A collection of poems titled "Diary in Prison" by President Ho Chi Minh, in multiple languages, and other books about him were displayed at Vietnam Poetry Day in Hanoi - Photo: T. ĐIỂU
This was shared by poet Nguyen Binh Phuong, vice president of the Vietnam Writers Association , with Tuoi Tre newspaper on the sidelines of the seminar "From the poet's character to his identity" on the morning of February 24th, on the occasion of Vietnam Poetry Day, organized by the Vietnam Writers Association at Thang Long Imperial Citadel (Hanoi).
The discussion revolved around the poet's character – the quality that defines a poet's identity.
At the seminar, critic Pham Xuan Nguyen read the poem "Speaking to Myself and My Friends," written by Luu Quang Vu in 1970 when he was 22 years old, to reiterate the idea of a poet's character that Luu Quang Vu had spoken about decades earlier.
The poem contains the line, "The people don't need my poetry ."
Looking at the current state of poetry publishing, with readers becoming indifferent to and rejecting poetry, one can borrow a line from Luu Quang Vu's poem from over 50 years ago to ask: Do the people need poetry, and what kind of poetry do they need?
People in every era need poetry.
Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, poet Nguyen Binh Phuong (winner of the Hanoi Writers Association award for his poetry collection "A Careless Fishing Trip") affirmed that the people always need poetry, especially the Vietnamese people, a nation with poetry ingrained in its very genes.
Poetry has stood alongside the people since the dawn of time; it permeates their speech and language, it goes out into the fields with them, encouraging, inspiring, and building optimism for them...
"Nowadays, people think they have a lot of information but are very lonely; they think they have many art forms to enjoy, but in reality, too much of anything can also lead to loneliness. That's why poetry is even more necessary, because poetry is the only art form that can whisper secrets to people in their most private corners," Mr. Phuong said.
He asserted that poetry has never fallen out of favor in his country. In fact, the number of poets is growing. Poetry doesn't receive the same level of publicity as other art forms, so there's a feeling that poetry is absent, but in reality, poetry is quietly present in each and every person's life.
Citing an example of how the people still need and love poetry, Mr. Pham Xuan Nguyen recounted that during his recent spring trip to Ha Giang, in a spontaneous moment in Lo Lo Chai village at the foot of Lung Cu mountain, surrounded by young students from Hanoi who were also on the spring trip, he recited Nguyen Khoa Diem's epic poem "The Country".
Everyone, especially the young people, was incredibly enthusiastic. Afterwards, many young people came to him to express their gratitude for awakening their feelings for poetry, helping them realize how beautiful poetry is and how they came to love poetry – something they hadn't realized during their 12 years of studying and reading poetry in high school.
Mr. Nguyen humorously responded to the question of whether the people still need poetry by saying, "Our country even has a city named Can Tho." He agreed that people have always needed poetry. But the question is, what kind of poetry do the people need? Is it the kind of poetry that is currently flooding the market?
According to Mr. Nguyen, the kind of poetry that the people need is poetry that satisfies their demands, including poems that voice the social issues that we almost lack today, something that Luu Quang Vu pointed out more than 50 years ago.
Borrowing from the words of Luu Quang Vu's poetry, Mr. Nguyen said that the people need poetry that "builds life," builds the human soul, and builds human character.
Poet Nguyen Binh Phuong also shares this view. He said that people's poetry needs to be the kind of poetry that, when people are feeling lost and confused, poetry can confide in them; when they are resentful, poetry must be able to express their resentment, thoughts, and aspirations...
It must be poetry that speaks to the hearts of the people, giving them faith and a sense of goodness during a time of confusion in a rapidly changing society.
Young and old alike recited poetry on "poetry trees" at Vietnam Poetry Day 2024 in Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
The poet's spirit
Speaking about the character of a poet, Mr. Phuong shared at the seminar that a poet with character is someone who knows how to reject the crowd and the fads. Character is also the ability to accept differences, which broadens the poet's receptive field, thus broadening their creative field as well.
And the poet's courage lies in daring to speak his honest voice, daring to voice the most passionate, intense, and sensitive voices that he believes need to be voiced. Art in general, and poetry in particular, has the duty and responsibility to voice these voices for its people.
Poetry has many missions, but Mr. Phuong emphasized two important ones: its prophetic and cautionary nature – missions that require the poet to possess great courage.
Because with these two missions, the poet must be the first to point out the cracks in the soul, in the ideals beneath the seemingly smooth surface of human beings.
It also means that the poet is someone who points out the islands of optimism amidst the countless dead ends of life.
However, Mr. Phuong also noted that true character is not about blind sabotage, stubbornness, or conservatism. True character is about having confidence in one's own inherent goodness.
When a poet possesses courage, they will reach their true identity. And identity is not about pretense or affectation, but rather about expressing the most genuine and courageous aspects of their being.
When a poet's work has a distinct identity, they are contributing to the spiritual life of the community in general and to the life of poetry in particular.
Literary critic Pham Xuan Nguyen defines the character of a poet as someone who quietly walks their own path, not following trends, not seeking recognition, and steadfastly adhering to a unique poetic style, which may be very challenging for the reader.
He cited examples of talented poets such as Tran Dan, Hoang Cam, Le Dat, Dang Dinh Hung, Duong Tuong... While acknowledging that contemporary poetry lacks socially conscious voices, Mr. Nguyen also mentioned some names he considered to be talented, such as Nguyen Binh Phuong, Nguyen Quang Thieu, Hoang Nhuan Cam…
In response to the question of whether the people still need poetry, critic Pham Xuan Nguyen humorously remarked: "Our country even has a city named Can Tho." But the question is, what kind of poetry do the people need? Is it the poetry that is currently flooding the market?
Poet Nguyen Binh Phuong believes that the people need poetry that, when they are in despair, can confide in them; and when they are resentful, poetry must express their feelings.
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