Poetry of the person who "takes newspapers to feed his writing"

Ilya Ehrenburg (1891 - 1967, a journalist and writer of Soviet Russia, famous for his works: "Pray for Russia", "Fall of Paris", "Patriotism"...) had a very profound view on the relationship between journalism and writing. During his lifetime, he always "used journalism to feed his writing".

Because according to him, journalism is a profession that requires a lot of traveling, and exposure to many aspects of life. And because of traveling a lot, journalists have the opportunity to gain more emotions, more life experiences, more experiences...

In our country, looking from the perspective of the profession, Vu Toan (former reporter of Tuoi Tre Newspaper , Ho Chi Minh City) is such a case! Thanks to his passion for journalism, after his famous reports, Vu Toan has very topical poems, bearing his personal and contemporary imprints. The three poems: "Quon Long's mother", "Poetry written at Tan Ky mental hospital" and "Drugs" are three specific examples. "Quon Long's mother" has "a husband, three children who are martyrs" and her mother is also the "caretaker" who always "loves each grave with a common longing". "Poetry written at Tan Ky mental hospital" is about soldiers who, due to the consequences of war, have many pieces of shrapnel left in their heads, and because of that, they suffer from mental illness to the point that: "They write with the handle of a soup spoon/ With a chopstick that they accidentally hide/ The lines of words carefully scratched on the wall: Mother! Mother! Forward! Charge!" , and the author could only watch “they talked, they laughed, I turned to stone and remained silent”. And “Drugs” is truly a “poetic reportage” written by the author in 1992 in the “drug capital” of Ky Son: “In 1992, three thousand hectares/ Sixteen communes of Ky Son grow opium/ Each year, on average, 4 tons/ Where do they hide when they go downstream?/ There are more drug growers and drug dealers/ Than rice farmers and vegetable growers...” . And this poem won third prize in a two-year poetry contest from 1998 to 2000 organized by the Literature and Arts Weekly.

After “Nine Moon Seasons”, “Tu Chay”, “Nho Co”, “Salty River”, Vu Toan introduces to readers a new collection of poems “In the Heart of the Hydroelectric Lake” (first printed at the end of 2023 and reprinted in the first quarter of 2025). The world “In the Heart of the Hydroelectric Lake” seems very limited but also infinite. Because it encompasses both the natural world and the social world, both the here and now of the contemporary. In other words: The whole of Vu Toan and his poetry seem to be revealed in all dimensions of entrustment and mood from the section in the hydroelectric lake. It is the ultimate sadness when the environment is destroyed, when “standing and watching the death of the forest” in “On the top of the pơmu tree”, when sharing with the “wronged soul flying in the shape of a dead tree” in “Sleeping at night by the Nam Tip stream”, when feeling the pain and realizing “the tears of the forest murmuring and flowing throughout the river” in “Forest”. And writing about the pain of loss of the forest, I think few people can write as heartbreakingly well as Vu Toan: "Who wears mourning scarves for the forests/ When illegal timber from the forest - blood flows?" .

I consider “The Well” as a discovery in Vu Toan’s poetry: “The well is like a fountain of ink/ Writing the history of this land/ The well seems like a hole in the ground/ Looking up at the world” , I consider “The soldier returning from Gac Ma” as another discovery about the submerged island: “Gac Ma is a submerged island in my chest/ I carry it with me for endless days” , I consider “April 30th” as a good way to talk about war, about the fierceness of war while still being calm and composed as if nothing happened: “At 18 years old, I joined the army/ My soul is like white clouds, why talk about it/ I don’t know why I’m still alive on April 30/ Backpack. Gun smoke. Private soldier” , I consider “Various reputation” as a poetic quatrain with great contemplation and feeling: “Love fascinates love/ Vanity fascinates flying paper kites/ Bird calls fascinate the forest/ Vanity fascinates the clouds in the sky” .

Vu Toan's poetry is simple but profound, not elaborate but containing and comprehensive. That is the precious thing in poetry and also the goal that modern poetry should aim for.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/tho-cua-nguoi-lay-bao-nuoi-van-706431.html