Bookworm
John Balaban, translator
Spring Essence: The Poetry of Ho Xuan Huong (Copper Canyon Press) Ho Xuan Huong was an 18th century Vietnamese poet and concubine. Poet John Balaban served as a conscientious objector in Vietnam during the war. We explore the complex destinies that led him to learn Vietnamese and to translate Ho's complex, erotic poems.
By Michael Silverblatt • • 30m Listen: The Poetry of Ho Xuan Huong
(Copper Canyon Press)
Ho Xuan Huong was an 18th century Vietnamese poet and concubine. Poet John Balaban served as a conscientious objector in Vietnam during the war. We explore the complex destinies that led him to learn Vietnamese and to translate Ho's complex, erotic poems.
Read an excerpt from Springs Essence.