To Hoai is one of the great names of modern Vietnamese literature. Readers still remember him with: Adventures of a Cricket, A Phu's Wife, Old Stories of Hanoi , Dust on Whose Feet... With 94 years of age and more than 70 years of career and a huge number of works, nearly 200 books covering many topics, it can be said that To Hoai is a writer of many times, many classes, many ages... Those years of dedication to art have countless anecdotes of everyday life, humorous and lovely like the way he tells stories.
Once, on a field trip to the Northwest, a group of artists were invited to attend a local literary activity. The meeting was held in the village cultural house, serious and following the procedures. Everyone was neat and spoke enthusiastically. Only Mr. To Hoai… disappeared. The whole group was bewildered and worried. It was not until late afternoon that he returned, his feet covered in mud, his hand carrying a string of stream fish, his face radiant like a child who had just won a game.
It turned out that he “skipped the meeting” to follow the village children to the stream to catch fish. He said: “Meetings can always be held. But that stream, that puddle, that school of fish, that cheering sound… are not always there.”
That “meeting avoidance” trip later appeared in many of his writings – lines describing Mong and Thai children fishing in streams, or scenes of poor meals full of human affection in the highlands. To Hoai’s writings are therefore real, fresh, and lively down to every word. Because before writing, he lived with the characters, waded through mud with them, and played with them.
Many people joke that To Hoai has the ability to “disappear” whenever a meeting lasts too long. However, everyone admits that his “disappearance” is when he seeks real material for his literature – material that no meeting can provide.
BUI HUYEN (st)Source: https://baohaiduong.vn/nha-van-to-hoai-va-lan-tron-hop-di-bat-ca-410172.html
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