Ho Xuan Huong

(pen name; real name unknown). Born in Nghean Province; dates of birth and death unknown. Vietnamese poet of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Ho Xuan Huong vividly expressed the humanist trends of 18th-century Vietnamese literature in her poetry. She glorified the beauty of life, the human body, and sensuality, employing lyric descriptions of the countryside. She ridiculed the sanctimoniousness of Buddhist monks and feudal mores. Ho Xuon Huong perfected the genre of the poetic miniature (quatrains and octaves), which became the model of classical Vietnamese poetry. Her poems are similar to folk poetry in their language, style, subject matter, and undisguised satire. The works of Ho Xuan Huong were published in the collection The Scent of Spring (Russian translation, 1976).