Deep love in words

In the short story section of Quang Nam Newspaper, besides Quang Nam writers writing about their homeland, writers from all over the country also have many works bearing the distinctive mark of the land "that has not yet rained but has soaked in"...

Writers Nguyen Tam My and Ho Loan (second from left) are associated with the short story column of Quang Nam Newspaper. (In the photo is Ho Loan's book launch event).

Quang people write about Quang land

Nguyen Tam My, Nguyen Ba Hoa, Le Tram, Ho Loan, Dinh Le Vu, Nguyen Thi Nhu Hien... are familiar writers associated with the short story column of Quang Nam Newspaper.

Writer Nguyen Tam My is known for many thorny works, exploiting the theme of revolutionary war and the years in the K battlefield such as “Going through the K battlefield”; “Soldiers' stories during the expedition”; “Tet Chol ch'nam th'may”… Notably, writer Nguyen Tam My used to be in charge of the newspaper's short story column. After his retirement, he still diligently writes, collaborates, and is meticulous in each manuscript.

Children’s literature has many gaps, not only for writers in Quang Nam but also in the whole country. The appearance and persistence in exploiting the theme of children’s literature by writer Nguyen Ba Hoa is considered a “rare thing”. Although he is over seventy years old, he writes well and persistently.

In addition to many short stories for children, he also explores topics about culture, land and people of Quang Nam. “I have worked for a long time with the short story section of Quang Nam Newspaper. Among them, the short story “The Twenty-Year Curse” was published in a special issue on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Quang Nam Liberation Day. “Hoang Sa Memento” is a short story that contributes to the common voice of protecting the sovereignty of the Fatherland’s territorial waters. Recently, the story “The Man Weaving the Corn Hammocks” written about the land of Cu Lao Cham, the emotional changes of those who went to war were also cited by the Writers’ Association on its website” - writer Nguyen Ba Hoa shared.

In recent years, Ho Loan is a new name but has also left an impression in the short story section of the newspaper. Ho Loan's stories are modern, reflecting the hidden corners and fates of unlucky women. That is the sad fate of women somewhere in Vuon Cua - the place where she was born and raised. Perhaps when looking around her works, Ho Loan always encounters women with fragile fates, who are neighbors, acquaintances...

“When what I wrote was published in the short story column, I felt that literature loved me so much, life loved me so much, so I continued to rise up in this difficult life” - Ho Loan shared.

Among the Quang Nam writers who are associated with the short story column, Le Tram not only writes to collaborate, but he is also a bridge for famous writers to come to Quang Nam such as Nguyen Hiep, Tong Phuoc Bao. Le Tram is one of four Quang Nam writers who are members of the Vietnam Writers Association . Therefore, he has the opportunity to meet and introduce this column to many writers. Last year, writer Le Tram passed away.

The last short story he collaborated on was “Tet Flavor” in January 2024. However, his works will remain with readers forever, and his affection for Quang Nam Newspaper will remain deep and profound...

Writer Nguyen Hiep has many short stories bearing the cultural imprint of Quang region.

Order writers

It is not easy for Quang people to write about Quang, and it is even more difficult to commission writers for a “purely Quang” topic. However, over the years, we have been fortunate to receive the affection of writers such as Nguyen Hiep, Vu Thi Huyen Trang, Tong Phuoc Bao, La Thi Anh Huong, Ny An, Le Hang, Thai Hien and many writers across the country…

Veteran writer Nguyen Hiep has been involved with the short story column for several years. Reading his short stories, the Quang style is still very strong, showing that he has painstakingly researched the typical culture of Quang Nam such as “New Year's Eve at Dinh Que”, “The Horizontal Horizontal Board Disappears”, “Giang Chuop”...

“I have been to the land of Hong Dao wine many times but it was not enough fate. Only when I attended a long-term writing camp held in Quang, did I know it was enough fate because from the consciousness of a long-time writer like me, I realized that if you drill down to any place in this famous Quang land, you will find “gold mines” of history, culture, and the strange and touching levels of love of the Quang people. Since then, I have written many short stories with Quang elements and contexts and even in-depth topics about the land that I have long thought of as my own” - writer Nguyen Hiep shared.

Reading short stories in Quang Nam newspaper, Tong Phuoc Bao brings a strange, natural charm. He is from Saigon, but tells Quang stories quite sweetly.

Writer Tong Phuoc Bao said: “To write short stories that carry the Quang spirit, I have to search for a lot of materials, especially to buy old books about geography, culture, and Quang cuisine to read, and to go to small hamlets and markets of Quang people in Saigon to grasp the language as well as the soul of the Quang people.” Therefore, reading “Sleeping in Khe The” or “Smoke from the Reeds” by Tong Phuoc Bao, old Quang men living far away from home often return to the old battlefield with many emotions.

As for writer Vu Thi Huyen Trang, bringing Quang elements into her work is a challenge. “I don’t have many opportunities to come and directly interact with the people and culture of Quang, I mainly learn through books about the dialect and personality of Quang people... I am also particularly impressed by the illustrations in each work, which show the high generality of each literary work” - writer Vu Thi Huyen Trang said.

Twenty-eight years is not only the journey of the short story column of Quang Nam Newspaper, but more deeply, it is also the affection of writers for Quang Nam.

The person who records the plot in pictures

Artists Van Tin and Nguyen Dung are dedicated to the work of illustrating short stories for Quang Nam Newspaper; of which, artist Van Tin has 28 years of illustrating experience and Nguyen Dung has 26 years.

Some illustrations for the short story column in Quang Nam Newspaper by artist Nguyen Dung.

Artist Nguyen Dung shared that a small drawing for a short story seems simple but it has to go through many steps. After the story is approved by the leader, the artist reads and feels the plot, sketches until satisfied, then completes the film, in time for the publication of the Quang Nam weekend newspaper.

“From 1997 to 2005, when computers were not yet widely used, illustration went through many stages: completely hand-drawn, black ink decals to produce a film copy for printing.

Later, the drawings were combined with image editing software, so it was much more convenient. There were illustrations that no longer had the boundary between stories and paintings, such as the drawings for the stories "New Year's Eve at Dinh Que" and "Sleeping in Khe The"... In the near future, I will collect quality drawings to hold a small exhibition on this topic" - artist Nguyen Dung shared.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/an-tinh-dam-sau-con-chu-3157079.html