The book of Professor Bui Xuan Bao - Photo: T.DIEU
The Birth and Progress of Modern Vietnamese Novels 1925 - 1945 was originally the second (secondary) thesis that author Bui Xuan Bao submitted along with his first (main) thesis to obtain a doctorate in national literature at Sorbonne University (France) in 1961.
In 1972, the thesis was published in book form in Saigon in the Social Humanities bookcase.
In 1985, it was printed in Paris in the Duong Moi bookstore. This book is the first Vietnamese version translated from French according to the Paris edition.
According to translator Ngan Xuyen, although it is a secondary thesis, it is actually a serious and elaborate literary research work.
The book shows that the author had to read a large volume of not only novels from the period 1925 - 1945 but also newspapers of that time and research works on the history of modern Vietnamese prose before that.
The direction in Bui Xuan Bao's research on modern Vietnamese novels is to examine the influence of French literature on Vietnamese literature. This comparison is very useful for researchers on modern Vietnamese prose in the first half of the 20th century.
Another strength of the book lies in the analysis and evaluation of the works of the writers under consideration. He reads the texts carefully to make careful and serious comments.
According to the translator, of course some of Bui Xuan Bao's opinions are still subject to debate and discussion, but it cannot be denied that his fair and objective attitude in literary research is valuable.
According to Professor Tran Dinh Su, reading deeply into the book, readers will learn more valuable documents, works that are little known today, and satisfactory comments from contemporaries.
The author proves to be a teacher with a subtle pen analyzing the images of novels of the first half of the 20th century.
However, Mr. Tran Dinh Su also pointed out some unavoidable limitations of a project that was born nearly 70 years ago.
The book has unsatisfactory comments on certain writers and works, which are quite different from current comments, such as Thach Lam.
The book lacks research on two important authors of prose during this period, Kim Lan and Nam Cao. At the same time, it lacks works of profound realistic value such as Buoc duong cong, Vo di, Tat den, Chi Pheo, Song mon...
In addition, some information in the book is outdated. When mentioning the birth date of national prose, Bui Xuan Bao still uses the year 1925 as the milestone - when two works appeared, Qua dua do (Red Watermelon) by Nguyen Trong Thuat and To Tam by Hoang Ngoc Phach.
But recent research shows that the novel "Teacher Lazaro Phien" by Nguyen Trong Quan published in 1887 in Saigon is considered the first novel written in Vietnamese national language.
Finally, Professor Tran Dinh Su still considers the book a valuable reference for those who want to learn about Vietnamese novels and a wide range of readers.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuo-khai-sinh-cua-tieu-thuyet-viet-nam-hien-dai-20240627103301935.htm
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