Ho Chi Minh City Literature Flow: New Generation of Writers

More than 10 years after the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country, besides famous names such as Anh Duc, Nguyen Quang Sang, Hoai Vu, Le Van Thao..., in Ho Chi Minh City, a generation of talented writers has appeared. Up to now, many of them are still persistently pursuing literature such as Nguyen Nhat Anh, Le Minh Quoc, Truong Nam Huong, Le Thi Kim, Ly Lan, Lai Van Long...

Creative inspiration in civic inspiration

After the country's reunification, on March 28, 1976, the Youth Volunteer Force (YV) in the formation of 2 General Teams (including the City Youth Union and the New Economic Zone ) simultaneously went to the rural areas on the outskirts of the city, or the mountainous and arduous areas to reclaim land, do irrigation, build houses and other works to serve the people from the city to settle in the new economic zones.

During this period, tens of thousands of young men and women from all walks of life, from students, workers, soldiers of the old regime, etc., enthusiastically joined the Youth Volunteer Force to contribute to the country’s development. Their footprints spread from the Mekong Delta to the Central Highlands. In particular, in 1978, when the Southwestern border war broke out, the young men and women of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Volunteer Force, along with young people from all over the country, quickly appeared on the front lines, carrying wounded and ammunition, serving in combat and fighting heroically.

After completing their mission, the young men and women returned to the city, each with a different job. Among them, many chose to dedicate their lives to writing. It can be said that they were the ones who experienced the difficult years from the time the city was completely liberated until the difficult years of the country entering the renovation period. They “stood shoulder to shoulder” with the city and grew up from those hardships.

At that time, the young writers of Ho Chi Minh City were formed from three main sources: the Youth Volunteer Force with Nguyen Nhat Anh, Nguyen Dong Thuc, Cao Vu Huy Mien, Bui Nguyen Truong Kien, Nam Thien, Pham Truong Phuc…; those returning from the Southwest battlefield such as Le Minh Quoc, Pham Sy Sau, Nguyen Thanh Nhan…; or those who wrote on the spot such as Le Thi Kim, Truong Nam Huong, Lai Van Long, Thanh Nguyen, Ly Lan, Luu Thi Luong, Ho Thi Ca, Pham Thi Ngoc Lien… All of them created a generation full of talent after the country’s reunification, which until now still leaves a deep impression in the hearts of readers of Ho Chi Minh City in particular and the whole country in general. Because only in Ho Chi Minh City was such a diverse creative force formed. It was this force that supplemented the young creative force in Ho Chi Minh City, contributing to the appearance of the literary scene in Ho Chi Minh City.

In particular, when mentioning this period, it is impossible not to mention the work "Gem in the Stone" by writer Nguyen Dong Thuc, which was published on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment and growth of TNXP (1987). It can be said that "Gem in the Stone" has promptly reflected and portrayed a young generation of Ho Chi Minh City full of ambition, romance, and many stumbles and hurts, but still full of faith and hope in life. Therefore, the work is not only meaningful in terms of literature but also meaningful in terms of literary history.

Writer Nguyen Nhat Anh, poet Le Minh Quoc (2nd, 3rd from right) with writers from all over the country at the 4th National Conference of Young Writers. Photo courtesy of poet LE MINH QUOC

Writer Nguyen Nhat Anh believes that for the post-1975 generation of writers, the inspiration for writing at that time was mainly civic inspiration. That was the generation associated with the mission of "rebuilding the country after the war", and at a very young age, so they were full of enthusiasm and ambition. The young writers at that time included many groups such as Youth Volunteers, soldiers, workers, scientists , teachers, journalists... but they all shared a common ideal in life, a passion for literature. "Literature at that time aimed to express the feelings and aspirations of the youth from the construction sites, from the harsh Southwest battlefield, from factories, from the podiums in remote areas... but we did not think about becoming writers or poets", writer Nguyen Nhat Anh shared.

