Poet Nguyen Tien Thanh launches poetry collection Vien Ca

This is the third collection of poems by poet Nguyen Tien Thanh after two collections of poems "Nameless afternoon like ink marks in the middle of life" and "Chaotic writing" both published by Literature Publishing House in 2021.

Poet Nguyen Tien Thanh is famous among Hanoi students as he was a prominent figure in the student poetry movement at Hanoi University in the 1980s. His poems were handwritten and passed around by students. This new collection of poems includes 39 poems, expressing the poet's reflections and contemplations on life and love in middle age.

Launching the poetry collection "Vien Ca" by poet Nguyen Tien Thanh. Photo: Van Vi

Poet Nguyen Tien Thanh shared: "Working as a journalist, a profession related to justice, I was thrown around too much by life so I didn't have time to create poetry. "Vien ca" is the journey that people must go through in their destiny journey. On that journey, I encountered many landscapes, I only recorded those scenes with words and emotions. In the journey of life, every step is a renewal, poetry is the same, each poem is a continuation of different emotions and associations".

Poet Nguyen Tien Thanh shares about the poetry collection.

At the launching ceremony, researchers, writers, and journalists all emphasized that "Viên ca" is a turning point in Nguyen Tien Thanh's poetic creation. There is still a hint of elegance in the structure, language, and tone; so that old topics are still interesting to read. But the sobriety, richness of reason, and self-awareness have increased. Poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association , was surprised when Nguyen Tien Thanh launched the poetry collection "Viên ca".

"We were in the poetry club together since Thanh was a student. When I read "Vien Ca", it gave me two surprises. I thought Tien Thanh would forget poetry as a manager, but one autumn day, he reappeared in a different spirit. A different period and rhythm.

"Vien Ca" has many six-eight poems, which make me think of the image of the agarwood tree, the leaves are still the same, the tree is still the same but inside the tree there is the accumulated scent of agarwood. Tien Thanh's poetry is like that, he goes through this life, the joys and sorrows, the inspirations, with an open eye to look at this life, giving him experiences and accumulations. It's still the same style, the form hasn't changed, it's still very traditional but the romance is still like youth, the adventure is still like youth but each day it carries a bigger message because it flows in the stream of thought. That's why many friends when reading his poems before, received this collection of poems with surprise and contemplation. Poetry has many paths, Tien Thanh chose the path, going underground in life, until the day it is revealed. Vien Ca still heals the trembling of poetry but is full of the philosophy of this life", poet Nguyen Quang Thieu shared.

Writing about the poetry collection “Viên ca”, critic Nguyen Hoai Nam, Nhan Dan Newspaper, member of the Central Council for Literature and Art Criticism, said: “His new poetry collection adds richness to the depth of his thoughts, the uniqueness of his language and the system of poetic images. Nguyen Tien Thanh does not advocate innovation in poetry, his poetry even leans more towards the classical side. However, reading his poetry, one can always feel a certain freshness, the freshness in the poetry of a poet who constantly digs deep to find himself and constantly thinks about distant horizons.”

Source: https://vov.vn/van-hoa/van-hoc/nha-tho-nguyen-tien-thanh-ra-mat-tap-tho-vien-ca-post1117330.vov