Spring Essence

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. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.