CẢM THỨC TỰ DO HIỆN SINH TRONG THƠ ĐÔ THỊ MIỀN NAM GIAI ĐOẠN 1965 - 1975: TỪ KHẲNG ĐỊNH BẢN THỂ ĐẾN LỰA CHỌN DẤN THÂN

Abstract

This article focuses on analyzing the existential sense of freedom in Southern urban poetry during the period 1965–1975, highlighting two major expressions: the affirmation of the self and the choice of commitment. From the perspective of existentialist philosophy, freedom in poetry is not merely a longing to escape societal constraints but also a journey toward living authentically with the self and taking full responsibility for personal choices and their consequences. The works of Nguyễn Đức Sơn, Du Tử Lê, Nhã Ca, Nguyên Sa, Nguyễn Tất Nhiên, and Bùi Giáng present a solitary yet determined self striving for self-definition. In the context of war, existential freedom also emerges as a tragic commitment of poet-warriors such as Ngô Kha, Trần Vàng Sao, and Lê Văn Ngăn. These poets do not evade reality but confront it with a poetic voice full of responsibility and humanism. Poetry thus becomes a profound space for inner freedom, a quiet yet powerful voice of resistance in turbulent times, affirming the human being as a free, independent, and awakened subject amid historical upheaval.