Details
Synopsis
Translated into English, the Vietnamese name of this late 18th-century poet, Ho Xuan Huong, means "Spring Essence." This ground-breaking collection of the same name celebrates the radical poetry of this surprisingly feminist and political writer. Though it was fashionable then to write in the Chinese language, this poet, who was an eminent concubine, retained her native Vietnamese language "Nom." Nom has been passed down orally and hand copied in limited editions, but this is the first time it has been rendered on moveable type, and thus this collection is of the utmost historic significance to scholars of Vietnamese poetry. Ho Xuan Huong's work is known for its sexual double entendres, which undermined the patriarchal authority of the feudal state.
| Size | | Length: | 134 pages | | Height: | 8.8 in | | Width: | 6.0 in | | Thickness: | 0.5 in | | Weight: | 8.8 oz |
Industry Reviews
"This is a book one must read from cover to cover; the mesmerizing sequence of short poems takes the reader from sexual encounters to the downfall of the male empire....SPRING ESSENCE stands out because of its timeless beauty and the confidence and vision of the translator."
Bloomsbury Review - Ray Gonzalez
"Ho Xuan Huong was, simply, one of the most remarkable poets who ever lived."
Utne Reader - Jon Spayde
"[Ngo Than Nhan, a computational linguist at NYU's Courant Institute] has spent years digitizing the calligraphy and with the publication of SPRING ESSENCE, his work will appear for the first time. When it does, it will represent the first time Nom will appear as moveable type, making SPRING ESSENCE both a Gutenberg Bible and Rosetta Stone for Nom literature. On the surface this is a 'little book of poetry.' But what a truly remarkable, historic, and redemptively entertaining one it is."
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