Literary pedestals

Poet Le Minh Quoc believes that one of the reasons that helped soldiers or Youth Volunteers return and integrate very quickly and easily into the literary life of Ho Chi Minh City was because at that time, many newspapers such as Van Nghe, Van Nghe TPHCM (formerly Van Nghe Giai Phong), Sai Gon Giai Phong, Tuoi Tre, Tap Chi Van Nghe Quan Doi... all gave preferential space to publish short stories, poems... There are newspapers such as Sai Gon Giai Phong that still maintain a weekly creative section to publish the works of writers and poets. This can be seen as a stepping stone, helping literary talents have the opportunity to introduce themselves to readers and shine.

Besides, the vibrant activities of literary writing clubs such as the Literary Writing Club of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Cultural House, the Literary Writing Club of the Ho Chi Minh City Labor Cultural Palace... more or less created vitality for the city's literary life at that time. Poet Le Minh Quoc recalled: “Every Thursday morning, young writers gathered at the editorial office of the Ho Chi Minh City Literature and Arts Weekly (at that time, the headquarters was located on Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, before moving to 81 Tran Quoc Thao Street, District 3) eagerly waiting to see if their articles would be published there. Another great joy was having the opportunity to sit with the editorial board as close brothers, exchanging articles with each other. At that time, Mr. Chim Trang (Ho Van Ba) was the Editor-in-Chief. He not only loved poetry but also loved young writers, often spending time discussing literature with young people in a friendly and open manner. The atmosphere at that time was very friendly and we always felt lucky to have that from the previous generation.”

In the memory of poet Le Thi Kim, one of the first members of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association when the association was founded in 1981, there were meetings between a group of friends called the Nha La Group, including famous names such as Doan Vi Thuong, Bui Chi Vinh... At that time, Le Thi Kim was working at the Vietnam Institute of Science - Ho Chi Minh City (under the Vietnam Institute of Science, now the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology). “The most important thing was the love between artists at that time. The senior generation loved us, the juniors, Chim Trang and Diep Minh Tuyen always asked and encouraged us: You guys try to write, just send it here, we will read it”. I felt happy and proud to live in that period, everyone lived together very honestly, very affectionately. Our creative inspiration was nurtured after such meetings”, poet Le Thi Kim shared.

Perhaps, thanks to being guided and supported by the previous generation of writers, many later authors of the golden generation such as Doan Thach Bien, Nguyen Dong Thuc, Le Minh Quoc, Nguyen Thai Duong, Nguyen Lien Chau... also had such a "continued response" to the younger generation. In particular, in the years 1990-2000 in Ho Chi Minh City, the literary playground flourished from weekly magazines, newspapers as well as writing groups for young people such as Nu Sinh, Phuong Hong, Ban Ngoc, But Nhom Vom Me Xanh (Purple Ink Newspaper), Gia Dinh Ao Trang (Ao Trang Magazine), Hoi But Huong Dau Mua (Hoa Hoc Tro Newspaper)... Thanks to those supports, plus the dynamic press environment, it has contributed to helping the flow of Ho Chi Minh City literature continue seamlessly and equally brilliantly with prominent names such as Phan Trieu Hai, Phan Thi Vang Anh, Ly Hoang Ly, Nguyen Thi Chau Giang, Phan Hon Nhien, Duong Thuy, Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh...

In 1994, the Vietnam Writers Association organized the 4th National Young Writers Conference, gathering young and talented writers from both the South and the North. According to poet Le Minh Quoc, the Ho Chi Minh City delegation at that time was quite strong with names such as Nguyen Thai Duong, Doan Vi Thuong, Ly Lan, Tran Huu Dung, Huynh Nhu Phuong, Bui Chi Vinh, Le Minh Quoc, Nguyen Nhat Anh, Truong Nam Huong, Pham Sy Sau, Lai Van Long, Ho Thi Ca, Pham Thi Ngoc Lien, Tram Huong... Notably, at the National Young Writers Conference that year, writer Ly Lan was invited to the Presidium, alongside veteran writers from Hanoi .

HO SON

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dong-chay-van-chuong-tphcm-lop-lop-the-he-cam-but-moi-post794817.html