Black Dog, Black Night: Contemporary Vietnamese Poetry

by Nguyen Do (Editor), Paul Hoover (Editor)

“A monumental contribution to international literature.” — BLOOMSBURY REVIEW Vietnam—the very word raises many associations for Westerners. Yet while the country has been ravaged by a modern history of colonialism and war, its ancient culture is rich and multilayered, and within it poetry has long had a special place. In this groundbreaking anthology, coeditors and translators Nguyen Do and Paul Hoover present a revelatory portrait of contemporary Vietnamese poetry. What emerges from this conversation of outsiders and insiders, Vietnamese and American voices, is a worldly sensibility descended from the geographical and historical crossroads of Vietnam in the modern era. Reflecting influences as diverse as traditional folk stories and American Modernism, the twenty-one poets included in Black Dog, Black Night , many of whom have never before been published in English, introduce readers to a fresh, uncensored, and utterly unique poetic vision.

Genres: Poetry

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2008

Reviews

[Kier Scrivener · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began this gorgeous collection of translated contemporary poetry in May of 2019 and was immediately in tears. I carried it with me, all summer, returning it every nine weeks as the library required

Each time flipping open to the first poem The Purple Colour of Sim Flowers and rereading the words by Huu Loan that made me weep

on a rainy forest evening
three brothers in the northeast battle
heard news of their sister's death
before news of her wedding

I have countless lines and full poems transcribed in various notebooks, apps and videos. I had dedicated threads in an old computer and phone with poignant lines that are now lost. But even if I still could gather every note taken, I don't think I could capture what this book holds for me

Two years is a long time. It has crossed the province in several directions, joined me in waiting rooms of doctor offices and lobbies of social services and started numerous conversations and gave me a window into twentith century Vietnam and into emotions that are universal

I have lost much by reading the poems separated but I have also memorized sections by reading them again and again.

—
my father's body is a map
a record of his journey

he carries a bullet
lodged in his thigh
there is a hollow where it entered
a protruding bump where it sleeps
the doctors say it will never awaken

it is the one souvenir he insists on keeping
mother has her own opinions
bô cua con điên — your father is crazy

–
I love Hanoi even though it's empty without you
-
the past generation has gone
by ways various and new

–
i've located you to a letter of the alphabet do not think it wrong of me it is by no means a reduction of your being this is done only so i may address you free of inhibitions found in a name






I read it over two years, lending it from the library over ten times and coming back and again to these beautiful, nuanced and diverse poems.

As with any anthology not all authors were a hit but most were

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of poetry by Vietnamese writers. Strong and subtle.

[Jed Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice overview.

[Cooch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Four and a half stars

With an anthology like this there are going to be some poems and poets which do not resonate with a reader. However, for me, there were some excellent poems. This is a great primer for modern Vietnamese poetry and poets.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad that GoodReads has listed this book under the authorship of Nguyen Do. As its co-editor/translator, I'm now free to admire it on this site. Featuring 17 Vietnamese poets and 4 Vietnamese Americans (Linh Dinh, Hoa Nguyen, Truong Tran, and Mong-Lan), it reveals a modernist side of Vietnamese poetry that had been suppressed in Vietnam for many years. Other outstanding poets include Hoang Hung, Dang Dinh Hung, Thanh Thao, Y Nhi, Nguyen Duy, Nhat Le, and Tran Dan, who took the full brunt of censorship in the 1950s, at the time of the notorious Nhan Van incident.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could give this collection 5 stars if it were a bilingual edition. But it's not. Part of my interest is in translation, and while I assume these are beautiful translation, I have no way of looking at that for myself.

Great selection of poems and poets. Great poems.

[Tim Kahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to contemporary Vietnamese poetry that deviates from the state-sanctified verse.

[Roof Beam Reader (Adam) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughts will be available on 12/06/2020 at https://roofbeamreader.com/2020/12/04...

[Carina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liking this so far