Looking back at the legacy of writer Doan Gioi

Writer Doan Gioi was born in 1925 in Tan Hiep commune, Chau Thanh district, Tien Giang province (now Dong Thap province). In addition to the pen name Doan Gioi, he also has other pen names such as Nguyen Hoai, Nguyen Phu Le, Huyen Tu. Doan Gioi is one of the pioneer writers who reflects truthfully, emotionally and poetically on the nature, people and history of the South. Through his works, he contributes to Vietnamese literature a unique voice: simple but profound, full of memoir but also full of talent.

Outstanding works that contributed to shaping the literary style of writer Doan Gioi include: Southern Forest Land , The Search for the Armory, The Old Sailor on the Exiled Island , Rhinoceros in the Green Forest , Strange Stories About Fish , Rustling Night Forest , Grouper , Sunflowers . Through these works, writer Doan Gioi invites readers to explore the endless beauty of the Southern land.

Works of writer Doan Gioi published by Kim Dong Publishing House

Speaking at the program, writer Bich Ngan, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, said that the inspiration of nature and people of the South completely dominated the writing career of writer Doan Gioi. Not only with Dat rung phuong nam , most of his works have a strong Southern flavor and Southern character. “It can be said that Doan Gioi is a typical Southern writer, always considering nature as an important aesthetic object of literature. He connects nature and people into a unified whole. Nature nurtures the soul of people, and people carefully preserve nature. In each page of Doan Gioi's writing, the loss or gain of nature is the success or failure of people,” said writer Bich Ngan.

Writer Bich Ngan, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, spoke at the program.

Born in the same year as the work Dat rung phuong Nam (1957), writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association , considers this a special fate with the work as well as with writer Doan Gioi. Since childhood, Nguyen Quang Thieu was absorbed in reading Dat rung phuong Nam brought back by the boys and girls who evacuated from Hanoi . At the age of 60, he reread it as a test for himself and for the work, and realized that Dat rung phuong Nam was still as attractive and charming as ever.

According to writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association, looking back at the legacy that writer Doan Gioi left behind is an opportunity for future generations to reflect on their lives and writing.

The Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association said that writer Doan Gioi left behind two important legacies, which are his personality and his works. “He lived as a true human being in his behavior, attitude, and actions towards his country and homeland. As for his literary legacy, especially the work Southern Forest Land , writer Doan Gioi gives readers the feeling of not just reading a literary work but reading something magnificent, of discovering a whole mysterious Southern cultural region,” writer Nguyen Quang Thieu expressed.

According to writer Van Thanh Le, Director of Kim Dong Publishing House branch in Ho Chi Minh City, the work Dat rung phuong Nam by writer Doan Gioi was published by Kim Dong Publishing House in 1957 - the year the Publishing House was established. Throughout the journey of nearly 70 years, the work has been continuously welcomed by readers of many generations, contributing to shaping the mark and brand of Kim Dong Publishing House. Up to now, along with De Men phieu luu ky , Tuoi tho du troi , Bu sen xanh , Dat rung phuong Nam are the best published children's literature works of Kim Dong Publishing House.