Looking back at the glorious achievements of Tran Dynasty generals through the novel Tran Thanh Canh

With “The Heroic Spirit of Dong A,” writer Tran Thanh Canh not only recreates legendary characters but also arouses national pride, humanistic spirit and gratitude to ancestors.

The Writers' Association Publishing House has just published the 800-page historical novel "Hung Khi Dong A" which is a complete collection of 3 historical novels by writer Tran Thanh Canh about outstanding characters of the Tran family: "Tran Thu Do" (2020), "Tran Quoc Tuan" (2018) and "Tran Nguyen Han" (2021).

This is a special publication, limited to 800 copies, individually numbered and signed by the author. In addition to the three main novels, the book also has an appendix “A Brief History of the 12 Tran Dynasties” to help readers have a more systematic view of one of the most glorious dynasties in Vietnamese history.

Sharing about the idea of ​​making the novel series “Hung khi Dong A,” writer Tran Thanh Canh said he had the idea since 2020, after completing the book “Tran Thu Do.”

New publication collects three novels about the Tran Dynasty. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

To complete the book, writer Tran Thanh Canh mainly relied on "Dai Viet Su Ky Toan Thu" , along with other sources such as "An Nam Chi Luoc" (Le Tac), research by Ta Chi Dai Truong, and many ancient Chinese books. He also spent time doing fieldwork at related relics: Ngu Temple, Tran Thu Do Tomb in Hung Ha; Kiep Bac Temple, Luc Dau Giang; Tran Nguyen Han's hometown of Son Dong ( Vinh Phuc )...

“Fictional elements must be a significant part of a novel, even in historical novels. I respect what has been recorded in history, and I use my imagination to interpret the 'obscure points', as long as they are reasonable and logical for readers to accept,” writer Tran Thanh Canh shared.

According to him, outstanding historical figures such as Tran Thu Do, Tran Quoc Tuan, Tran Nguyen Han... when entering literature all need to be recognized as flesh and blood people "who lived, loved, contributed and with their innate qualities, they created miracles and live forever in the hearts of the nation." He called his work "a literary incense stick offered to the Tran Dynasty - the dynasty that made Vietnamese history famous".

Writer Tran Thanh Canh has released a trilogy of historical novels about the Tran Dynasty. (Photo: CTV/Vietnam+)

Evaluating the novel series by Tran Thanh Canh, writer Nguyen Van Hung said that the author dared to step into the gaps of historical documents to explore , decode and revive characters that seemed to have been closed in history. He portrayed the heroes of the Tran Dynasty not only with divine qualities but also with very real, very human features.

Meanwhile, critic Nguyen Hoai Nam assessed that writer Tran Thanh Canh's writing style "does not oppose history, but expands the range of interpretation, helping history become more flexible and multidimensional in the reader's perception"./.

Writer Tran Thanh Canh was born in 1959 in Bac Ninh . Graduated from the University of Pharmacy, he spent more than 30 years working in the pharmaceutical industry before turning to literature at the age of 50. The author is known for the novel "The Tycoon" (2013) and especially the short story collection "The Strange Man of Ngoc Village" (2015) - the work that helped him win the Vietnam Writers Association Award that same year.

Since then, the image of Bac Ninh countryside - Ngoc Village has become a source of inspiration throughout his works, through works such as "Beauty of Ngoc Village" (2016) or the trilogy of historical novels about the Tran Dynasty.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/nhin-lai-chien-cong-hien-hach-cua-tuong-nha-tran-qua-tieu-thuet-tran-thanh-canh-post1069749.vnp