Nhuan Xuan Le

Who is Nhuan Xuan Le?

Lê Xuân Nhuận, born on January 2, 1930 in Huế, is a Vietnamese-American poet/writer under the pen name Thanh-Thanh.

He created and leads the "Xây-Dựng" literary society and publshing house that was recognized at the unique pre-1975 Vietnam Cultural Festival as one branch of the ancient Vietnam Culture Tree.

He was among the rare Vietnamese who have, since 1947, opposed all the political regimes in Vietnam: France's colonialism, Emperor Bảo Đại's feudalism, President Ngô Đình Diệm's dictatorship, President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu's stratocracy, and communism. He had consequently been at times fired, arrested, imprisoned, demoted, put under house arrest, exiled, persecuted... But, although he did not agree with and was ill-treated by the French, Bảo Đại, Ngô Đình Diệm, and Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, he had zealously served under them, against communism above all, and, as a Human Rights defender, effectively contributed to glorifying "the True, the Good, and the Beautiful." He was finally admitted to the United States as a political refugee in 1992.

As a poet, he composes his own poems in English and translates other authors' works into English verse. He recently published Poems by Selected Vietnamese, introducing over 100 pieces by 55 poets living in the USA, Canada, Australia, France, Belgium, Germany, Norway and Vietnam. He is a member of International PEN.