"Debt to the Nation" – a groundbreaking approach to historical drama by Pham Quang Long.

Pham Quang Long, originally an educator—even a teacher of literary theory, a field completely "contrasting" with "creative writing" like theatrical drama—is even more "unusual." Pham Quang Long has held various managerial positions for many years: Head of the Department of Literature, Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Deputy Director of Hanoi National University, and most recently, Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. His sudden release of this collection of scripts has surprised some, but upon closer examination, I believe it was inevitable. Over the years of honing his skills and striving for success, he has cultivated a certain aptitude as an educator, literary theorist, and administrator, along with the experience gained from various jobs—these are the materials he uses to write his plays.

For a teacher accustomed to conceptual thinking to suddenly shift to figurative thinking, Phạm Quang Long's approach is quite logical. At the very least, his contribution, however small, in this field, becomes even more significant when considered in the context of the theater scene in North Vietnam over the past years, which many researchers have described as "meager." Despite being a non-professional playwright, simultaneously producing a substantial collection of scripts, many of which have been successfully staged and garnered public attention, confirms Phạm Quang Long's genuine contribution to the national theater. Even more noteworthy is that among the plays included in this collection, four deal with historical themes. I am genuinely interested in this very "sensitive" subject matter. This is also a concern for many writers and even managers. "Writing history" or "copying history"? How does the work of a writer differ from that of a historian? Through the case of Pham Quang Long's "Debt to the Nation," I think we can see this "sensitive" issue more clearly. "Debt to the Nation" is truly a groundbreaking departure from the historical genre by the author.

The cover of the book "Debt to the Nation" by author Pham Quang Long.

Writing about historical themes has always been a difficult challenge for all writers, playwrights, and filmmakers, not only in our country but also in many other parts of the world. For Vietnam, a country where "ideology" is always considered a particularly "strict" and sensitive area, choosing to create works in this field is even more difficult. Evidence of this is that, over the years, in many areas of artistic creation, from literature and theater to film, we have received feedback from those involved that their work is too weak and disproportionate to historical reality. So what are the difficulties faced by writers in this field? Why do artists, who are considered "those who delve deep into thought, uncover unexplored sources, and create things that have never existed," face such difficulties in their creative work? I believe the difficulty lies in our own ingrained ways of thinking. The field of "creative writing" itself does not pose any obstacles for artists. Pham Quang Long's "Debt to the Nation" might offer some insight. Perhaps, with works on historical themes, writers must first dare to "break the mold." That is, they must dare to overcome an invisible barrier that hinders their own creative thinking. This "breaking the mold" must begin with them, then extend to the audience, and finally to art administrators.

Before discussing the "unconventional" approach in Pham Quang Long's four historical plays, I would like to recall an experience in Western historical drama writing, specifically within the Romantic movement of French literature.

Writing about historical themes in general, or historical drama in particular, is a characteristic product of the Romantic literary movement. In the history of Western Romanticism, we have witnessed the names of great historical writers: Walter Scott in English literature, Victor Hugo, A. Dumas Sr., and A. Vigny in French literature. In the Preface to Cromwell, considered the Manifesto of French Romanticism, the leader of this literary school affirmed that young Romantic playwrights, before putting pen to paper, must remember one crucial point: historical truth, as chronicled by historians, must always be "re-examined." To ensure historical accuracy, Romantic writers must know how to "fill in the gaps that chroniclers have cut out," while also knowing how to "cut out the superfluous things that chroniclers have arbitrarily added." "It is not historians, but writers who record the true history of life," the writer M. Gorki once stated this truth. The thoughts of V. Hugo from the 19th century remain true today. What Soviet writers said nearly a century ago is still true. The question is, how do we approach writing about historical topics today? How can we help the public become accustomed to the idea that history is not always truthful and accurate if we only rely on historical chronicles? Furthermore, historical writing is different from historical record-keeping. If these two issues are confused, it will be difficult to give writers of historical genres the freedom to create. And therefore, it will be difficult to produce literary works on historical themes worthy of the nation and the era.
From the points above, I completely agree with Pham Quang Long's concept of writing historical fiction: "I write about them as people who lived before us. They became famous through many real and fictional events. I researched them, and history (official and unofficial) could only provide me with the results of their work, the reasons they were honored or criticized. I researched the ways in which they got there, but I was powerless because nowhere could point out these specific events to me. I had to write about them based on my imagination. Therefore, my characters are also fictional characters, my creations, just like characters in novels; nothing is taken from their biographies." In this respect, Pham Quang Long shares many similarities with the views of A. Dumas, a leading romantic writer of the time of V. Hugo. In the final lines of the script's introduction, Pham Quang Long quotes this unique perspective of the French writer: "History is merely a nail on which a writer hangs a painting based on his imagination." In A. Dumas's most famous historical novel, "The Three Musketeers," the central event is the theft of the diamond necklace, which is suspected to have been committed by Queen Marie Antoinette, wife of King Louis XVI. This is a historical event of the 18th century. However, the character of Vizier Richelieu, also in this work, represents a historical event of the 17th century. Vizier Richelieu died in 1642, while Louis XVI only ascended the throne in 1774, more than a century later.

