15 years since the death of writer Son Nam - Forever living memories of the "walking old man"

Commemorating the 15th anniversary of the death of writer Son Nam, Tre Publishing House has released two new books, including: "Son Nam - Strange Corners of Life" and "Son Nam - Travel and Remember".

Son Nam - Go and remember

Go and Remember is the title of a typical article by writer Son Nam during his lifetime, published in the magazine Xua va Nay in 1997 and now chosen as the title of a book.

The new point of this book is the number of solid articles, including 56 articles on different topics and genres, which were published in the magazine Xua va Nay and several other newspapers before 1975.

Cover of the book "Son Nam - Travel and Remember" (Photo: Tre Publishing House).

More than 300 pages of Going and Remembering mainly research historical issues, culture, and customs of people in Saigon - Southern Vietnam past and present. From the table of contents, it can be seen that the author discusses:

Cultural aspects of the lands: Remembering Saigon - Gia Dinh from the early days, The vitality of residents in the Mekong Delta, The formation and development of Saigon commercial port, 100 years before Saigon, Returning to Ben Tre ...

People, customs, spiritual life: Borders and spiritual culture; Chinese people in Saigon - Cho Lon; Some features of national culture through the Ky Yen ceremony at the Southern communal house; Saigon people are generous and affectionate; Weddings in the past and present; Saigon people's personality through geography; Southern Tet meals...

Characters and works: Random thoughts while reading Thien Mu Pagoda, Telling stories of Vuong Hong Sen, Private love, Discussing books and newspapers in Saigon, Enjoying three dishes in Saigon, Reading the Thuong Kinh Chronicle by Hai Thuong Lan Ong...

The end of the book contains documentary photos of writer Son Nam at work, with close friends, on field trips... and a page of his handwriting.

Go and Remember is an interesting book for admirers and collectors of Son Nam's works. It is also an easy-to-read work thanks to its simple writing style and rich topics.

Mr. Nguyen Hanh, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Xua va Nay magazine - who helped compile Son Nam's valuable articles - said the book is like a stick of incense to commemorate the late writer.

Reference photo of writer Son Nam at the end of the book (Photo: Tre Publishing House).

Son Nam - Strange corners of life

The strange corners of life include articles by Mr. Son Nam's daughter, Ms. Dao Thuy Hang, providing a very different perspective, but also filled with simplicity, modesty, and love like him.

This book also has unique articles by Southern authors, writers, and journalists who love Son Nam, such as: Ly Lan, Vo Dac Danh, Ngo Khac Tai, Pham Sy Sau, Nguyen Trong Chuc, Nguyen Lam Dien... with their journeys following the Fragrance of Ca Mau forest to find the hometown where a genuine Southern writer and researcher was born.

The work also contains memories and reminiscences, helping readers clearly visualize the conduct, virtues, and personality of writer Son Nam.

Strange corners of life include the following parts: Preface, Remembering My Father and Appendix - Portrait of an old man walking in Son Nam.

Cover of the book "Son Nam - Strange corners of life" (Photo: Tre Publishing House).

The authors of this book have a close relationship with the writer, thanks to which readers have the opportunity to know the very unique and also very strange aspects of Son Nam's life.

For example, in the beginning, a young man named Lac (the nickname of writer Son Nam) met and fell in love with a female teacher who was good at playing music and acting, and then relied on a matchmaker to get married.

Or in the early days of fatherhood, writer Son Nam came home and saw his wife "lying in bed" without coal, so he took a bucket and walked several kilometers from Cai Bau to Ca Nai market to buy coal for his wife.

The impression of her childhood days when her father carried her around the neighborhood to help people mill rice and pound it, and the two of them ate rice from nearby houses, is also unimaginable to most people who only know Son Nam from his literary career.

And there are many other personal stories like this that were revealed for the first time by family members, revealing more of his private and narrow life.

There are touching stories about Son Nam being a father so far away from home that his wife decided to take her daughter to Saigon to start a career as a teacher at the invitation of a friend who opened a private school.

Son Nam didn't know either, because he wasn't home, until one day when mother and son were waiting for the bus to school, Ms. Hang suddenly saw Son Nam and shouted "Dad!". So the family reunion took place in Saigon in such strange circumstances.

Writer Son Nam's works reach readers easily because of their simple, rustic language (Photo: Tre Publishing House).

Writer Son Nam is not only famous for his literary talent, but also has many stories surrounding him that are well known to many people. One of the stories that is both sensitive and realistic is money.

That was the quiet saying of writer Son Nam when he took the same boat with writer Ly Lan to his hometown, which she recorded: "Twenty-five years ago, I followed him across this place. He pointed to the misty creek and said, "My hometown is in there." I asked him if he wanted to stop by my house. He silently let the boat run towards him, then quietly said, "Why go back without money?"

Or the time he went to Long Xuyen quadrangle with writer Ngo Khac Tai, stopped by the school and teachers' dormitory and saw how poor life was, Son Nam withdrew money to buy a case of beer for everyone to drink.

The time Son Nam returned to An Giang to marry his son, he went empty-handed, which made his literary friends know that they had gathered together to prepare a tray of betel and fruit for him to go as a matchmaker "to be like other people"...

Biography of writer Son Nam (Photo: Tre Publishing House).

Phuong Hoa (According to dantri.com.vn)

Source: https://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/97898/15-nam-ngay-mat-nha-van-Son-Nam---Song-mai-nhung-ky-niem-ve-