The Heart and Mind of the Poet Xuân Diệu: 1954–1958

During the years 1954–1958, the Vietnamese Workers' Party, in a series of advances and retreats, asserted control over all forms of intellectual and cultural expression in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This essay looks at how one of Vietnam's greatest poets, Xuân Diệu (1916–1985), na...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of Vietnamese studies (Berkeley, Calif.) Calif.), 2010-06, Vol.5 (2), p.1-90
Main Authors:	Ân, Lại Nguyên, Holcombe, Alec
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	20th century Anthologies Forced labor Literary criticism Love poetry Poetry Poets Political parties Research Essay Romantic poetry Southeast Asian culture Southeast Asian literature Symbolist poetry Vietnam Vietnamese Writers Xuan Dieu (1916-1985)
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	During the years 1954–1958, the Vietnamese Workers' Party, in a series of advances and retreats, asserted control over all forms of intellectual and cultural expression in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This essay looks at how one of Vietnam's greatest poets, Xuân Diệu (1916–1985), navigated his way through these turbulent years. When the storm finally abated in the latter half of 1958, some of the regime's most important intellectuals found themselves marooned in far-away labor camps with their reputations in ruins and their careers sunk. Not so with Xuân Diệu—he had been buffeted about in the rough waters but ultimately was able to sail on with his career intact. He fared well in his personal life, too, since the party leadership allowed him to continue sharing an elegant, state-owned French villa with his sister, Ngô Xuân Như, and her husband, Huy Cận—Xuân Diệu's homosexual partner. How did Xuân Diệu do it?
ISSN:	1559-372X 1559-3738