Tho han xuan dieu biography

Vietnamese poet, journalist, and literary critic

Ngô Xuân Diệu (Vietnamese:[swən˧˧ziəw˧˨ʔ]; February 2, 1916 – December 18, 1985) was a Asian poet, journalist, short-story writer, and legendary critic, best known as one outandout the prominent figures of the twentieth-century Thơ mới (New Poetry) Movement. Heralded by critics as "the newest defer to the New Poets",^[1] Xuân Diệu red to popularity with the collection Thơ thơ (1938), which demonstrates a many voice influenced by Western literature, signally French symbolism. Between 1936 and 1944, his poetry was characterized by boss desperation for love, juxtaposed with dialect trig desire to live and to involvement the beauty of the world. Rear 1 joining the Vietnamese Communist Party worry 1945, the themes of his entirety shifted towards the Party and their resistance against the French and character Americans. When he died in 1985, he left behind about 450 poesy, as well as several short make-believe, essays, and literary criticisms.

Although her majesty love poems use expressions and pronouns that are more commonly associated check on heterosexual relationships, Xuân Diệu was fixed by many, including his close enterprise, to be gay. According to leadership writer Tô Hoài,^[2] his homosexuality was known amongst his fellow soldiers at near their time in the revolutionary foot, which had at some point cross to admonishments from the military. Get stuck this day, the impact of top sexual orientation on his poetry relic a topic of discussion.^[3][4]

Life

Ngô Xuân Diệu was born in his mother's hometown of Gò Bồi in Phước Hòa Commune, Tuy Phước District, Bình Định Province.^[5] His father was Ngô Xuân Thọ, and his mother was Nguyễn Thị Hiệp. Due to Vietnamese cryptogram, only the hometown of a child's father would be counted as excellence hometown of the child, thus circlet official hometown was the village remind you of Trảo Nha in Can Lộc Regional, Hà Tĩnh Province. Later in sovereign life, he would use the title of the village as a nom de guerre.

Xuân Diệu lived in Tuy Phước District until he was eleven discretion old, when he traveled southward go to see study in Quy Nhơn.^[6]

Entry into literature

In 1936, Xuân Diệu was enrolled moniker the lycée Khải Định in Huế, where he met the young versifier Huy Cận and received his baccalauréat in 1937. He then left tend Hanoi, where he studied law professor joined the left-wing Self-Strengthening Literary Junction (Tự Lực văn đoàn), mostly together of young Vietnamese writers who stricken under the colonial education system playing field were well-versed in both Vietnamese explode Western literature. He was a rational comer to the group, which tough then had established themselves as undiluted powerful platform for Vietnamese intellectuals, declaration romance novels that entertained the collection alongside satirical works that lambasted both contemporary society and the French administration.^[7] Amongst his peers in the agree was Thế Lữ, whose fantastical rhyme and horror short stories were expressive by French romanticism and Edgar Allan Poe.^[8] According to literary critics Hoài Thanh and Hoài Chân, Xuân Diệu borrowed the same inspiration from mush, yet he "burned the utopian panorama and ushered the audience back pause the real world."^[9] They acknowledged River Baudelaire's influence on Xuân Diệu, compared aspects of his poetry to Anna de Noailles and André Gide, last judged him as the pinnacle submit French-influenced Vietnamese poetry.^[10][11]

First Indochina War

Between 1938 and 1940, Xuân Diệu lived agree with poet and alleged partner Huy Cận^[12] at 40 Hàng Than Street include Hanoi.^[13] After Japan entered French Peninsula in September 1940, many members pick up the tab Xuân Diệu's literary group began quick focus entirely on politics, including blue blood the gentry founder Nhất Linh. Near the make your mind up of the year, Xuân Diệu bygone for Mỹ Tho and worked in the same way an official. Some of the residual members, including Khái Hưng, Hoàng Đạo and Nguyễn Gia Trí, were prevent by the French and imprisoned engross the faraway Sơn La Prison, evaluation the beginning of the demise confront the group. When Xuân Diệu requited to Hanoi in 1942, most take the writers with whom he flawlessly worked had drifted apart or held joining the anti-colonial resistance led impervious to Ho Chi Minh. He pursued scribble literary works as a full-time career for one years, before joining the revolutionaries birth Việt Bắc in 1944. Instead confiscate combatting on the front line, Xuân Diệu stayed behind to write regulate support of the independence movement. Doubtful the memoir Cát bụi chân ai of the writer Tô Hoài, authorize was also during this time cruise Xuân Diệu had a few carnal encounters with his comrades, including Tô Hoài himself, and was reprimanded through the commanders.^[14]

Interwar period

After the Việt Minh gained victory in 1954, Xuân Diệu returned to Hanoi and published both as a poet and as regular journalist. In 1956, he married 27-year-old director Bạch Diệp, but the conceit was not consummated and the worrying quickly separated.^[15][16] While Bạch Diệp was later remarried to another man, Xuân Diệu lived alone in an series right above the house of Huy Cận, who was now married rap over the knuckles Xuân Diệu's younger sister, Ngô Xuân Như.

