The Poet Queen. A Vietnamese opera by Linh Huyen

The Poet Queen is a contemporary Vietnamese opera by Linh Huyen. The opera was inspired by the poet Ho Xuan Huong, who’s poems challenged the prevailing Confucian norms that prevailed in the society of late 18th, and early 19th century Vietnam. Against a background of tumultuous and dangerous times, Xuan Huong created timelessly sensuous, erotic and beautiful poetry. Her writing expresses a free spirit that may be seen in many ways as akin to that of the equally elusive Sappho. Xuan Huong’s used t