dumbfoundry

When Y Phuong composed poems for a school newspaper in Trung Khanh District of the mountainous Cao Bang Province, he never expected to see them in Ha Noi’s Tap chi Van nghe Quan doi (Army Literature and Arts Magazine). He was even more surprised when his initial success was followed by more popular poems, poetry awards, and a life-long career in literature. However, despite his quick ascent to national [Vietnam] stardom, Phuong has not forgotten his roots in the Tay ethnic group, as evidenced by the rich native imagery in his work.

Y Phuong is now deputy director of the Viet Nam Writer Association’s Composition Committee.

Inner Sanctum: Do you remember your feelings when you saw your poems and your name in such a large national newspaper?

I felt very proud. At the time, I was in the army in a remote area of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta that rarely received books and magazines from the North.

However, I learned that the poems, which I wrote for a student newspaper at my high school before moving south as a soldier (during the American War), were copied and distributed around the lowlands by a correspondent.

It was very exciting to have a poem printed in a newspaper back then. It was also a significant turning point for me. It gave me confidence in my ability to compose poems, and I quickly became a regular contributor to the magazine. [...]

This entry was posted by eeksypeeksy on Monday, September 06, 2004 at 4:27 PM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.