthologies, as well as awarded and commended on Croatian and international haiku competitions. He publishes his haiku both in English and Croatian on his Smiling Cricket Haiku blog. In 2016 he published his first book, Mliječnom stazom / Down the Milky Way, a collection of haiku poetry written in both Croatian and English (foreword and afterword by Jane Reichhold and Djurdja Vukelic Rozic, and blurbs by George Swede and Chen-ou Liu). In 2021 he published Nexus Haiku, a co-authored and co-created bilingual collection of haiku, senryu, haiku sequences and rengay, where all poems were composed equally and collaboratively during a period of three years by Michael Dudley, Tomislav Maretić and Dejan Pavlinović. The Croatian Literary Society from Rijeka awarded Nexus Haiku the "Borivoj Bukva" prize for the best haiku collection published in Croatia in 2021. Pavlinović publishes his second solo book Linije života / Life Lines / 生命線 in 2024, a collection of haiku poetry written in Croatian, English and Japanese (foreword by Nina Kovačić, and blurbs by Michael Dudley and Ikuyo Yoshimura).

jutarnja kiša . . .

borove iglice na tlu

crvene kao njena kosa

morning rain . . .

pine needles on the ground

as red as her hair

雨の朝

地表の松葉

彼女の赤毛のごとし

LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線 

(nova knjiga / new book)

mamin pogreb

pitam se zašto

ne plačem

mom’s funeral

I wonder why

I’m not crying

母の葬儀

なぜだろう

泣かないよ

LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線 

(nova knjiga / new book)

cikade nijeme . . .

postajem svjestan

svijeta

cicadas silent . . .

I become aware

of the world

蝉静か

私は世の中が

気になる

LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線 

(nova knjiga / new book)

jugo

vrhovi valova dodiruju

galebova krila

sirocco wind

crests of waves touch

a seagull's wings

Haiku zbornik Ludbreg 2024 / Haiku miscellany Ludbreg 2024

iz šatora . . .

premještam paukovu nit

na susjednu granu

out of the tent . . .

I move the spider's thread

to a neighbouring branch

HAIKU KLUB Gimnazija Pula – Haiku zbornik 2024. / Haiku miscellany 2024

preblizu suncu

ona kapljica znoja

niz njeno bedro

too close to the sun

that drop of sweat

down her thigh

31. Samoborski haiku susreti 2024. / 31st Samobor Haiku Meeting 2024

(iz zbornika/from the miscellany)

prvi poljubac

rumenilo obraza i latica

u isto vrijeme

first kiss

the blushing of cheeks and petals

at the same time

31. Samoborski haiku susreti 2024. / 31st Samobor Haiku Meeting 2024

 

LINIJE ŽIVOTA, nova zbirka haiku pjesama!

Upravo je iz tiska izašla moja treća (druga samostalna) zbirka haiku pjesama LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線 u izdanju TONDAK-a. Knjiga je trojezična (hrvatski, engleski, japanski), predgovor je napisala vrsna hrvatska haiku pjesnikinja Nina Kovačić, dok su svojim kratkim osvrtima doprinijeli ugledni kanadski pjesnik Michael Dudley te prevoditeljica i pjesnikinja Ikuyo Yoshimura.

LIFE LINES, new book of haiku poetry!

My third (second solo) book of haiku poetry LINIJE ŽIVOTA / LIFE LINES / 生命線 published by TONDAK has just come out of print. The collection is trilingual (Croatian, English, and Japanese), with contributions from Ikuyo Yoshimura (Japanese translations + blurb), Nina Kovačić (foreword) and Michael Dudley (blurb).

Info i narudžbe / Info and orders: dejan.pavlinovic@gmail.com

bonaca

vučem prve poteze kista

jutarnjim plivanjem

dead calm

making my first brushstrokes

with a morning swim

死んだような静けさ

朝の水泳をしながら

初めてのブラシ泳法

seashores international haiku journal

Volume 12, April 2024