Nguyễn Đức Sơn, Eccentric Poet and Pillar of Southern Literature, Passes Away at 83

On the morning of June 11, poet Nguyễn Đức Sơn, pseudonym Sao Trên Rừng (Star Over The Forest), passed away at the age of 83.

The poet was famed both for his bizarre personality and the boldness of his works, which often explored the theme of sexual desire, a topic seen as taboo in his era. In Sơn's twilight years, he also gained fame for planting tens of thousands of pine trees on Phương Bối Hill, where he lived.

Modern poet Lê Thiếu Nhơn offered his condolences by quoting from Sơn's poem, 'Hoài Niệm' (Reminiscence), which Sơn wrote when he himself was mourning the death of Quách Thoại, a fellow poet:

Nguyễn Đức Sơn's Life

Sơn was born in 1937 in Ninh Thuận Province, but his paternal hometown was in Thừa Thiên-Huế. In his lifetime, Sơn was hailed as one of the three masters of the era by pre-1975 southern patriotic poets (the other two being Bùi Giáng and Phạm Công Thiện). He was also named among the four pillars (tứ trụ) of southern Vietnam's art and literature circle, along with Bùi Giáng, Thanh Tâm Tuyền and Tô Thùy Yên.

After 1975, he soon discovered that teaching English was no longer a viable source of income as Russian was on the rise, dominating every high school and university. As a result, teachers of English and French were out of jobs and found themselves with reduced salaries or transferred to other positions, such as working in offices and libraries.

In 1979, Sơn took his family to Phương Bối Hill in Lâm Đồng Prvince. They became vegan, and while Sơn was never officially a Buddhist, he often read and followed Buddhist teachings. The influence of Buddhism can be seen in many of his poems. Along with his family of nine children and a sickly wife, Sơn made a living through farming. During a particularly difficult period when food was scarce, one of his sons passed away after accidentally eating a poisonous mushroom. It was a wretched and miserable life.

People in the region spread rumors that Sơn was a freak: a well-read man, yet he treated his family harshly; a teacher and a poet, yet he let his children grow up illiterate. It was said that at night, his loud screams could be heard throughout the pine forest. They described a conceited man who cursed whenever he spoke, who liked to make faces — stretch his mouth, bare his teeth, and roll his eyes. Sơn lived alone in a small wooden retreat that no one ever dared entering, as he had urinated on all the corners, supposedly to kill termites.

This bizarre behavior in the later years of Sơn's life reflected the unconventional nature of the works he produced during his time as a poet. His pieces deviated from the contemporary norm in that they were often crude and salacious, evoking images and emotions then considered taboo.

In chronological order, his published works include Bọt nước (Bubble) (1965), Lời ru (Lullaby) (1966), Đêm nguyệt động (Lunar night) (1967), Vọng (1972), Mộng du trên đỉnh mùa xuân (Sleepwalking on the peak of springtime) (1972), Tịnh khẩu (Noble silence) (1973), and three short stories: 'Cát bụi mệt mỏi' (Tired dust) (1968), 'Cái chuồng khỉ' (Monkey barn) (1969), and 'Xóm chuồng ngựa' (Horse barn village) (1971).

Additionally, in 2019, calligrapher Hồ Công Khanh and Sơn’s children, especially Nguyễn Đức Yên, jointly amassed and published Chút lời mênh mông (Some Ample Words), a collection of Sơn’s previously unreleased works. This was the poet's first official comeback after nearly 50 years of retreat.

Obscenity in Sơn's Poems

The images evoked by Sơn’s poems are often obscene and graphic, though many consider his writing worthy of worship. His reverence for sexual allure was evident in poems such as 'Monism,' 'Puddle of Holy Water,' 'Noble Silence,' and 'In Lunar Night.'

From In Lunar Night (1967):

The concept of Monism states that all of the world stems from a single source, and thus there exists no duality or distinction in our reality. Sơn likely approached this concept from a Buddhist perspective: in Buddhism, the idea of “sunyata” has a similar premise. Sunyata refers to a state of emptiness that an individual achieves upon attaining enlightenment. Specifically, this emptiness speaks to the realization that all that exists is without any inherent self-nature.

“Noble silence” is another Buddhist concept that Sơn used to title a poem. In a broad sense, it means to avoid telling lies or speaking hurtful things and to only say words of truth, love, and solidarity, which are constructive and beneficial to yourself and others. Many mistakenly assume “noble silence” as not saying anything at all. In fact, this concept does not advocate for absolute silence, but for the minimization of speech — speaking only when necessary, and always with mindfulness.

From the collection Noble Silence (1973):

The profound history behind these titles clearly reflected Sơn’s level of intellect. What is more, considering Buddhism’s vehement abstention against sexual desire, it is ironic that these Buddhist concepts were used as titles for such sensual and graphic writing. In fact, in Noble Silence, Sơn even wrote a poem to acknowledge the obscenity of his own writing:

Themes of Nature and Death

The more conventional of Sơn’s works sometimes concern itself with natural scenery. His appreciation for nature is also seen through the names of his children: Thạch (Rock), Thảo (Plants), Thủy (Water), Vân (Cloud), Yên (Fog), Lão*, Không (Air), Phương Bối (Fragrant Leaf), and Tiểu Khê (Small River), and through his pseudonym: Sơn Núi (Mountain), Sao Trên Rừng (Star Over The Forest).

*For the name “Lão,” while the meaning that comes immediately to mind is “old,” an entry from Từ Điển Hán Nôm (Chinese-Vietnamese Dictionary) suggests that the name might actually stem from a homonymic word meaning “flood” or “wave.” This would be more in accordance with the theme of nature which prevailed over the naming of Sơn’s other children.

From his early works, Sơn had already strongly expressed his marvel at the transcendent beauty of nature, such as in Lullaby (1966):

He sometimes wrote about himself as a part of the scenery, often depicting nature with phrases one would use to describe a lover:

Another major theme in Sơn's poems was transcendental consciousness, which stemmed from a sense of impermanence in the vast cosmos.

Some other well-known lines of the poet include: