Ca Dao Vietnam: Vietnamese Folk Poety (Kagean Book)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.37 (651 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1556591861 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 100 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-06-07 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
"Song of the South the Vietnamese Way" according to Crazy Fox. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. First of all, it is a rare treasure in that these folk poems would probably never have been set down on paper and preserved at all if the translator hadn't gone out into the Vietnamese countryside (during wartime no less) and recorded them. And they are so worth preserving. The songs have a certain rust. ""Chicken Soup for the Soul!"" according to Le Pham Le. Through his translation entitled Ca Dao Viet Nam, John Balaban skillfully brings out the beauty of the Vietnamese folk poetry and offers it to Western readers as a wonderful gift.As an American who lived in Viet Nam for many years, Balaban has developed the passion for ca dao which is the oral poetry created by ordinary Vietnamese in . "A Great Gift!" according to A Reader. This lovely collection, Ca Dao Viet Nam, should be read by anyone who wishes to learn more about Vietnamese folk poetry tradition as well as the art of poetry translation, an ever-challenging task of discovering "a poem behind a poem." I am truly grateful to John Balaban for his poetic grace and significant contributions to world lite
John Balaban is the author of a dozen books of poetry, prose, and Vietnamese translations whose prizes include the Lamont Award, the William Carlos Williams Award, and two National Book Award nominations. His work has been featured on NPR's "Fresh Air," New York Times, and Utne Reader. He teaches at North Carolina State University.
About the AuthorJohn Balaban is the author of a dozen books of poetry, prose, and Vietnamese translations whose prizes include the Lamont Award, the William Carlos Williams Award, and two National Book Award nominations. His work has been featured on NPR's "Fresh Air," New York Times, and Utne Reader. He teaches at North Carolina State University.
During the Vietnam war, John Balaban traveled the Vietnamese countryside alone, taping, transcribing, and translating oral folk poems known as "ca dao." No one had ever done this before, and it was Balaban’s belief that his project would help end the war.The young American poet walked up to farmers, fishermen, seamstresses, and monks and said, "Sing me your favorite poem," and they did. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he teaches at North Carolina State University.. Consider this book such a sampling. This revised, bilingual edition includes new poems and an eloquent introduction explicating poetry’s importance in Vietnamese culture.The PaintingThe stream runs clear to its stones;the fish swim in sharp outline.Girl, turn your face for me to draw.Tomorrow, if we should drift apart,I shall find you by this picture."In early dynasties, Chinese emperors used to send out officials to record the poetry of the common people because folk songs were believed to be the truest indicators of popular feeling. His Spring Essence: The Poetry of Hô Xuân Huong, has sold 20,000 copies. "Folk poetry is so much a part of everybody’s life, my request didn’t seem like such a strange proposition," Balaban writes.The resulting collection—the first in any Western -language—became a phenomenon withi