EU president Van Rompuy, dubbed Haiku Herman, to publish book of poetry next month

EU President Van Rompuy to publish book of poems

BRUSSELS — Little known Belgian. Gets EU’s highest office. Publishes poems.

EU President Herman Van Rompuy, known to some as Haiku Herman, will publish a book of poetry next month.

The former Belgian prime minister is an avid writer of haiku, a traditional Japanese form of poetry. Van Rompuy has been criticized as boring since he was picked for the EU’s top job in November but some say his haikus stand out.

Until now, he has published them on his blog. Now, with his higher profile, he’ll take the next step April 15.

Haiku are unrhymed verses of three lines. Van Rompuy sometimes writes them on political themes, including one last year to laud Belgian-Spanish-Hungarian cooperation:

“Three waves. Roll into port together. The trio is home,” he wrote.