A historical epic in verse (Impressions of Huu Dat's epic poem "The Ten Thousand Day War")

HISTORY AND LITERATURE

History is not literature. Of course. But in certain contexts, history and literature coincide, support each other, complement each other, and illuminate each other. Let's take contemporary literature as an example for closer recollection. The historic Dien Bien Phu campaign, which "created a red wreath of flowers and a golden epic" (Tố Hữu), was quickly fictionalized throughPeople in layers(1955) by Tran Dan,final peak(1960) by Huu Mai. The Ho Chi Minh Campaign and our complete victory in 1975 are recreated in the novels of Khuat Quang Thuy (In the whirlwind, 1977), Nguyen Tri Huan (That's how they lived in 1975.(1979). Most notably, there is the documentary novel.War record 1-2-3-4.75(2014) by journalist Tran Mai Hanh writes about the historic Ho Chi Minh campaign and the apocalypse, the collapse of the Republic of Vietnam government. This work brought glory to the author with two prestigious literary awards (Vietnam Writers Association Award 2014, Southeast Asian Literature Award, 2015). The book has been reprinted many times, totaling 10,000 copies (a dream number for writers today). Several major campaigns in the war have also been fictionalized, such asFootprints of a soldierby Nguyen Minh Chau (on the Route 9 - Khe Sanh campaign)Thuong Ducby Nguyen Bao - Truong Giang (on the Thuong Duc campaign), etc., etc… One phenomenon that cannot be overlooked when discussing the relationship between history and literature is the fact that the National Political Publishing House - Truth printed the complete 17-volume set (with 9000 printed pages) of a documentary novel with epic characteristics.The path of the timesBy author Dang Dinh Loan. This book recreates the Vietnamese people's resistance war against the US during the historical period of 1954-1975. The highlight of this novel is its "holistic" nature (describing the war both from the trenches and from the headquarters, at both the macro and micro levels). The fictional elements, as novels, are naturally still somewhat immature. However, the abundance of source material gives the book its comprehensive character.js”) is essential for literary works about the Revolution and just war.

Looking at the field of poetry, we see a very clear historical imprint – the Revolution and the war are recreated through the language of poetry, through a specific genre that is the main force of poetry – the long poem, the epic. These are works that cannot be overlooked when considering the history of modern literature after 1945, such asThirty years of my life have been with the Party.by To Huu,The song of the bird - raoof Thu BonThe Road of AspirationNguyen Khoa Diem,Epic of the Divisionby Nguyen Duc Mau,The country shaped like a lightning bolt.by Tran Manh Hao,Footprints on the meadowby Thanh Thảo,Casting shadows in the sunby Tran Anh Thai,Road to the cityAccording to statistics compiled by author Do Quyen, there are currently 150 Vietnamese epic poems written about the modern era amidst the changes of revolution and war.

ANOTHER REVOLUTIONARY EPIC

We've seen it before.A historical account on television.Produced by American filmmakers, it's about the Vietnam War. It's all documentary material. But the Americans breathed life into it. Inspired by that, I want to call...The Ten Thousand Day WarHữu Đạt's work is "a historical epic in verse."

But writing epic poems requires a prerequisite – it must have…a substantial body of work (unlike writing quatrains, six-line verses, or seven-line eight-line verses). If we compare it, an epic writer needs a wealth of experience, like a novel of thousands of pages, not a short story of a few dozen pages at most. If you have known writer Huu Dat for many years, as we have, you will see that he has persistently built his literary empire since the 1970s and 1980s. It can be said that after decades of struggling to live and write, writer Huu Dat has accumulated a substantial body of experience. He has used that experience for drama, poetry, prose, and literary research and criticism. But writing epic poems, as mentioned above, requires a substantial body of work. That's a given. But is it direct or indirect life experience? Both. This can be affirmed through the case of writer Huu Dat. But many talented individuals still cannot "get their foot in the door" or "get involved" with this "heavy artillery" genre of literature - the epic poem. Why? Because they lack a fundamental element - great inspiration. We call it "literary grandeur." It must possess the spirit of an eagle, not a sparrow (even though sparrow meat would taste better if roasted!). In a recent article...Where does poetry go?We have explained that the impasse of contemporary poetry (especially young poets) is mainly due to a lack of profound humanistic inspiration. Poetry today rarely focuses on the common good, only concentrating on digging up the small, selfish self when completely detached from the collective. It's full of superficial pain, lingering sadness, and forced joy. As poet Huu Thinh said, young poets are skilled at "embroidering" for themselves but poor at "mending" for others!

