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Poems by Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Translated from the Vietnamese by Bruce Weigl and Nguyen Phan Que Mai
Nguyen Phan Que Mai is among the most exciting writers to emerge from post-war Vietnam. Bruce Weigl, driven by his personal experiences as a soldier during the war in Vietnam, has spent the past 20 years translating contemporary Vietnamese poetry. These penetrating poems, published in bilingual English and Vietnamese, build new bridges between two cultures bound together by war and destruction. The Secret of Hoa Sen, Que Mai's first full-length U.S. publication, shines with craft, art, and deeply felt humanity.
I cross the Lam River to return to my homeland
where my mother embraces my grandmother's tomb in the rain,
the soil of Nghe An so dry the rice plants cling to rocks.
My mother chews dry corn; hungry, she tries to forget.
8 Reviews
4.0
Karen
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“Beautifully written poems of Vietnam. I loved the author's novels The Mountains Sing and Dust Child, so I thought I would try reading her poetry. Most poems describe life during the Vietnam War and aftermath. Very emotional.”
Ashley
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Anastasia
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Jayme Russell
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About Nguyen Phan Que Mai
NGUYEN PHAN QUE MAI: Born in a small village in the North of Vietnam in 1973, Nguyen Phan Que Mai embraces the full range of Vietnamese traditions in her creative works. She is the author of three poetry collections and translator of six poetry books. Nguyen’s literary awards include the Poetry of the Year Award from the Hanoi Writers Association, for her collection Freeing Myself (2010); First Prize of the “Poetry about Hanoi 2008-2010” competition from the Vietnam’s Literature Newspaper and the Hanoi Radio & Television (a competition which attracted over 20,000 entries from inside and outside Vietnam); the Capital’s Literature & Arts Award of 2010 from the Hanoi Union of Literature & Arts Associations, and Award from the Vietnam Writers Association for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of Vietnamese Literature Overseas. Her poems have been translated and published in English, Spanish, Bahasa Indonesian, Chinese and Uzbek. Nguyen is the Honorary Fellow in Writing of Hong Kong Baptist University and was a visiting writer of Hong Kong Baptist University’s International Writers Workshop in 2012. She was also the Distinguished Asian Writer and Guest Panelist of the Silliman University’s 51st National Writers Workshop, Philippines (2012). Her poems have been featured at major international poetry festivals including the First Asia-Pacific Poetry Festival, the Qinghai International Poetry Festival as well as the International Poetry Festival of Medellin, Colombia.
BRUCE WEIGL: Bruce Weigl was born on January 27, 1949, in Lorain, Ohio. Weigl’s first full-length collection of poems, A Romance, was published in 1979. He is now the author of thirteen poetry collections, and the best-selling memoir The Circle of Hanh. Weigl is past President of the Associated Writing Programs, and has been Chairperson of the Judging panel in Poetry for the National Book Award. Weigl has received many literary awards, including the Poet’s Prize from the Academy of American Poets, the Paterson Poetry Prize, Awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Yaddo Foundation, and two Pushcart Prizes. In 2006, he was the single recipient in poetry for the Lannan Literary Award for outstanding contributions to literature, and in 2011 he won the Robert Creeley Award. Having fought in the American War in Vietnam (Quang Tri, 1967-1968), Bruce Weigl has been working to promote mutual understanding and reconciliation between Vietnam and the US – via literature and cultural exchanges for over twenty years. He is the co-translator of four Vietnamese-English poetry collections and has received a Medal for Significant Contributions from the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations and the Vietnam Writers Association, who acknowledge his efforts and success in the promotion of Vietnamese literature to the world. Weigl’s most recent poetry collection is The Abundance of Nothing, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for 2013.
BRUCE WEIGL: Bruce Weigl was born on January 27, 1949, in Lorain, Ohio. Weigl’s first full-length collection of poems, A Romance, was published in 1979. He is now the author of thirteen poetry collections, and the best-selling memoir The Circle of Hanh. Weigl is past President of the Associated Writing Programs, and has been Chairperson of the Judging panel in Poetry for the National Book Award. Weigl has received many literary awards, including the Poet’s Prize from the Academy of American Poets, the Paterson Poetry Prize, Awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Yaddo Foundation, and two Pushcart Prizes. In 2006, he was the single recipient in poetry for the Lannan Literary Award for outstanding contributions to literature, and in 2011 he won the Robert Creeley Award. Having fought in the American War in Vietnam (Quang Tri, 1967-1968), Bruce Weigl has been working to promote mutual understanding and reconciliation between Vietnam and the US – via literature and cultural exchanges for over twenty years. He is the co-translator of four Vietnamese-English poetry collections and has received a Medal for Significant Contributions from the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations and the Vietnam Writers Association, who acknowledge his efforts and success in the promotion of Vietnamese literature to the world. Weigl’s most recent poetry collection is The Abundance of Nothing, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry for 2013.
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