The book of "Modern Vietnamese literature - creation and reception" is the second critical essay book of the author Bich Thu (Vietnam Institute of Literature), following a book of "Following literature line" published in 1998. Through this work, the author provides readers a view of a vivid picture of life of modern Vietnamese literature via each part of the route, especially in the present trend of renovation and integration.
There are 45 articles presented in the book are essays and criticism wrote in about last 10 years. The articles focus on identification and analysis of modern Vietnamese literature, revolves around creation and reception through literary phenomenon, issues of genre, and works of some writers, poets, researchers, theorists, critics who contributed to the national literature life through stages, especially in the stage of literary renovation. The content consists of two major parts:
Part I: Genres – Characteristics and development. This section includes 10 articles on literary genres, in which novel is focused by the author to study and present quite elaborately through some such articles as "Vietnamese novel in process of literary modernization in the first half of the twentieth century"; "A approach to Vietnamese novel in the renovation period"; “Language of contemporary Vietnamese novel"... Besides, although not fully and richly as novel, the author also spends a certain interest for other genres such as prose, poetry, logs, through some articles: "Prose of the fair sex"; “Efforts of renovation in contemporary female poetry"; "Fictional issue of logs"; "Interchange between story and logs"…
Part II: Writers - Portraits and writing style. This section includes 35 articles that are sketch of portraits and composing style of many representative writers and poets based on their works and contribution to life of academy literature of the country. Although all those authors were much discussed by many researchers and critics before, with her own approach, quite flexible with each object, thanks to her deep understanding and appreciation consciousness of true literary value, the author Bich Thu brings readers novelty sense. Some notable articles can be mentioned such as "Nam Cao - writings are forever with time"; "Lyrical quality in short stories by Luu Quang Vu"; "Nguyen Huy Tuong – a chronicler by literature"; "Han Mac Tu: pain is as an aesthetic experience"; "Huy Can, a sacred flame does not die"; "Nguyen Long: a poet as a traveller"; "Hoang Kim Dung: living and writing with holy passion"; "Essence of poetry by Duong Kieu Minh" ... In addition to the author's researches, there are also a number of articles on works of her friends and colleagues who the author does know in person directly ("The thunderstorm" by Le Van Thao; "Life law of father and son" by Nguyen Bac Son; Short story "The woman does not petrify" by Nguyen The Tuong; Memoirs of "Dien Bien Phu, historic rendezvous" by Huu Mai...).
The book provides readers another point of view about change, creative context, mobilization and development of literary process, essential for researchers, literary critics, teachers, students and readers concerning Vietnamese literature in the context of renovation and integration.
Phuong Hoa