epic poemThe Ten Thousand Day WarThe work of writer Huu Dat belongs to the mainstream literary tradition, written with a great inspiration and a "grand literary spirit." Of course. It must be added that writing an epic poem requires the qualities of a conductor, not just a musician. The role of conductor is demonstrated in the process of organizing the structure; we consider this the first breakthrough and the final completion when successfully crafting an epic poem of such stature and significance.The Ten Thousand Day WarAlthough structure is a formal element, as the theory of artistic thought has indicated, in art, form and content are like two sides of the same coin. Characteristics of epic structure.The Ten Thousand Day WarWhat is it? Let's call it a "thematic medley." If we examine the content of the epic poem's 12 chapters, this characteristic becomes clear – the order of the chapters: "Autumn Aspirations / The Nine-Year Resistance War / Dien Bien Phu Forever / When We Grow Up / The Historical Confrontation / The Mothers / The University / The Villages / The Final Battle / The Nation's Transformation / The Challenge / Our Generation." And how do these 12 chapters bind together, using what kind of "glue"? Purely formal elements cannot be used to connect the parts/sections of the epic poem. A central guiding principle is needed, like a "red thread." I think this "red thread" is "Autumn Aspirations" (as the title of Chapter One suggests). The aspiration for independence and freedom for the entire nation ("Nothing is more precious than Independence and Freedom," as President Ho Chi Minh exhorted). The most honest statement of Bảo Đại, the last king of the Vietnamese feudal regime: "It is better to be a citizen of an independent country than to be a king of a slave country." He said this during his abdication, handing over the royal seal and sword to the revolutionary government in 1945. The yearning for independence and freedom burns even brighter today, as the East Sea is turbulent, as "the Fatherland is seen from the sea." The proposition of the Russian writer M. Gorki remains relevant: "A heroic age demands a heroic art." (Epic poem)The Ten Thousand Day WarThe works of writer Huu Dat, one could say, belong to the "heroic art" movement.

ARTISTIC EXPERIMENTS

Art accepts exploration and experimentation, even if it fails. An open and tolerant perspective is needed in the field of artistic creation. But it must be said immediately that the explorations of some recent "poetry groups" (such as the Heavenly Horse Group, or Open Mouth) are clearly unacceptable because they deviate from the path of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Recently, poet Tran Quang Quy has experimented with five-line poetry (his latest poetry collection is titled...).namkau),It was warmly received by readers. Is a five-line Vietnamese poem as good as a two-line poem?haikuWhether it's Japan or not remains to be seen.

Let's see how writer Huu Dat experiments with poetic art in his epic poem.The Ten Thousand Day War.First of all, in this epic poem, the author minimizes "narrative." Because if he were to delve into narration, the work would become a "long poem" rather than an "epic poem." But perhaps the author mainly focuses on designing a type of poetry called "pictorial poetry." In his previous poetry collection...Travel(2014) writer Huu Dat began experimenting with this type of pictorial poetry. But it must be said that he was still hesitant, not really confident. It was only exploratory in nature. Up to the epic poemThe Ten Thousand Day WarWith increased confidence, writer Huu Dat elevates pictorial poetry to the highest level with an awareness of a new form carrying traditional content (new bottle, old wine!?). Pictorial poetry, according to the author's explanation, is not simply a "language game," but rather aesthetic information. Subtle "meanings," implying philosophical insights into human life. How many pictorial representations are there in this epic poem? There are images of communal houses, bronze drums, bronze incense burners, antique vases, haystacks, jars, and many more.

