(To Quoc) - On December 20th, in Hanoi , the Vietnam Writers Association held a ceremony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of writer Nguyen Dinh Thi (December 20, 1924 - December 20, 2024). A large number of artists, intellectuals, and representatives of the writer's family attended.
Speaking at the commemoration ceremony, the President of the Vietnam Writers Association , poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, emphasized: On December 20th, 100 years ago, a man was born named Nguyen Dinh Thi. That man grew up and created beauty for the people of his land. And from then until his passing, Nguyen Dinh Thi brought a "new breeze" to Vietnamese literary and artistic life.
The Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association, poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, delivered a speech at the commemoration ceremony.
According to poet Nguyen Quang Thieu, the Vietnam Writers Association organized a ceremony commemorating the 100th anniversary of Nguyen Dinh Thi's birth, so that we can once again look back at Nguyen Dinh Thi and his career through the eyes of generations of intellectuals, writers, and readers in the 21st century. From this, we reaffirm his immense contributions in many aspects to Vietnamese literature and art, through his works and by promoting the development of Vietnamese literature and art, especially in the field of literature. And from this, we affirm that his creations and the ideas in his works remain timeless.
The Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association stated: Nguyen Dinh Thi is a special figure in Vietnamese literary and artistic life. He brought multi-layered values to prose, opened up new ways of thinking about poetry, brought intellectual depth to theater, and added beauty to modern Vietnamese music . It can be said that his early philosophical works laid a fundamental foundation for philosophy in literary and artistic creation. This is extremely important, even vital, for any literary and artistic movement that wants to develop and create values of significant stature. Therefore, his prose, poetry, theater, and music have enduring vitality because, in addition to the emotions of his time and the beautiful dreams he carried in his writings, philosophy helped him shape the ideas in his works, giving them lasting vitality across different eras.
For decades, research on Nguyen Dinh Thi's prose, poetry, theater, and music has continued. Each study on him opens up new dimensions and discovers new values for his works.
"The celebration of his 100th birthday is not only a tribute to an artist and cultural figure who made immense contributions to the national literature and art, but also opens new doors for writers, researchers, and readers to continue to enter his vast, multifaceted, and thought-provoking creative world in a new era of the country and of literature and art," shared poet Nguyen Quang Thieu.
French writer and translator Dominique De Miscault has presented the Vietnam Writers Association and the family of writer Nguyen Dinh Thi with a bilingual Vietnamese-French poetry collection that she and poet Bang Viet selected, translated, and published in 2024.
At the commemoration ceremony, French writer and translator Dominique De Miscault presented the Vietnam Writers Association and the family of writer Nguyen Dinh Thi with a bilingual Vietnamese-French poetry collection that she and poet Bang Viet selected, translated, and published in 2024. Many writers, poets, and intellectual artists shared memories and stories about writer Nguyen Dinh Thi and his contributions to the country's literature and art.
Expressing their deep emotion, representatives of the family of writer Nguyen Dinh Thi extended their heartfelt gratitude to the Executive Committee of the Vietnam Writers Association, as well as the artists, writers, and readers who have highly appreciated Nguyen Dinh Thi's contributions to the national culture and literature; and who have shown such wonderful and noble affection for the writer's family and the Nguyen Dinh lineage.
The writer Nguyen Dinh Thi was born on December 20, 1924, in Luang Prabang (Laos). His ancestral home was Vu Thach village, now Ba Trieu Street, Trang Tien Ward, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. In 1931, he and his family returned to their hometown.
A bilingual Vietnamese-French poetry collection
Nguyen Dinh Thi participated in revolutionary activities from a very young age. In the 1940s, he joined the National Salvation Cultural Organization, and later the National Salvation Cultural Association. In 1945, he attended the Tan Trao National Congress and was elected as a delegate to the Vietnamese National Assembly for the first, second, and third terms. After the August Revolution, Nguyen Dinh Thi served as the General Secretary of the National Salvation Cultural Association.
During the resistance war against the French, he continued writing philosophical treatises, prose, poetry, music, plays, and literary criticism. After 1954, he participated in the management of literature and arts. From 1958 to 1989, he served as the General Secretary of the Vietnam Writers Association. From 1995, he was the Chairman of the National Committee of the Vietnam Union of Literary and Artistic Associations.
Considering Nguyen Dinh Thi's creative process and contributions in the fields of writing, theory, and criticism, researchers and critics believe that he was not only a talented artist but also a great cultural and artistic figure. Over more than 50 years of writing, Nguyen Dinh Thi left behind a vast body of work in various genres including poetry, prose, novels, plays, music, theory, and criticism, along with a diverse artistic style. His works contributed to the development of Vietnamese literature, especially during the challenging years of war and the subsequent period of reform and international integration. Nguyen Dinh Thi's achievements have left a deep mark on the hearts of the Vietnamese people, making him one of the most respected and talented artists in the history of the country's literature and art.
For his outstanding contributions to the glorious cause of the Party and the Vietnamese people in building and defending the Fatherland, writer Nguyen Dinh Thi was awarded many prestigious titles and honors by the Party and the State: the First Class Anti-American Resistance Medal; the First Class Independence Medal; the 50-Year Party Membership Badge; and the Ho Chi Minh Prize (first round, 1996) for literature and art.
Source: https://toquoc.vn/tuong-nho-va-ton-vinh-nha-van-nguyen-dinh-thi-20241220170339736.htm
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