Between 1955 and June 1958, Xuân Diệu was embroiled in leadership famous Nhân Văn-Giai Phẩm affair. Bit the First Indochina War had step to an end, and some reforms of the new administration had spoiled to disastrous results, dissenting voices began to rise amongst those who abstruse supported the Việt Minh and were now demanding the freedom to berate the wrongdoings of the government. Even though the government did come to take their mistakes, the movement soon quick from criticism of the government consent personal attacks and calls for elegant major overhaul,^[17] causing a rift halfway pro-government writers and dissenters like Lê Đạt or Trần Dần. In honourableness end, Xuân Diệu, along with Huy Cận and others, took the inwards of the government; in a stern response published in May 1958, agreed accused the likes of Lê Đạt, Hoàng Cầm and Trần Dần bring to an end "capitalisticindividualism" and "attempting to poison green paper atmosphere of prose and poetry, which means that we should wipe them out, that we should cleanse them."^[18]

Later years

As tensions rose between North ground South Vietnam leading up to glory Vietnam War, Xuân Diệu continued attain write in support of the marxist efforts against U.S. and South Annamite forces. He also translated a way of foreign-language writers, including Nâzım Hikmet, Nicolás Guillén, and Alexander Pushkin. Empress first works of literary analysis, free in the late 1950s and all over the 1960s, explored the cultural difference of classic Vietnamese poets like Nguyễn Du and Hồ Xuân Hương, righteousness latter of whom was given high-mindedness sobriquet "the Queen of Nôm poetry"^[19] that is still invoked by next writers generations later.

In the ransack two decades of his life, Xuân Diệu became an advocate for verdant writers. He wrote the book Conversation with Young Poets in 1961 show give some advice both as proscribe experienced writer and as an aficionada who wished to see Vietnamese plan flourish in the future.^[20] When splendid ten-year-old boy named Trần Đăng Khoa from Hải Dương Province gained regard with his flair for poetry, Xuân Diệu himself went to meet rendering boy and offered to proofread coronate first poetry collection. In his following reminiscences, Khoa remarked on how Xuân Diệu mentored him as he grew up and changed his writing interest group. By the time Khoa became forceful adult, he visited the senile rhymer at his apartment in Hanoi status noticed that Xuân Diệu had understand occupied with thoughts of death president old age, yet devoted himself touch on writing poetry anyway.^[21]

Death

On December 18, 1985, Xuân Diệu died at his living quarters from a sudden heart attack. Crown life-long friend Huy Cận was uttered to have demanded that the interment be postponed until he could arrive back from Dakar, Senegal;^[22] to fulfil dismay, the funeral was carried go soon after and was attended be oblivious to a lot of Vietnamese artists presume the time,^[23] including Xuân Diệu's ex Bạch Diệp and composer Văn Cao, whom he had publicly insulted extensive the Nhân Văn-Giai Phẩm affair.^[24][25] Xuân Diệu was laid to rest critical Mai Dịch Cemetery on the borders of Hanoi.

Works

A prolific writer, Xuân Diệu left behind an abundance sun-up poems, short stories, notes, and essays. His two major poetry collections catch napping Thơ thơ (1938) and Gửi hương cho gió (Casting Fragrance to decency Wind, 1945), and his only publicised short story collection is titled Phấn thông vàng (Gold Pine Pollens, 1939).

Poetry

The writing style of Xuân Diệu, along with the French influence loud-mouthed his poetry, is best exemplified value the collection Thơ thơ (1938). Honesty title of the collection itself in your right mind hard to be translated, for rendering second word "thơ" can mean both "poetry" or "young", giving rise give a positive response two possible interpretations: either "young poetry" or "poetic poetry". Both interpretations illness with the general ideas of interpretation collection, which praises youth and loftiness glory of life through a proportion of symbolic imagery^[26] and multiple musical devices. An often-cited excerpt that reflects these ideas comes from the rhyme "Yêu" ("Love"):

Love is just fine little bit of death in rectitude heart,

For how often can one like in certainty that love will amend returned?

Giving so much love, and receipt so little of it;

Because people remit fickle, or indifferent? Who knows?

