Which Vietnamese female poet was honored by UNESCO as a world cultural celebrity?

The only female writer to be honored by UNESCO.

The poet Ho Xuan Huong, born in 1772 and died in 1822, was the daughter of the scholar Ho Phi Dien (1704-1786), a native of Quynh Doi village, now Quynh Doi commune, Quynh Luu district, Nghe An province. There are many different accounts and studies regarding her literary career. Previously, literary historians believed that Ho Xuan Huong lived and wrote in the latter half of the 18th century, mainly during the Tay Son dynasty. However, some newly discovered documents suggest that she primarily wrote during the Nguyen dynasty, around the first half of the 19th century.

She is known as the "Queen of Nom poetry". (Illustrative image)

Previously, Ho Xuan Huong was known as the author of unique and distinctive poems written in Nom script. However, according to a discovery published in 1964 by researcher Tran Thanh Mai, she not only wrote poems in Nom script but also in Chinese characters. Her poetry collection "Luu Huong Ky" is a work combining both languages, creating a poetic work that blends both Chinese and Nom scripts.

Ho Xuan Huong is famous for her exceptional intelligence but lacked formal education, and her romantic life was fraught with difficulties. According to legend, she went through two marriages. According to scholar Hoang Xuan Han (1908-1996), in an article published in the Journal of Social Sciences , Paris, issue 12/1983, she was once married to Tran Phuc Hien, the son of a high-ranking official of the Nguyen dynasty, when he held the position of Tham Hiep (Assistant Governor) of Yen Quang from approximately 1815 to 1818; prior to that, he had served as Tri Phu (Prefect) of Vinh Tuong.

Ho Xuan Huong is also the only female poet among the seven Vietnamese cultural figures honored by UNESCO. The UNESCO General Assembly unanimously agreed to commemorate the 250th anniversary of her birth and the 200th anniversary of her death, affirming the value of her literary and artistic works, as well as her ideas on gender equality and women's liberation. Ho Xuan Huong deserves to be recognized as a global cultural figure, a poet of immense stature. Her contributions to the liberation of humanity, especially women, in the feudal era are considered pioneering and of timeless value.

"The Strange Star" of Medieval Vietnamese Literature

The poet Ho Xuan Huong is considered a "unique star," a rare genius in Vietnamese medieval literature. The beauty in her poetry seems like a privilege of women, because when speaking of women, one speaks of beauty. Ho Xuan Huong affirmed the comprehensive beauty of women, both physically and spiritually.

In her poetry, the yearning to live authentically, to have her beauty and talent recognized, is evident in bold and truthful verses: "My body is both white and round" (Floating Rice Cakes), "How old are you, my dear girl? You are beautiful, and I am beautiful too... The youthful spring will last for a thousand years" (Beautiful Woman). Ho Xuan Huong not only celebrated the beauty of women as a product of nature but also expressed a spirit of resistance against feudal views. For that reason, she is considered the Renaissance author of Vietnamese literature during the medieval period.

In 2021, Ho Xuan Huong's poetry had been translated into 13 different languages around the world . Photo: Internet

The works of Ho Xuan Huong have been preserved to this day through two main sources. Firstly, more than 50 of her poems written in Nom script have been passed down through oral tradition since her lifetime, with many different versions, either transcribed or printed in Nom script. Secondly, the remaining source is found in old manuscripts discovered by author Tran Thanh Mai, mainly the poetry collection Luu Huong Ky - transcribed together with many other texts in the collection Du Huong Tich Dong Ky. This collection includes 24 poems in Chinese characters and 26 poems in Nom script.

However, due to their oral transmission through generations, Ho Xuan Huong's poems have undergone many changes, differing significantly from the original versions. During this transmission, additions and deletions of words were inevitable, making the restoration of the original difficult due to the numerous variations. Furthermore, some original manuscripts have been lost or mixed up with the works of others.

The poet Ho Xuan Huong is not only highly regarded in Vietnam but also enjoys international admiration. Rabindranath Tagore once praised her, and later, the famous French poet Jan Rixtal also honored her in the preface to his French translation of Ho Xuan Huong's poetry, considering her "one of the great names of Vietnamese literature and, without a doubt, one of the leading female poets of Asia."

As of 2021, Ho Xuan Huong's poetry has been translated into 13 different languages worldwide. In her poetry, the Vietnamese language has become a multifaceted, meaningful, insightful, unique, and masterful artistic language, posing a significant challenge to contemporary writers and artists when translating her works into foreign languages.

Source: https://danviet.vn/nu-si-viet-nam-duy-nhat-nao-duoc-unesco-vinh-danh-la-danh-nhan-van-hoa-the-gioi-20240907193024142-d1182874.html