Poetry. Asian American Studies. Translation. During the Vietnam War, John Balaban traveled the Vietnamese countryside alone, taping, transcribing, and translating oral folk poems known as "ca dao." No one had ever done this before, and it was Balaban's belief that his project would help end the war. The resulting collection-the first in any Western language-became a phenomenon within the American Vietnamese community, but the book slipped out of print after the original publisher folded in the `70's. This revised bilingual edition includes new poems and an eloquent introduction explicating poetry's importance in Vietnamese culture.

John Balaban is the author of a dozen books of poetry, prose, and Vietnamese translations whose accolades include two National Book Award nominations, the Lamont Award, and the William Carlos Williams Award. His translation Spring Essence: The Poetry of Ho Xuan Huong was featured on NPR's Fresh Air. Balaban teaches at North Carolina State University and lives in Raleigh.

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