Recreating history through literature.

From the fierce trenches to the quiet pages of writing, many prose writers in Thai Nguyen have completed a remarkable journey: first taking up arms, then taking up pen. They recount history, recreate national memories through language, and contribute to shaping a rich and deeply humanistic body of prose in the local and national literary life.

Prose literature from Thai Nguyen about soldiers: From epic inspiration to a multifaceted, humanistic perspective.

The Prose Association launched the book "Living Authentically at Midnight" by various authors.

From the battlefield to the written page

During the wars of national liberation and defense of the Fatherland, generations of young people from Thai Nguyen went to the battlefield. Among them were those who carried not only guns but also pens to record their experiences. The war ended, and they returned to normal life, but their memories remained. They wrote as a way of "paying back" the past, engaging in dialogue with the past, with their fallen comrades, and with themselves.

From that journey, a team of writer-soldiers was formed, united under the umbrella of the Thai Nguyen Provincial Union of Literature and Arts Associations, especially the Prose Branch. They contributed to enriching local literary life and adding authentic glimpses into Vietnamese revolutionary war literature.

Their prose is not a collection of dry, rigid records. History emerges through personal experience, living memories, and haunting details. The blend of eyewitness perspective and artistic sensibility creates a unique weight for each work. A notable contribution of the writer-soldiers of Thai Nguyen is the creation of a body of prose rich in historical depth, emotion, and diverse writing styles.

In the works of earlier generations of writers such as Le The Thanh, Ma Truong Nguyen, and Khanh Ha, the epic tone is easily discernible throughout their writings. War is depicted with all its ferocity, sacrifice, and courageous spirit. Having been a war correspondent in the Southwestern region of Vietnam, Le The Thanh brought a vivid and compelling reality to his writing.

He once shared: "The short story collection 'Fields and Rivers' portrays people during wartime in the very places he traveled through. Ordinary people, yet full of resilience." And indeed, Le The Thanh's writings are brimming with reality, not shying away from loss, but always hướng towards hope. He has won many major awards on this theme, including the 2017 award, "Fields and Rivers," for his collection, "The Fields and Rivers," which won the A Prize in the 5-Year Literature and Arts Award of the Thai Nguyen Provincial People's Committee.

Author Ma Truong Nguyen chose a unique path by incorporating the Tay ethnic culture into his novels. Works such as "The Season of Begonia Flowers" and "The Smoke-Stained Arrow" recreate a rich cultural space where customs, beliefs, and festivals appear as vivid characters. His work "The Smoke-Stained Arrow" won the B prize in 1997; "The Season of Begonia Flowers" won the B prize in 2002 - the province's 5-year Literature and Arts Award. His prose resembles "historical paintings of the mountainous region," rich in narrative and cultural depth.

Nguyen Khanh Ha, a soldier who directly participated in the campaign to liberate South Vietnam, tends towards a calm, contemplative tone. Drawing from his direct experiences on the battlefield, he places people in the midst of internal conflicts, raising questions about the meaning of sacrifice and post-war memories.

In the next generation of writers, war prose gradually shifted from heroic themes to the hidden aspects of life. Dao Nguyen Hai, in "Apsara Under the Moonlight," a novel about Vietnamese volunteer soldiers on the battlefield in Cambodia, experimented with modern techniques such as reversing timelines, piecing together memories, and creating a flexible structure close to cinema. This same work won him the C Prize in the province's 5-year Literature and Arts Award in 2023. In another direction, Bui Thi Nhu Lan brought a contemporary feel to her writing. Her characters are people from the mountainous regions today, undergoing transformation, yet still retaining the underlying cultural heritage of their ethnic group.

Write history with emotion.

A common thread among the writer-soldiers of Thai Nguyen is the combination of their life experiences and a sense of responsibility to history. They write from within their battlefield experiences. Therefore, their works possess a high degree of authenticity and are rich in vivid detail. Battles, marches, and losses are depicted with emotion, not just as events. Many authors have addressed issues once considered sensitive: post-war tragedies, irreplaceable sacrifices, and the fates of those on the other side of the battle lines. This multifaceted perspective creates a distinct humanistic depth.

Field trips always provide prose writers in Thai Nguyen with additional material and inspiration for their writing.

The work "Diary of a Clerk" by author Ngoc Thi Keo contributes to clarifying the history of the 915th Youth Volunteer Company. Besides its documentary value, the work impresses with its sincere and intimate storytelling style. Authors Do Dung with "165th Regiment" and Duong Manh Viet with "Memories of Sam Neua" expand the scope of the war, from Quang Tri to neighboring Laos, deeply emphasizing comradeship and international spirit.

Author Phan Thuc expands the subject matter from feudal history to modern revolution, upholding the principle of respecting historical truth while offering his own interpretations. In addition, writer-soldiers such as Nguyen Minh Son, Tran Chin, Ngoc Thi Lan Thai… to varying degrees, have all produced successful writings about the war and have won literary and artistic awards; awards from central and provincial newspapers and magazines.

In the context of a rapidly changing culture, war literature faces many challenges: generational gaps, competition from other forms of entertainment, and the risk of repetition. In reality, many writers in Thai Nguyen have been and should be proactively innovating. They explore new writing styles, expand their themes, and change their approaches…

Writer Phan Thai, Head of the Prose Writers' Association, stated: "The team of writer-soldiers in Thai Nguyen has been making a significant contribution to preserving war memories through prose. They are both storytellers of history and guardians of community memory. From the battlefield to the villages, from the past to the present, these writings contribute to creating a unique identity for Thai Nguyen literature: rich in history, deeply rooted in culture, and profoundly humanistic."

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202605/tai-hien-lich-su-bang-van-chuong-d8900d6/