Chye Tan: The Spirit of Bonsai Design – Combine the power of Zen and nature.
London: Collins and Brown. 2003.
ISBN: 1-84340-021-9
$24.95 US $38.95 CAN £18.99

Reading this book was sheer agony as I knew that several people were
expecting a review on the IBC forum. I have agonized over whether to follow
through with my original plan to write an article worthy of the New York
Review of Books or have compassion on the author and fellow IBC members, and
be quick and to the point. I have decided to have mercy and selected the
second option.

If getting my 25 bucks was the author's objective, he got it!

I earnestly tried to keep a list of errors, misspelled words, poor grammar,
and inappropriately used Japanese words, but after a few pages I gave up. It
appears that this book is NOT a translation and one could easily reach the
conclusion that it has never seen the pencil of a professional editor. Even
a better grade spell checking software would improve its text. Enough for
literary quality.

My interest in this book was aroused because of the term "Zen" was used in
the subtitle. The word is also used profusely throughout the book,
especially in combination with "quality." As a matter of fact the first part
of the book is a gallery of 16 photographs of bonsai and for each entry the
author lists not only relevant plant and training information, but a
paragraph "Zen qualities." It is my opinion that none of the 16 paragraphs
have anything to do with Zen or any artistic qualities one may find
associated with Zen in East Asian art literature.

The chapter titled "Zen and the art of bonsai" is not about Zen and art, but
rather the author's view of what bonsai aesthetics should be. For the rest
of the book it appears as if the author had used a random number generator
and when a certain combination of numbers would appear, he would insert the
word "Zen." In my opinion the only consistency in the use of this word is
that it was consistently inappropriate.

In closing I am taking the liberty of quoting a paragraph, a good practice
for reviewers: "In contrast to the normal bonsai convention of cultivating
soilhugging surface roots, Hobbit style tree roots are deliberately exposed
to create hollows, as in the film The Lord of the Rings where the hobbits
took refuge in the roots of the trees. ......The cavern-like holes that form
beneath the trunks have a mysterious look. Unusually, this intriguing Zen
aspect focuses on one of the least dominant features of a bonsai." (Page 98)
If this paragraph makes sense to you or appeals to you, I recommend that you
read the book. Otherwise save your money.



Peter Aradi
Tulsa, Oklahoma

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