Writer Vo Ba Cuong: A life of hard work, enthusiasm, and passion

Some works of writer Vo Ba Cuong.

Writer Vo Ba Cuong was born in Chang village, Dong Duong commune (Dong Hung). Before coming to literature, he had many jobs, including teaching and writing for newspapers. During his time working at the Propaganda Department of Cam Pha District Party Committee (now Van Don, Quang Ninh province), he was fortunate to meet many famous artists such as Nguyen Tuan, Xuan Quynh, Ngo Quan Mien... After the Thai Binh Literature and Arts Association was established, he worked there until 1997. During this period, he considered himself a "cook" for local literature and had time and conditions to accumulate knowledge and materials for his literary career. It was his life experience from taking on many different jobs that urged him to pick up a pen and write. He started his literary career with poetry. The first works that came to readers were poetry collections such as: "Nostalgia for Autumn" (1989), "When We Love Each Other" (1990), "The Land of the Wind" (1991), "The Sadness of a Girl" (1992), "The Moon Rises Again" (1993), "Under the Shade of Green Bamboo" (1996), "The Soul of the Countryside" (2000)... He was admitted to the Vietnam Writers' Association as a poet.

He is attached to the land of Thai Binh . In his poem "Village Rice" there are verses such as:

From the cold dry inside

Give the scent of sweet rice, oh rice.

From the pouring rain

Village rice is still very soft.

From the burning sun up

The fragrant village rice lingers in the village yard.

You are like a grain of rice in the harvest season

Full of water buckets scattered wind fields.

The hardest-working people in the countryside, for many generations, are probably women, they symbolize hard work, patience and sacrifice. He wrote a poem called “My Mother” with verses full of longing:

The afternoon sun is gloomy now.

How much calculation, how much hardship

The tumor is still a blanket.

Rough carpentry a single bed corner of the house

Still the same plate of vegetables, still the same eggplant.

Still the pot of grilled fish is served on the doorstep

I grew up far from home

Welcome u, u can not forget you teacher

"Who will burn incense here?

Can you leave me and go with us?

Like a hedge on the edge of a pond

Barren roots, stumps, clinging to the soil.  

Later, finding it difficult to convey his thoughts in poetry, he switched to writing prose. When he retired in 1997, he had more time for traveling, free to take long journeys, passionate about the characters he was willing to live and die with. He devoted himself to writing prose, creating an impression on readers with novels such as "In the Village of Many Stories" (2004), "The One Who Awakens the Fields" (2006), "The Western General" (2014), "The Wind of Thuong Phung" (2018)... Being someone who is willing to penetrate reality to meet, listen and take notes, writer Vo Ba Cuong has many collections of memoirs that have created a buzz such as: "The Story of General Do" (2007), "The Masked Men" (2018), "The Special Teacher" (2009), "Where Do the White Clouds Go" (2010), "Fire Pan" (2012), "Bo Bridge Across the Street" (2017)...

Novel released at the end of 2024 by writer Vo Ba Cuong.  

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, President of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association, shared: Being a hard-working, diligent, and devoted person to writing, writer Vo Ba Cuong has composed and published a large volume of literary works, a total of 27 works including poetry collections, story collections, short stories, novels, anthologies, and hundreds of poems, memoirs, and essays. Each of his works contributes to beautifying the cultural, cultural, patriotic, and revolutionary traditions of his homeland Thai Binh and the country, and is loved by readers near and far, and respected and highly appreciated by colleagues. The writer has won many awards for his works, such as the B prize from the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations; 1 second prize, 2 third prizes from the Vietnam Writers Association; 1 second prize from the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs; 1 second prize, 1 third prize from the Ministry of Public Security ; 1 second prize from the Ministry of National Defense. In addition, he also won A, B, C prizes at the literary and artistic awards named after scholar Le Quy Don and many other awards. The crystallization of the writer's labor and literary creativity has contributed to the achievements of Thai Binh literature and the country's literature. In recognition of the achievements and contributions of writer Vo Ba Cuong to the revolutionary cause and the literary and artistic cause, the central ministries, branches, and the People's Committee of Thai Binh province have awarded many certificates of merit; he was also awarded a commemorative medal for the cause of Vietnamese literature and art.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, Chairwoman of the Provincial Literature and Arts Association, during the days when the whole country is looking forward to the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), despite his old age and limited health, with his enthusiasm and passion for literature, writer Vo Ba Cuong is still diligently writing about the contributions of Thai Binh artists in the 50 years after the country's reunification. From the process of dedicated work and passion for the literary career, his works will live forever with his homeland, country and in the minds of many generations of readers.

Tu Anh

Source: https://baothaibinh.com.vn/tin-tuc/19/222331/nha-van-vo-ba-cuong-mot-doi-miet-mai-nhiet-huet-say-me