Haiku Herman: European Union President Publishes Poetry Book
April 19, 2010
European Union President Herman Van Rompuy is also known as Haiku Herman because of his love of haiku. Reuters reports that Rompuy's love for haiku poems became better known because of his role as EU President.
Van Rompuy, 62, was chosen to be the president of the European Council -- effectively a president for the 27 countries in the European Union -- at a summit last November.
Since then his love of haiku poetry has come more prominently to light, with fan clubs emerging on the Internet and poetry masters in Japan taking note. He said there had been calls for him to publish some of his work and he had obliged.
In a preface to the short hardback book, only 2,500 copies of which have been produced, Van Rompuy said he was drawn to haiku for its simplicity, its compact use of language and its concentration on nature.
Here is one of Haiku Herman's haiku poems.
In a nearby ditch
Toads mating passionately
Inaugurate spring
