William Scott Wilson was raised in Ft. Lauderdale, FL; he holds BAs from Dartmouth College and The Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies, and an MA from the University of Washington. He has worked as a translator and advisor on cultural affairs for the Japanese Consulate-General in Seattle, Washington; a teacher of Japanese language; and a guide for Japanese tourists in South Florida. He has had 20 books published, variously translated into 21 foreign languages, including The Lone Samurai: The Life of Miyamoto Musashi . His translation of Hagakure , an 18th century treatise on samurai philosophy, was featured in the film Ghost Dog , by the director Jim Jarmusch. Wilson was awarded a Commendation from the Foreign Ministry of Japan, and inducted into the Order of the Rising Sun by the Japanese emperor. Illustrated by: Around thirty years ago, Manda felt the need to free herself from academic artistic practices, to distance herself, to undo links established for too long with Western culture. She then decided to go to Japan.

Frequent stays in the archipelago gave her the opportunity to freely adopt new practices. She learned, from Japanese masters, the "art of the line" as well as the mysteries of haiga , a composition where painted elements and calligraphic signs of a haiku coming from the same brush, form one and the same entity. She has published many books of her haiga illustrations in her native France, notably of the works of Basho and Santoka.