By Dan Kolb with illustrations by Mark Leiser
The Umbrella Man is a prophet, a vagabond, and a haiku poet. His story is told through a series of chapbooks in the form of drawings, paintings, journals, poems, and plays. His character, nevertheless, remains elusive. That’s the way he likes it.
The Umbrella Man Haiku
The first book in the series sets the tone. The Umbrella Man introduces himself as a haiku poet, who lives on the streets and is a quiet witness to existence.
The Umbrella Man Poems and Journals
In the second installment, we get a more vivid view of The Umbrella Man’s life. Through artifacts, journals, and poems, his sometimes.
The Ritual Of Labour
This is The Umbrella Man at his most mystical, his most mysterious, his most charged. As he would say, his “ umbrella is tuned to the pitch of prophecy.” This book returns more fully to haiku but also pushes the boundaries of The Umbrella Man’s revelation.
The Skein Of Our Existence.
The final book in the series finds The Umbrella Man at a point of transformation. He searches for and achieves catharsis through commiseration with a spiritual brother, Edgar Allan Poe. The tale is told in collaboration with poet David Landrey.