Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers

By: Leonard Koren

Narrated by: Brian Richy

An updated version of the seminal 1994 classic volume on the beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. Nearly every book with "wabi" or "wabi sabi" in the title is based on the concepts first elucidated in this book.

Wabi-sabi is the quintessential Japanese aesthetic. It is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete. It is a beauty of things modest and humble. It is a beauty of things unconventional....

©2008 Leonard Koren (P)2020 Upfront Books

MEDITATIVE + A CELEBRATION

The book has many stand alone moments which remain in the mind long after the words have been read, like wabi sabi. I am in awe with the transformation and dedication and place in time this book takes.

beautiful petite book

this book is a breath of fresh air. it has ASMR like qualities to it.

Useful for greater understanding, with some poetic moments

I generally enjoyed this book, and learned more about the nuance of wabi-sabi, and Japanese culture more generally.

I do wish a PDF of the photographs was included. It was a bit frustrating to hear descriptions but not see them.

A fast classic I return to often

A wonderful little book I discovered when it was first published, have enjoyed reading, re-reading and gifting to many people. Thrilled that it was also here on Audible, I listen to this often, a nice little one day listen, to re-inspire my Wabi Sabi frame of Mind. Excellent for any artist, poet or philosopher but equally valuable to all people.

Wabi Sabi

I really enjoyed this audio book. I would read it again. Wabi Sabi is really cool

Highly entertaining

Worth the hour and 37 minutes you will spend listening to it, especially if you are in a creative field. I will keep this in my library and come back to it from time to time in the future. Highly recommended.

Everywhere

Would be five stars if pdf/images were included. Excellent subject! Eye opening. Love the reverse meditation insights.

Required reading books for a liberal arts school?

I listened to this because it was on the book list as inspiration for a book I love, “Mending Life.” And, because it was free and under two hours on audible. This feels like one of those required reading books for a liberal arts school, with very little to offer the average person.

It felt like the author tried very hard not to talk about God. Everything in the book is in praise of the simple, natural state of things. Harmony and balance, and all these things are of the Creator God, but this is not seen from an atheist / Japanese perspective. It’s a heavily cultural treatise, going in depth about tea ceremonies and historical nuances. I gleaned very little. I think the most interesting story was about a group of artists who made their art of of natural elements that would soon decompose so their art could never be owned or put in a museum, rather appreciated for a short while then left to meld back into nature.