Number of purchases of novel 'The Sorrow of War' increased

The Sorrow of War was one of 50 outstanding literary and performing arts works after reunification, honored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Hanoi on November 30. The event once again brought the book and writer Bao Ninh into debate. This caused the demand to reread the work to skyrocket.

On the book, newspaper, and stamp collection group, many readers asked to buy the novel. Booksellers also recorded a higher number of orders. According to translator Nguyen Tuan Binh - owner of the Binh Book brand, the work had a stable sales volume, maintaining 30 copies in a month. But from December 2 to 4, this unit received up to 400 orders, but the Tre Publishing House warehouse is currently out of stock.

Mr. Nguyen Hai Dang - Editor in charge of the branch of Tre Publishing House in Hanoi - said that the controversial novel this time has affected the purchasing needs of readers, agents and bookstores have imported more, making the warehouse unable to replenish. However, the reprint plan had been implemented before.

According to Mr. Dang, the unit signed a lifetime copyright contract with writer Bao Ninh, publishing The Sorrow of War since 2011. Since then, the publishing house has continuously reprinted, recording about 80,000 copies printed with a steady number of readers. Depending on actual demand, each reprint can print 2,000-3,000 copies, but recently the number is usually 5,000. From the beginning of the year until now, the unit has printed about 15,000 copies.

Special edition of the book "The Sorrow of War", released in January 2022. Photo: Tre Publishing House.

The Sorrow of War revolves around the life of Kien, a young, romantic, ambitious man suddenly caught up in the fierce vortex of war. Witnessing much pain and loss, he becomes haunted, lives alone, and cannot integrate when he returns to peacetime.

Released in 1990, the novel quickly stirred up the literary world because it presented a new perspective on war. The author realistically described the pain on the battlefield, where both our side and the enemy had to face. With the character Kien, he did not build it according to the epic hero motif but focused on delving into the inner world full of torment, repression, and the everyday aspects of human life.

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Xuan Thach commented that the novel point of the work lies in Bao Ninh's introduction of realistic materials through a lens never seen before in war literature. In addition, he sought a different approach to reality, depicting and highlighting the individuality of the characters' fates.

Writer Bao Ninh, 73 years old, real name Hoang Au Phuong, is the son of Professor Hoang Tue - former Director of the Institute of Linguistics. He joined the army at the age of 17, fought in the B3 Central Highlands front, in Battalion 5, Regiment 24, Division 10. In 1975, he was discharged from the army, then worked at the Vietnam Academy of Science. From 1984 to 1986, he was a writer at the Nguyen Du Writing School. After becoming famous with the novel The Sorrow of War, Bao Ninh mainly wrote short stories, delving into the reality of war from personal experiences.

Comment (0)