Ho Xuan Huong

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Ho Xuan Huong

(fl. late 18th c.). Vietnamese poet. Name variations: Huo Xuan Huong; Hô Xuân Huong. Born at the end of the 2nd Le Dynasty (1592–1788); possibly born in Quynh Luu district of Nghe An province; possibly dau. of Ho Phi Dien; said to be a concubine or a wife of 2nd rank; married twice, then widowed.

One of the most important and most controversial of Vietnamese poets, depicted everyday life with simple and elegant verse; managed to circumvent the censors with her frank eroticism, relying on cleverness, allusions, double entendres and metaphors; dared to revolt against Confucian taboos to liberate women, and questioned the order of things, specifically male authority. The number of poems attributed to her have grown with time.

See also Spring Essence: ThePoetry of Ho Xuan Huong (Copper Canyon, 2001).