Nguyen Huy Thiep in the eyes of those who remain.

"About Nguyen Huy Thiep" is a book that Lien Viet Books and Dan Tri Publishing House completed in a record short time: 100 days. The book brings together special elements such as the article by critic Hoang Ngoc Hien, "I Don't Wish You Smooth Sailing," the final piece, "Talking to Myself," by writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, written before the Lunar New Year of 2020, and the eulogy for writer Nguyen Huy Thiep by poet Nguyen Quang Thieu.

Articles about the writer Nguyen Huy Thiep have been written by many renowned authors such as writers and poets Nguyen Thuy Kha, Le Minh Ha, Vo Thi Xuan Ha, Vi Thuy Linh, Viet Linh, screenwriter Phan Huyen Thu, researcher Nguyen Thi Minh Thai, photographer Dang Ngoc Thai…, and some foreign authors such as Marion Hennebert, Peter Zinoman, Thomas A. Bass and Thierry Leclere.

This book is compiled not only with articles, but also includes many materials such as photographs of writer Nguyen Huy Thiep with his friends and fellow poets, at the launch of his book "Vong Buom," with his family, etc., collected and provided by Gallery 39, along with manuscripts of poems, paintings, plates or ceramic vases with poems written or painted by the writer.

On the evening of July 4th, the first-ever online book launch took place on Zoom and was live-streamed on author Di Li's Facebook page. The event was attended by many renowned writers, poets, artists, researchers, journalists, and readers from both within and outside Vietnam who admire author Nguyen Huy Thiep. Di Li served as the host of the event.

This book is filled with heartfelt emotions about the writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, from his first short stories to his first collection of short stories, to the first impressions of fellow writers about meeting and getting to know him… And for authors of later generations, it's about the special feelings they experienced when encountering his writing.

Writer Võ Thị Xuân Hà recounts how her short story "The Girl with the Blue Scarf" was praised by writer Nguyễn Huy Thiệp. She wrote in her book: "If there were countless diamonds in the world to mark the praises of Nguyễn Huy Thiệp, his basket would surely be the biggest, the one with the most diamonds…" "Indeed, he made so many people lose sleep, because they loved his writing so much, they couldn't put down the story they were reading. His writing was so captivating, it could move hills, mountains, rivers, and streams. He wrote without bothering to adhere to grammatical standards…"

Speaking about writer Nguyen Huy Thiep, photographer Dang Ngoc Thai, one of the writer's close friends, shared: "The more I read about the stories Thiep wrote, the more I appreciate and admire him, because he was a refined, gentle, yet very knowledgeable person. The words in my article in the book are the lament of a friend, the lament of a reader."

Writer Le Thi Minh Ha shared: “My impression of Nguyen Huy Thiep, when reading about him or interacting with him, is that he was a very solitary person, very reserved, and let others speak for him. I find few writers as realistic as him. Perhaps it was precisely this realistic view of life that made his writing so sharp. The book "About Nguyen Huy Thiep" is not written to commemorate the passing of a famous writer, but rather as a book of friendship, a reflection of the affection friends had for Nguyen Huy Thiep. He gave us valuable lessons. He is one of the people I greatly admire.”

Present at the book launch, Dutch literature professor Dick Gebuys shared his special impressions of his first encounter with Nguyen Huy Thiep's writing. He considered it a particularly special book launch because so many of the author's friends were in attendance.

For poet and journalist Nguyen Thanh Phong, his perspective on the book is different. He believes that the book is very timely, giving us insight into a writer who has shown the changes in society and made readers think about them. His writing makes us reflect on how we should live and how we should treat each other.

Journalist Nguyen Thanh Phong believes that books like this are essential lessons for readers, allowing them to learn from the writers. There are young people, aspiring writers, who want to pursue a literary career, and they can understand many things through this book.

Time is the fairest critic, as writer Di Li said at the book launch, and even today, when writer Nguyen Huy Thiep's books are still sought after by many young readers, that critic has already given the writer his answer.

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