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Mai Thin’s collections of poems |
Mai Thin won the first prize in the youth poetry contest with the theme “Youth-Country-Love” held in Binh Dinh in 1990. After the contest, the prize winners have worked in fields related to literature to some extent in the past 20 years, but no one shows dogged determination to pursue poetry as a “career” but him, the poet Mai Thin.
Some prize winners include Tran Xuan Toan, Nguyen Thi Thanh Hien, Tran Ha Nam and Nguyen Ngoc Tinh. Among them, Toan and Nam are now literature teachers at Quy Nhon University and Le Quy Don gifted high school respectively.
All of them have still worked in fields related to literature to some extent but no one has equalled Mai Thin as he has had five collections of poems published, let alone a study on Nhon Thanh commune’s folklore.
What could make him show full of vitality?
Thin shows the unusual enthusiasm for poetry. “Poetry is something to which I’ve accidently attached and there is now no way to escape from it,” he once said. He is sometimes busy with works but he still continues to compose many poems.
Thin graduated from Da Nang Pedagogy College of Foreign Languages and, as usual, he would become a teacher. However, he returned to Quy Nhon and sought opportunities to satisfy his enthusiasm for poetry after winning the first prize at the contest.
He started his work as a reporter for the youth broadcast program of Binh Dinh Youth Union and then become an editor for Binh Dinh Literature Magazine. He has worked at Binh Dinh Broadcasting Station since 1993.
His family has 10 brothers and sisters and he is the youngest son. Thin had to face severe hardship during his childhood. At the age of 10, he lost one leg by a bomb left after the war. He thus had to try harder to study and he got three bachelor’s degrees.
With his love for the hometown, Nhon Thanh commune in An Nhon district. Mai Thin had many collections of poems published, including Co tich tinh yeu (the fairy love), Hai manh yeu thuong (two pieces of love), Dong que (the countryside), Khuc Son Ca (the melody of nightingale), and Lang le xanh (the silent green).
His works are always dedicated to the love for the country during 20 years. He also wrote many poems about different parts of the country, such as the northwest area, Truong Son martyrs’ cemetery, and the ancient rampart in Quang Tri province.
Together with other poets and artists, Thin joined the journey to Vung Tau in April. The journey was aimed to help them seek inspiration for new works. When they couldn’t travel to Con Dao due to bad weather, Thin felt pity for that and spent sleepless nights during a week.
Mai Thin now has a dream of travelling to Truong Sa (Spratly Islands).
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