As an experienced reader, I share writer Huu Dat's main idea behind the epic poem: "With those symbols and hidden meanings, it reveals that this war was a clash of two cultures. In it, Vietnam, a country with a long-standing culture, triumphed over the pragmatic culture with its modern American-style weapons and equipment." Therefore, in my opinion, the epic poem should be appreciated.The Ten Thousand Day WarThis perspective examines writer Huu Dat from a cultural standpoint. By placing literature within the realm of culture, we gain a clearer understanding of each writer's creative path and approach. This is because the writer's cultural background is a very topical issue (while writers' education levels have significantly improved, their cultural background is at risk of declining – why?!).

I want to discuss writer Huu Dat's approach to the Vietnamese language (since proper conduct is one of the fundamental qualities used to assess a person's cultural foundation). Don't assume that a literature teacher or linguist, when writing, will automatically use their mother tongue – Vietnamese – flawlessly. I don't think that writer Huu Dat, currently the Head of the Vietnamese Linguistics Department (Faculty of Linguistics, University of Social Sciences and Humanities), will have perfect language skills. There are nearly 300 writers who were or are currently teachers. But as far as I know, their language skills are still not perfect. I'm quoting randomly.Chapter Sixin epic poemThe Ten Thousand Day WarButMothersTo shed light on writer Huu Dat's approach to the Vietnamese language. Our greatest mother, the one who gave birth to us, is...Mother Au Co!But that's a legend. There is a vast, boundless spiritual Mother entity...Vietnamese MotherBut that's also in the spiritual realm. In real life, we have other mothers, ordinary yet great: "Mothers who create the bronze drum dance / Their hearts serene and gentle like rice stalks / When the enemy comes, they give birth in the middle of the night / Still dignified in the posture of master." And also: "Mothers who toiled for four thousand years / Every drop of sweat contributed to the pages of history / Without words, they used leaves to create words / Folk songs passed down orally for generations." Writing about Mother cannot help but conclude: "Every inch of land is a drop of blood / Every life is a drop of tears / Mother's back bent carrying the two ends of the country / For the S-shaped strip of land to take shape." It's noticeable that the writer uses many verbs when writing about Mother (giving birth, being born, bearing, creating, dancing, giving birth, contributing, passing down orally, carrying, holding a sword, singing, raising children, dreaming, laughing, wandering, swaying, transforming, etc.). And not just...Chapter SixThe entire epic poem is filled with verbs. Verbs create the atmosphere of the era, "one day is worth twenty years," "Revolution is a festival of the masses." Verbs contribute to the rhythm.rhythm) of the epic poem. A fervent, urgent, and decisive rhythm. And moving forward. This is a concise, moving chapter with lingering resonance.Chapter SixIt concludes with haunting verses: “Oh, Motherland! For a thousand years/without a mother/Where are the poets and heroes?/Mother - the support for her child/For the country/Her frail body has transformed into the shape of mountains and rivers.” If we say “literature is the art of language,” then when reading this epic poem...The Ten Thousand Day WarThe writer Huu Dat cannot ignore this important aspect.

CONCLUSION

Someone aptly said: "It is not historians, but writers who record the history of life."Travel(2014) still deeply reflects the lyrical self, but it is an individual self, tinged with the loneliness of worldly affairs, toThe Ten Thousand Day WarIt was a "transformation." Grand, magnificent, panoramic, and with a literary flair—these are the qualities of the work, if one can say so, the "pinnacle" in the literary legacy of writer Huu Dat. He has written dozens of works in various genres (plays, poems, short stories, novels). But in my heart, the epic poem...The Ten Thousand Day WarThe writer's talent and skill have only recently been revealed. My opinion may differ from many others after reading Huu Dat's work. I'll just have to accept it and accept it.

Hanoi, December 2016

Writer Bui Viet Thang