Professor Dang Thai Mai - scientist and patriot

During the period from 1928 to 1978, Dang Thai Mai participated and was assigned to hold many important positions in state agencies right from the first day of establishment: as a National Assembly delegate of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth terms, Minister of Education in the Coalition Government (1946), Chairman of the Thanh Hoa Province Resistance Committee (1947-1948), President of the Vietnam Cultural Association (1948), Director of the Department of Education of Inter-Zone IV (1950-1953), Head of the Faculty of Literature of the Pedagogical University and the General University (1954-1960), Director of the Institute of Literature (1959-1976), President of the Vietnam Literature and Arts Association (1957)... It can be said that throughout his life, Dang Thai Mai devoted all his time and effort to the scientific and revolutionary cause of the country.

Professor Dang Thai Mai (1902-1984).

He was Minister of Education (1946-1947), Principal of the University of Letters (1954-1956), Head of the Faculty of Philology, Hanoi University of Science and Education (1956-1960), Director of the Institute of Literature (1960-1976).

Despite having to share time and energy in many jobs, as a leading expert in the field of social science and humanities research, for nearly 40 years, since the publication of the first articles in famous newspapers such as Thanh Nghi, Tri Tan, Van Moi (1940), by 1985, Dang Thai Mai had left the field of social science and humanities research a valuable legacy, including dozens of works, thousands of valuable pages. Here we can mention typical works such as:Literature overview(1944),Lu Xun(1944),Humanism during the Renaissance(1949),Lecture on Lament of a Soldier's Wife(1950),History of Modern Chinese Literature(1957),Vietnamese literature in the early 20th century(1961),Phan Boi Chau's Literature and Poetry(1959),On the way of learning and research(3 volumes, 1959, 1965 & 1973),Dang Thai Mai selected works(1978),Memoirs of Dang Thai Mai(1985)…

Professor Dang Thai Mai at the Asian-African Writers' Congress in Japan in 1962

He left behind many valuable works in many different fields of social sciences, humanities and culture. He was a patriotic politician, a multi-talented cultural activist, and an erudite researcher of literature, history and sociology.

Each work of Dang Thai Mai, whether big or small, marks an important milestone in each period of formation and development of the field of Literature research in our country. In terms of theory, the bookLiterature overview, according to many researchers, is the first Marxist literary theory research work in a young academic community like Vietnam at that time. Looking at him, a person whose entire life was closely linked to the revolutionary cause of the country and people, someone might think that his research works are easily dry and "scholastic". But no, on the contrary, the research writings of the patriot and revolutionary Dang Thai Mai are still extremely soaring; soaring but still "academic, intellectual". Dang Thai Mai has absorbed a very modern approach to literature, right from the time when our country's research community was still struggling to find its way. The workLecture on Lament of a Soldier's WifeHis works, published very early (1958), had a “poetics approach”, a modern research method that Vietnamese researchers only began to study and apply much later, around the 80s of the 20th century. Learning new and “strange” things from the West, the talented son of Nghe An was still very consistent and persistent in pursuing long-term topics imbued with his national spirit. Three volumesOn the way of learning and researchis the “slow, but not self-conscious” search of a scholar who “loves truth and humanity”;Vietnamese revolutionary literature in the early 20th century,Phan Boi Chau's Poetry and Literature, A Brief History of Modern Chinese Literature, in addition to the beauty of intelligence, also reveals the precious qualities of "a man of letters"; the sincere, honest, and humble notes inMemoirspublished after his death, but still strongly imprinted the style of Dang Thai Mai. Meanwhile, a series of research works, approaching Vietnamese literature and some other great literatures in the world such as France, England, Germany, Spain, China... all revealed the profound knowledge of a person who loved knowledge, was passionate about discovery and creation.

Professor Dang Thai Mai and Professor Tran Van Giau

It can be affirmed that Dang Thai Mai's career, style and personality are the crystallization, convergence and meeting of many cultures and styles: "the fortunate meeting of ancient and modern, of Asia and Europe, of Southern and Northern culture". He understands and is proficient in Chinese and Eastern culture, but is also imbued with "French qualities", Western culture. He has the elegance and depth of an experienced researcher, and also the passion and youthfulness of youth. Those who are close to him recount that in daily life, he is simple, approachable and open. But in that same person, when starting any work, he is always serious and enthusiastic. He has the profound depth of an Easterner, and also the humor and "humour" of a Westerner. Associate Professor Dang Thi Hanh, one of his “beloved daughters”, who also followed in her father’s footsteps on the arduous and difficult path of scientific research, once said that in life and at work, her father was serious, friendly and thoughtful. With colleagues, especially young colleagues, he always helped wholeheartedly, he inspired in them a passion for discovery and creativity. She said that once, when she was still focusing on completing her thesisHugo's Novel, see the girl all day just "fumbling" withLes Miserables, Notre Dame, 93…, once he suddenly asked: “Hey son, is there no one else in French literature besides Hugo?”. Actually, it was not because he did not love Hugo (in the bookMemoirs of Dang ThaiMai published after his death, 1985, Dang Thai Mai once told how passionate and admired the French romantic writer he was!), but because he was somewhat "impatient", seeing his daughter only reading Hugo, a writer from the 19th century, while humanity was about to enter the 21st century, with so many urgent issues happening every day, right next to him, he was afraid that his daughter would "fall behind".

Professor Dang Thai Mai and General Vo Nguyen Giap

Among the Vietnamese intellectuals of the pioneering period, Dang Thai Mai can be considered a special phenomenon. It is indeed difficult to place him in just one field: a patriotic politician, a people-loving person, a multi-talented cultural activist, a scholar of literature, history, and sociology, an exemplary pedagogue, an expert in Eastern (or Western) culture? Dang Thai Mai has all these qualities. And in any “person”, he is always mentioned by his contemporaries and posterity with words of respect, love, and admiration. Although he did not work for long at the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi National University, the image of the person, the working style, and the humble lifestyle of scholar and professor Dang Thai Mai always leave the admiration of many generations of teachers and students of the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, under the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, today. He passed away on September 25, 1984, mourned by his family, relatives, friends, colleagues, comrades and many generations of students and readers. With all these contributions, Dang Thai Mai was awarded by the Party and the State with the Second Class Labor Medal, the Ho Chi Minh Medal (1982), the Ho Chi Minh Prize for Literature and Arts (1996) and many other noble awards. It can be affirmed that Professor Dang Thai Mai was truly a passionate patriot and a true scientist who made many contributions to the country.