The writer Suong Nguyet Minh talks about the theme of war and soldiers in literature at a talk held in Quynhon city.

Writer Nguyen Bao: “There has been more time to have a new way of expression about the war”.

In my opinion, I don’t agree with some people said that the theme of the revolutionary war has become exhausted or can’t be written interestingly because there have been many works about it or its image has receded. The revolutionary war is still an endless source of inspiration for writers. The problem is the writers’ talent. If a writer can’t write interestingly, it’s due to his talent, not because of any reasons.

Previously, when writing about the revolutionary war, works were for political aims, readers, therefore, felt bored with such one-sided expressions as we-win and enemy-lose or we-good and enemy-bad, etc. Writers now have more in time to think much about the war. They have to write about the war from the current view and position so that ways of expression can be new and works can be truthful, unbiased and really attractive to the readers.

Writer Suong Nguyet Minh: “Today’s readers need more interesting works about the revolutionary war”

The literature about war has had particular achievements so far, especially epics and short stories. In the innovation period, writers of short stories about war has more findings in the expression whereas those of novels are still loyal to the traditional expression.

To have interesting works about the war, it’s necessary for the writers not to follow the old expression. They need to deeply go into the details of the humans’ fate. Characters of such stories have to not only talk one-sidedly as before but also worry and think about the fierce reality of the war, etc.

In recent years, there have been works showing their breakthroughs when mentioning the war from various perspectives more fairly and humanly. Such expressions, creating many feeling for the readers, need to be encouraged so that we will be able to have interesting works which are worth with the great national revolutionary war in the coming time.

Writer Do Tien Thuy: “Young writers still have difficulties in writing about the war”

With policies of renovation, writers are currently able to express their thoughts for the war more objectively. This is not only opportunities but also challenges for us, the 1970s-born writers,  because we have to write in a way that doesn’t coincide with those of older generation but still brings the freshness and attraction to the readers.

So far I can say that there haven’t had any young writers with works directly reflecting the war with high worth. This has many reasons, but the first reason is that because we only feel the national revolutionary war through documents and the previous writers’ works instead of directly feeling it, the war isn’t something that obsesses and encourages us to write as the older generation did. That is also the reason why the young writers don’t dare to choose the theme of the revolutionary war as their target. They fear that their works will be insipid, creating no feeling to the readers because they themselves have no truthful feeling.

Poet Vuong Trong: “To be objective, but to be aware of what you are writing about”

We, the writers and poets in the wartime, sometimes have on-sided works, but it’s an “aware” one-sidedness. When writing, whoever wants interesting works, but at that time the national liberation was the highest aim. We, therefore, readily accepted the fact that our works were less interesting and devalued to be more effective to the national revolutionary war.

There have been some works about the war with more fairly and humanly view in recent years. This is positive, but simultaneously each author has to be aware of what they are writing about so that the image of the soldiers and the lofty significance of the revolutionary war aren’t distorted. Each generation has their own advantages and disadvantages; however, I do believe that the greatest and everlasting works will be born in the future.

• Interviewed by Hoai Thu
• Translated by Hong Quang