This comparison helps us better understand the historical issues in Pham Quang Long's plays. Reading and watching his plays, one gets the feeling that everything related to historical events is only "almost" true. There are stories about the scholar Cao Ba Quat, Nguyen Cong Tru, Phan Thanh Gian, and Ho Chi Minh, but all these real historical figures are merely pretexts for Pham Quang Long to construct his plays. The historical genre in all of his plays is unconventional. I say unconventional because normally, when writing historical plays, historical events must be placed in the forefront. They must be the main pillar that the writer relies on in guiding the story. Fictional elements allowed in a historical play can only be considered "secondary." But it seems Pham Quang Long doesn't adhere to that approach. He creates history based on his own thoughts and imagination. For example, in the three-act play about Cao Bá Quát, an official during the Nguyễn dynasty, who, dissatisfied with the times, rose up in rebellion with the people of Sơn Tây and was sacrificed. The writer Nguyễn Tuân based his short story "The Prisoner's Calligraphy" on this prototype. Nguyễn Tuân only explored the brief period of Huấn Cao's time in Sơn Tây prison on the day of his sentencing. The character of this official, Cao, was fully revealed in that short time. Beyond that, we know little more about him, except for his talent and his reserved nature, only giving calligraphy to those who were kindred spirits. In Phạm Quang's play Cao Bá Quát, only the final act describes his imprisonment. The reason Cao Bá Quát was convicted of a serious crime was that he intentionally altered his students' papers during an important national examination. Playwright Pham Quang Long explores this real historical figure's relationships with the common people, his students, and even a certain woman, also a "village dweller." These are bold departures from the conventions of a historical playwright. Other plays about Nguyen Cong Tru, Phan Thanh Gian (the author only uses the vague name Phan Thuong Thu), and Ho Chi Minh also follow a similar unconventional approach. With Nguyen Cong Tru, although unconventional, I find that Pham Quang Long has accurately portrayed two characteristics widely circulated in folklore: his "arrogance" and his "passionate nature." Regarding Phan Thanh Gian, some argue that Pham Quang Long seems to be "defending" him because of his deep affection for this high-ranking official. In Pham Quang Long's historical reconstruction, Phan Thanh Gian's debt from signing the peace treaty with France, which ultimately led to his death, is ultimately just a "debt to the nation," a historical "injustice." Thus, through his interpretation and "recreation" of history, Pham Quang Long has led modern viewers to a different perspective than what traditional historians have long held.

In the play "Moments of Ho Chi Minh," the portrayal of Ho Chi Minh is explored from a different perspective: the author uses only five very ordinary moments in his life to arrive at a general overview of him. Ho Chi Minh was already an extremely famous figure. He left behind many legends, and for a long time, people have taken this for granted. Even his enemies, no matter how much they hated him, dared not insult him. The unconventional approach in this particular play by Pham Quang Long is that the author seems to rely solely on his imagination to depict the beloved leader of the nation. However, as we have said, because the character of Ho Chi Minh is so famous, his portrait, soul, and personality seem to have become deeply ingrained in the thoughts of all of us, including the author Pham Quang Long, so these imaginations are, in fact, very close to historical truth. By examining five key moments in Ho Chi Minh's life, we see that he quite fully revealed his personality, intellect, compassion, and wisdom in various relationships. And in every relationship, the consistency of this outstanding leader is quite fully demonstrated. Thus, Pham Quang Long's imaginative interpretations of historical fiction, while seemingly unconventional, are actually quite acceptable.

In my understanding, Pham Quang Long's perspective on history and historical figures is correct. I've always thought that history has been overly "serious" by some people, forcing everyone to think of history exactly as it's presented in textbooks. Therefore, nowadays, when students in high schools don't pay attention to history and get poor grades, they are immediately accused of being "unpatriotic" (does studying history mean you have to be patriotic?). Because they only perceive history as a single, unchanging part of textbooks, they forget that a stream of history exists in everyday life, among the people, in the humble, the lives of those wandering the streets... That is, there is a kind of history recorded not by chroniclers, but which is just as "true" as the history in textbooks. Victor Hugo, the leading figure of the French Romantic school, always reminded Romantic writers that they needed to fill in the gaps left by chroniclers and remove the superfluous additions. This was a perfectly valid "reminder." We shouldn't blame chroniclers. They are "special figures," and therefore couldn't have acted differently. That's why, in my opinion, we should still leave some freedom for writers to "record the true history of life." These are also events that deserve attention and respect. Perhaps that's why I lean towards the "unconventional approaches" in the historical genre of Pham Quang Long's play "Debt to the Nation."
 

June 2014