A new platform for literary history.

The Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House has just released two works on the theme of literary history titled "National Literature of the 19th Century" and "The Environment Cries for Help, Literature Responds". These are the two newest publications in the unit's Literary History book series - the first of its kind in the country.

Two facets of literary history

Author Phan Tran Chuc (1907-1946) was known as a multi-talented writer, writing in many genres. He was particularly passionate about researching national history, and his body of work on this subject is very rich, encompassing various genres: research, novels, memoirs, etc. His vernacular literature of the 19th century is one of them.

With this work, today's readers have the opportunity to explore and learn about the history of Vietnamese literature, which author Phan Tran Chuc defines as "literature written in the Vietnamese language, using the Vietnamese script, and intended to disseminate ideas to a public where Vietnamese people constitute the largest number."

In his work, Phan Tran Chuc focused on describing the brilliant development of the Nom script in the 18th century, and also mentioned a part of the later Quoc Ngu script. He also devoted much effort to in-depth research on Nom-script literary genres, including poetry and prose, associated with names such as Doan Thi Diem, Dang Tran Con, On Nhu Hau, Ly Van Phuc… In particular, author Phan Tran Chuc showed great affection for the masterpiece *Truyen Kieu* by the great poet Nguyen Du, with assessments and comments that partly reflected the perspective of the era in which he lived.

Associate Professor Bui Thanh Truyen and the publication "The Environment Cries for Help, Literature Responds"

Reflecting contemporary times is the publication "The Environment Cries for Help, Literature Responds" by Associate Professor Dr. Bui Thanh Truyen, focusing on the study of ecological literature. This is considered a continuation of the work "Ecological Criticism with Southern Vietnamese Prose," which Associate Professor Dr. Bui Thanh Truyen edited and published in 2018. Ecological criticism emerged globally in the 1970s; however, in Vietnam, this research direction is still considered relatively new. Therefore, the appearance of publications researching ecological literature is necessary and important.

Without aiming to encompass all of Vietnamese literature, "The Environment Cries for Help, Literature Responds" focuses on examining and evaluating the essays, short stories, and novels of writers who have lived or are currently living in the Southern region of Vietnam in modern times.

In particular, the author delves deeper into the work of prominent figures embodying ecological principles, such as Hoang Van Bon, Mai Buu Minh, Tran Bao Dinh, and Tran Duc Tien. This publication contributes to further clarifying the harmonious relationship between humans and the natural and social environment, in the spirit of modern humanism, for the sustainable development of the Southern region, both now and in the future.

A helpful source of information.

According to Mr. Tran Dinh Ba, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House, the field of Vietnamese literary history books has existed for a long time with many valuable research works. Many authors, with their dedication and knowledge, have established their names through quality research, such as Nguyen Dong Chi ( History of Ancient Vietnamese Literature ), Thanh Lang ( Outline of Vietnamese Literature )... Recently, the field of literary history has seen many research works on the flow of Vietnamese literature from ancient, medieval, or modern times. Many old works have been reprinted, and new works have been introduced, enriching the field of Vietnamese literary history.

However, these studies are often published sporadically and unsystematically, thus limiting their value and reach, and they are often overshadowed by other literary currents.

“We launched the Vietnamese Literature History book series with the desire to provide readers with a useful reference source on the literary history of our country. At the same time, this is also a sign to invite authors and researchers with related topics that are suitable for the book series to participate and add books to enrich this area of ​​literary history,” said Mr. Tran Dinh Ba.

The Literature History book series of the Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House was established at the end of 2025 with its first publication , "The Evolution of Vietnamese Literature" (by Kieu Thanh Que). In addition to the two works "National Literature of the 19th Century" and "The Environment Cries for Help, Literature Responds," the series is expected to be supplemented by the end of the year with the publication "A Brief History of Vietnamese Literature: Pre-War Writers 1930-1945 " (by The Phong).

HO SON

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/be-do-moi-cho-van-hoc-su-post846514.html