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THE MODERN LITTERATURE BEFORE 1945
Amongst the earliest attempts at Vietnamese creative writing in quoc ngu was a collection of folk tales entitled Chuyen doi xua published in 1876 by Truong Vinh Ky (1837-1898), editor of Viet Nam's first French-sponsored quoc ngu newspaper, the Sai Gon-based Gia Dinh Bao. This work was followed in 1887 by the publication, also in Sai Gon, of a rather rudimentary short story by Nguyen Trong Quan entitled "The Story of Sad Teacher Lazaro".
However, the first real flowering of modern Vietnamese literature took place in the north under the influence of the romantic styles, themes and techniques of French literature. Between 1907 and 1909 pioneering Ha Noi journalist Nguyen Van Vinh (1882-1936) translated and published numerous foreign short stories and drama scripts in his newspaper Dang co tung bao, but perhaps the most important catalyst in the propagation of western cultural ideas was the northern cultural magazine Indochina Review, launched by Vinh in 1913, which not only showcased western literature in translation but also provided an important platform for the work of aspiring quoc ngu writers, thereby laying the essential groundwork for the acceptance of quoc ngu as a bone fide literary medium.
In the years which followed, the novels of leading French writers such as Balzac, Hugo, Flaubert, Rolland, Gide, Pascal, Malot, Moliere and Corneille became increasingly available in translation, contributing to a growing popular interest in prose literature. In 1917 a rival Sai Gon-based cultural magazine known as South Wind Journal was launched by Pham Quynh (1890-1945), though much of the work featured in this publication remained heavily influenced by Chinese literature. Perhaps more significant in terms of the development of new Vietnamese writing was the role of "Women's News", Viet Nam's first influential women's periodical, which was established during the early 1920s and devoted much of its column space to creative writing in quoc ngu serving as a significant forum for the development of modern literature in both content and form.
Viet Nam's first home-grown novel was Hoang To "The Unjust Suffering of Hoang To Anh", written by Tran Chanh Chieu and published in Sai Gon in 1910. Other works quickly followed, including "Who Can Do It?', 1919" and "The Playing of the Wind, 1926" by Ho Bieu Chanh, "Pure Hear, 1925" by Hoang Ngoc Phach (1896-1973), "Watermelon" by Nguyen Trong Thuat and several short stories by Nguyen Ba Hoc and Ph?m Duy Ton.
However, not until the 1930s did there develop a truly satisfactory language for modern prose writing, in particular the capacity to handle vocabulary and syntactic structures. Literary historians and critics alike have emphasised the great contribution made to this process by the Ha Noi-based "Self Reliance Literary Group", established in 1932 by Nhat Linh (Nguyen Tuong Tam, 1906-1963) and Khai Hung (Tran Khanh Giu, 1896-1947), which published many important literary works in its popular weekly journals Phong hoa ('Customs and Mores', 1932-1935) and "Today, 1935-1940".
The beginnings of modern Vietnamese poetry may be traced back to the early years of the twentieth century when poet Tan Da (1888-1939) began to experiment with irregular verse lengths, signalling the first serious attempt to break away from the classical model. During the 1930s, under the direct influence of works by early 20th century French poets such as Mallarme, Musset, Baudelaire, Valery and Chateaubriand, Tan Da's pioneering work was taken a step further by the New Poetry Movement which was established in Ha Noi in 1932 by The Lu (Nguyen Thu Le, 1907-1989) to forge a new literary direction free from the strict rules of Chinese poetry. The Lu himself later devoted his life entirely to drama, but his work laid the groundwork for a whole new generation of poets who demanded freedom both in form and content. Thereafter the work of leading lights in the New Poetry Movement such as Xuan Dieu (1917-1985), Luu Trong Lu (1912-1991), Huy Can ( 1919), Ph?m Huy Thong (1916-1988), Che Lan Vien (1920-1988), Tre Hanh ban Te Hanh, 1921) and pioneering female poet Anh Tho (Tuyet Anh, 1921) gave free expression to their inner emotions and feelings, rejecting the symbolism and strict rules of Chinese-style classical verse.
By this time a powerful current of realism was also developing under the growing ideological influence of the Communist Party. By the late 1930s revolutionary literature was flourishing, as evidenced by the novels of Ngo Tay To (1894-1954) and Nguyen Cong Hoan (1903-1977) and the short stories of Nam Cao (1917-1951) and Nguyen Hong (1918-1982), which vividly described the trials and tribulations of the peasantry at the hands of oppressive government officials. A new and militant style of poetry also emerged at this time, its chief exponent being To Huu (1920-2002), whose famous work Viet Bac was later awarded First Prize by the Viet Nam Literature and Arts Association.
Thereafter many writers joined the struggle for independence. In the field of poetry established names from the pre-war period such as Xuan Dieu, Huy Can, Che Lan Vinn, T$E Hanh and Anh Tho repudiated their earlier work and turned their pens in support of the revolution. They were joined by many others, most noteworthy being Doan Van Cu ( 1913), Hu Loan ( 1916), Nguyen Binh (1918-1966), Quang Dung (1921-1988), Xua Miexm n (Hai Phong, 1922-1990), Tran Dan (1926-1997), Ho Dai (Ho Nam, 1926) and Ta Hu Ye (Le Huu, 1927). Meanwhile revolutionary prose literature continued to flourish with the work of Nguyen Huy Tuong ( 1912-1960), Bui Hien ( 1919), To Hoai ( 1920), Nguyen Van Bong ( 1921), Kim Lan ( 1921), Chu Van (1922-1994), Thanh Chau ( 1922), Nguyen Dinh Thi (1924-2003), Nguyen Sieu Hai ( 1926), Vu Tu Nam ( 1929) and Phung Quan ( 1932-1995), who wrote of the patriotism and self-sacrifice required to overthrow a brutal colonial regime.
Several leading writers lost their life at the front during the final struggle with the French, including poets Hoang Loc (1920-1949) and Tham Tam (1917-1950) and novelists Tran Dang (1921-1949) and Nam Cao (1917-1951).
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