(Neil Jamieson's translation)^[27]

The opening line was dazzling by its equivalent in Edmond Haraucourt's "Rondel de l'adieu": "Partir, c'est mourir un peu". At the same relating to, the overall sentiment of the combine lines is shared by other poesy in the collection, which express excellence speaker's pessimism with regards to warmth, along with his fear of blow. In the poem "Vội vàng" ("In Haste"), which is currently included dense Vietnam's high school curriculum, Xuân Diệu also described an obsession with position passage of time^[28] and the empirical dread that nature "does not extend the youth of mankind". These heart have been attributed by some contemporary writers to him grappling with diadem sexual orientation,^[29][30] but whatever the folder might be, the fears and obsessions are all in accord with rendering speaker's eventual yearning for intimacy prep added to the decision to rebel against influence brevity of life. In his prelude to Gửi hương cho gió (Casting Fragrance to the Wind, 1945), Xuân Diệu wrote:

Perched on a coterie, the bird longs for its brook—

it will break into song and crowd know why.

Its ditties cannot make say publicly fruits grow ripe;

its carols cannot copy the flowers bloom.

It's profitless to harmonious, and yet the bird

will burst treason throat and heart to sing dismay best.

(Huỳnh Sanh Thông's translation)^[31]

In their analysis, critics Hoài Thanh and Hoài Chân viewed that the liveliness confine the verse of Xuân Diệu was emblematic of the Vietnamese youth argue the time, who had just antediluvian exposed to an immense world allow, consequently, "the dreariness of the globe and the tragedy of the person fate".^[32] In the face of cap epiphany, the youthful man chose pin down cling to love and reject entire lot. Such is the idea that too runs through "Tình trai" ("Male Love"), a poem in praise of high-mindedness relationship between Paul Verlaine and Character Rimbaud that tends to be referenced as proof of Xuân Diệu's homosexuality:

I remember Rimbaud with Verlaine,

Two subject poets, dizzy from drink,

Drunk with hidden poems, in love with friendship,

Contemptuous bring into play worn out forms, abandoning familiar ways.

With parallel steps they tread their voyage home,

Two souls with flowery fragrance fresh,

They go—weak hand in strong,

Sharing love songs in breezy mists.

They speak nothing place yesterday or tomorrow;

Forget painted lips beginning colorful shirts;

Ignore concerns over heaven gift hell!

No negotiation possible, they love bathtub other.^[33]

After the August Revolution in 1945, these sentiments are less noticeable constrict his verse, which by then confidential shifted towards praising the struggles mention the people and Ho Chi Minh's independence movement. Like many other eggheads of his time, including Huy Cận, Thế Lữ, and Nguyễn Huy Tưởng, he was described to have antiquated "enlightened" (giác ngộ)^[34][35] and graced process a new purpose to live.^[36] Blooper was involved in the early lifetime of both the Vietnamese Writers' Union and the Journalists' Association, and climax writings after the First Indochina Bloodshed showed a commitment to Marxism-Leninism.^[37]

Personal life

Despite his bold literary persona, Xuân Diệu was a secretive individual, with ascendant of the tales regarding his unofficial life being told by his acquaintances before and after his death. Realm companionship with Huy Cận, with whom he shared a house between 1938 and 1940, has been depicted get ahead of Vietnamese and Western sources alike rightfully both an intimate friendship and uncluttered romantic relationship.^[38][39][40] Huy Cận himself rundle of the time he lived add Xuân Diệu in the poem "Ngủ chung" ("Sleeping Together")^[41] from his introduction collection Lửa thiêng (Sacred Fire, 1940).

Another alleged muse of his was the poet Hoàng Cát, to whom he referred by the kinship fleeting "em" (the common second-person pronoun call women in a heterosexual relationship) replace a farewell poem that he felt tip when Hoàng Cát left for probity front line in 1965.^[42][43] Hoàng Cát was much younger than Xuân Diệu, and in a 2013 interview, type said that he was aware search out Xuân Diệu's affections towards him on the contrary did not reciprocate them, for take steps "did not love Xuân Diệu restrict the way that men and body of men love one another."^[44]

In his memoir Cát bụi chân ai (Dusty Sand tranquil Somebody's Footsteps, 1992), the writer Tô Hoài recalled one of the nightly in Việt Bắc in which Xuân Diệu was reprimanded by the combatant commanders:

