The theme of war and post-war will never be exhausted.

The theme of war and post-war still contains many unexplored sediments. The phenomenon of the movie "Red Rain" causing a "fever" at the box office and the novel of the same name by writer Chu Lai being sought after by readers at a record rate in recent days has shown that the depth of memory still has an extremely strong attraction.

The novel "Red Rain" by writer Chu Lai is attracting great attention from readers.

After two weeks in theaters, the movie "Red Rain" has just set a box office record, and at the same time, rekindled new life for the novel of the same name by writer Chu Lai. Many readers, especially young people, have sought to buy the work to understand more deeply the tragic story of the war to protect Quang Tri Citadel .

Since the end of August 2025, as soon as the movie "Red Rain" premiered, many book publishers reported a sudden increase in the number of novel orders. On social networks and online and offline platforms, there have been a series of sessions introducing and releasing works... attracting the attention of a large number of readers. At times, buyers had to wait a whole week to receive books because of the huge demand.

A representative of the Fahasa system said that as of September 4, the number of books sold nationwide and through e-commerce platforms had exceeded 13,000 copies, making "Red Rain" one of the most prominent book titles in recent years.

Writer Chu Lai (middle) and the crew of the film "Red Rain" interact with the audience.

The above phenomenon shows the strong resonance between literature and cinema. From the book to the screen, and from the screen back to the book, this journey has aroused the public's special interest in a seemingly dry topic: revolutionary war.

That further affirms that history and literature, when conveyed in a familiar artistic language, always have great appeal to readers and audiences, especially today's young generation.

Writer Chu Lai expressed his emotion about the film's influence: "I am very moved. Although there are still a few unbalanced points, the film has kept the soul and spirit of the literary work. In particular, the fierce atmosphere of war is strongly recreated, which surprised me."

The model of the film set "Red Rain" is exhibited by the People's Army Cinema.

He commented that the People's Army Cinema's determination to carry out the project was a "brave" act because this is a sophisticated film genre but difficult to achieve commercial success. This encouraging signal, according to him, is proof that Vietnamese audiences, including the young generation, have not turned their backs on the subject of war.

Writer Chu Lai believes that the success of "Red Rain" also comes from the time of its release, blending into the atmosphere of the whole country celebrating the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2. He also frankly expressed: "The patriotism of the Vietnamese people never disappears. It is like lava flowing silently underground. When the opportunity arises, it erupts, lighting up the whole space. If "Red Rain" had been released 10 years ago, it might not have created such a big effect as today."

According to writer Chu Lai, each generation has its own way of expressing patriotism. Soldiers in wartime were ready to "die for the Fatherland", while today's generation affirms their bravery through intelligence, creativity and the desire to enrich the country.

He repeated the question that always haunted him: "After 50 years of unification, when will Vietnam have a work of the same stature as Lev Tolstoy's 'War and Peace '?". However, the writer also always kept the belief that as long as there is still "fire" in the heart, still looking towards the origin, then today's writers can still find the messy topics from the post-war period to compose.

Writer Chu Lai devoted much of his heart to the themes of war and post-war.

Writer Chu Lai has spent many years fighting, from soldier to commando, and then 50 years devoted to the literary career. He shared that he felt he had done his best and had lived fully in both of those journeys.

Works such as "Sunshine of the Plains" (1978), "Begging for the Past" (1991), "The Last Tragedy" (2004) and especially "Red Rain" (2016) - Awarded by the Vietnam Writers Association - have affirmed his position as one of the leading writers on the subject of war and soldiers.

Due to his old age and health, he no longer has the ability to write long-term works like before, so he temporarily put aside big projects and spends time reading books, watching movies, cycling, and swimming. But deep down, the writer still believes that the topics of soldiers, war, and post-war, only need a new approach to continue touching the hearts of readers.

Emotional moments of the movie "Red Rain" are introduced to the public through images.

Although he admits that without his own experience in the battlefield, it would be difficult for him to write about war so realistically. However, writer Chu Lai also rejects the view that young writers have difficulty writing about war because they were born in peacetime. He emphasizes that it is an endless source, not limited by generation.

"War is not the exclusive domain of experienced writers. Leo Tolstoy's 'War and Peace' was written 50 years after the war but still lives on. The further back it goes, the more sediments come back. Writing about war to the very end of joy, anger, love and hate, the work still attracts readers," he said.

Quang Tri people watch the movie "Red Rain" shown at Quang Tri Citadel.

The author of the novel "Red Rain" believes that the decisive factor is not direct experience, but the contemplation, love and responsibility of the writer towards a sacred topic of the nation. If he only depicts the nakedness of the battlefield, the work will be difficult to be accepted by readers. Therefore, in most of his novels, he always places war next to the romance of love. It is this interweaving that creates a unique quality, helping his literature to be both fierce and humane, both tragic and imbued with everyday life.

The phenomenon of "Red Rain" is not simply limited to the success of a film or a book, but more importantly, it has demonstrated the enduring vitality of the revolutionary war theme in preserving the memories, blood and aspirations for peace of an entire nation.

When young audiences reread novels, the act of receiving literary works also shows a connection with history, a way to understand more deeply the value of independence and freedom today. Resonating between literature and cinema, "Red Rain" reminds us of gratitude for the past, preserving peace, and nurturing a sense of responsibility towards the Fatherland.

THUY PHUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/de-tai-chien-tranh-va-hau-chien-se-khong-bao-gio-can-kiet-post906827.html