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Phiulavanh Luangvanna


Sensible Bridge
Selected Poems



ISBN: 978-0-939378-0
8-1
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Phiulavanh Luangvanna
The University of Texas at Dallas
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    FROM LAOS TO THE WORLD, A BRIDGE OF BLESSING

    The award-winning writer and scholar, Phiulavanh Luangvanna, who serves as vice president for
    the Lao Writers Association, has emerged as a central figure in her region's literature. Her debut
    English-language collection provides a colorful, deeply felt perspective on settings, traditions and
    aspirations in her Southeast Asian nation.

    In Sensible Bridge, Thidachan voices a devotion to the causes of life, free speech and affirmative
    outreach. Reflecting these commitments, her poems are reverently down to earth, mindful of both
    humanity and nature, and strong-willed in support of embodying connections and higher truths. The
    book's steadfast commitment to bridging, like that of any literature, is a gift meant for all people.
    Thidachan's writing reflects the unique characteristics of Laos, a mountainous country contoured by
    Southeast Asia's Mekong River. Her poems portray harmonious scenes from the country's still
    largely agrarian countryside, as well as dynamic, festive vignettes from the capital, Vientiane.
    The Lao people's indigenous music, dances and rituals exert a fundamental influence on
    Thidachan's poetry. In Sensible Bridge, she professes her love for her region's ancient Khaen
    music — named for its instrument, a bamboo mouth organ — and enumerates varieties of the music
    found in certain parts of Laos. Khaen music was certified in 2017 as a UNESCO intangible cultural
    heritage of humanity.

    In Laos, poetry is often combined with song, dance, theater and other arts. Appropriately,
    Thidachan includes imagery from a range of folk traditions which inspire her writing. She has sung
    her Lao poems for international audiences.

    Inseparably from showing the enduring beauty of Laos's scenery and customs, the writer
    memorializes the struggles of the long civil war that followed the end of colonialism in the country.
    One poem recalls the "living legend of Viengxai," the "cave city" where the future architects of a
    sovereign Laos took shelter during years of heavy bombing by the United States during the Vietnam
    War era.

    Sensible Bridge will remind readers that the world must accommodate diverse ideologies and
    allegiances. In one poem, to personify goodness, the author names men whose ideas catalyzed the
    revolutions in her region: socialist theorists Frederick Engels and Karl Marx, along with Ho Chi Minh,
    the leader of Vietnam's independence movement. Another poem pays tribute to the
    accomplishments of Laos's longtime socialist government.

    Above all, Sensible Bridge manifests a compassionate vision that should find crucial resonance
    anywhere. Informed by spiritual practice, Thidachan expresses values — love of justice, community,
    culture, work and worship — that help foster unities in how we view our world and our own lives.
    With her writing, she sends out a message of dialog and hope from Laos to the whole world.

    The book is translated by Sengchanh Soukhasem, with assistance from Athithouthay
    Chatouphonexay. Editorial advisor James Manteith provides an introduction to the poems.

    The ISBN number for the paperback edition of the book is 978-0-939378-08-1





                   ABOUT THE AUTHOR


    Phiulavanh Luangvanna, also known as Thidachan, is a Lao poet and writer. She received an
    advanced degree in Lao language and literature from Vientiane Pedagogical Institute in Laos.
    Thidachan has produced numerous literary works, including short stories, poems and children's
    literature. In addition to collaborations with other poets and writers, she has published 13 books.
    Thidachan has also written short prose poems, literary criticism and articles, published mainly in
    Vannasin and other national magazines. Her work has been translated into Thai, Vietnamese,
    Russian and English. She has won national short story awards, the Mekong Award for writers from
    six Mekong subregion countries, and the SEA Write Award for writers from ten Southeast Asian
    countries. She has received the Laos government title of Outstanding Artist. At present Thidachan
    is vice president of the Lao Writers Association, advisor at Vannasin, a guest lecturer on literature,
    and editor of Lao Writers Publishing Press. Thidachan lives with her family in Vientiane, the capital
    of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
    .