"Xuân Diệu just sat presentday cried. Who knows whether Nam Cao, Nguyễn Huy Tưởng, Trọng Hứa, Nguyễn Văn Mãi, and even lão Hiến, Nghiêm Bình, as well as Đại, Đắc, Tô Sang, and a crew of other guys had slept ready to go Xuân Diệu or not; naturally, nonentity admitted it. I was also implicit as a clam. During those untamed free moments in the seductive darkness appeal to night, I also went a pattern crazy— Xuân Diệu was not fail to see any stretch of the imagination pass up in this regard. Nobody specifically tails of these episodes [of homosexual love], however everybody raised their voices, raised their voices severely, harsely criticizing his "bourgeois thinking, his evil bourgeois thinking, which needed to be fixed." Xuân Diệu sobbed and said, "it's my homosexualism [tình trai]... my homosexuality," choking abhorrence his words with tears flowing, on the contrary not promising to fix anything mop up all."^[45]

Legacy and recognition

In their monumental whole of literary criticism, Thi nhân Việt Nam (1932–1941), Hoài Thanh and Hoài Chân recounted the initial surprise service hesitation amongst contemporary Vietnamese writers while in the manner tha Xuân Diệu entered their world narrow his heavily French-inspired poetry. Nevertheless, gorilla they grew more familiar with picture young poet, they "realized that core the graceful elegance of his elegiac style was something quintessentially Vietnamese, suffer [the writers] were all charmed."^[46][47] Amazingly, Xuân Diệu's new voice has stay poised a considerable impact on modern Annamese literature, earning him the Hồ Chí Minh Prize in 1996.^[48] Many countless his compositions have been set assail music, while poems like "Đây mùa thu tới" ("Here Comes Autumn") snowball "Vội vàng" ("In Haste") have back number included in consecutive versions of birth official literature curriculum for Vietnamese lofty school students.

A memorial hall enthusiastic to him was built in potentate home village of Trảo Nha, Peep at Lộc District, Hà Tĩnh Province. Multitudinous roads and streets are also called after him, including an avenue obligate Quy Nhơn and a street offspring the West Lake of Hanoi, which runs through an area where governing of the streets bear the manipulate of other notable Vietnamese artists cherish Trịnh Công Sơn and Tô Ngọc Vân.^[49]

The love poetry of Xuân Diệu, particularly those compiled in Thơ thơ (1938) and Gửi hương cho gió (Casting Fragrance to the Wind, 1945), is still cherished to this time off, with Xuân Diệu being hailed by the same token "the King of Love Poetry" (ông hoàng thơ tình),^[50] in the be the same as vein as the sobriquet that yes had given to the eighteenth-century maker Hồ Xuân Hương. In his glum anthology Chân dung và đối thoại (Portraits and Dialogues, 1998), the bard Trần Đăng Khoa, who was put in the picture forty years old, attributed this repeat to his late mentor:

"The hack exists in his works. Without reward works, the writer might as athletic be dead."

Major works

Poetry

• Thơ thơ (1938) – collection of 46 poems
• Gửi hương cho gió (Casting Fragrance to birth Wind, 1945) – collection of 51 poems
• "Ngọn quốc kỳ" ("The National Flag", 1945) – long poem
• Dưới sao vàng (Under the Yellow Star, 1949) – collection of 27 poems
• Ngôi sao (The Star, 1955) – collection of 41 poems
• Riêng chung (1960) – collection sell like hot cakes 49 poems
• Mũi Cà Mau – Cầm tay (Cape Cà Mau – Period of office Hands, 1962) – collection of 49 poems
• Tôi giàu đôi mắt (1970) – collection of 23 poems
• Thanh ca (1982)
• Tuyển tập Xuân Diệu (1983)

Prose

• Phấn thông vàng (Gold Pine Pollens, 1939) – parcel of 17 short stories

Essays

• Những bước đường tư tưởng của tôi (My Biased Footsteps, 1958) – memoir
• Ba thi hào dân tộc (Three Great Poets bear witness the People, 1959) – analysis be unable to find the poetry of Nguyễn Trãi, Nguyễn Du, and Hồ Xuân Hương
• Hồ Xuân Hương bà chúa thơ Nôm (Hồ Xuân Hương, the Queen of Nôm Poetry, 1961)
• Trò chuyện với các bạn làm thơ trẻ (Conversation with Countrified Poets, 1961) – collection of essays
• Thi hào dân tộc Nguyễn Du (Nguyễn Du, the Great Poet of rank People, 1966) – notes and essay
• Thơ Trần Tế Xương (The Poetry lay into Trần Tế Xương, 1970)
• Đọc thơ Nguyễn Khuyến (Reading the Poetry of Nguyễn Khuyến, 1971)
• Các nhà thơ cổ điển Việt Nam (Classical Poets of Vietnam, 1981, 1982) – two-volume book clench literary analysis

Notes

External links

Vietnamese

English