Literature on the theme of armed forces and revolutionary war: Opportunities for young writers

In recent years, young writers have made significant contributions to the literature on the armed forces and revolutionary war. Many of their works have won prestigious literary awards, affirming their maturity in thinking, professional competence, and deep awareness of national history.

Artists perform works on the theme of armed forces and revolutionary war. (Photo: THANH DUY)

Creative campaigns and writing competitions launched by the Ministry of National Defense and many organizations and units are also taking place enthusiastically and widely, opening up opportunities for young writers to approach and explore the depth of the revolutionary war theme from a new perspective, contributing to preserving and spreading the nation's fine traditional values.

Lack of large scale works

The theme of armed forces and revolutionary war was the mainstream of Vietnamese literature from 1945 to 1975, and is still an important source to help preserve national memory, inspire patriotism and ideals for the young generation. In that flow, young writers are facing many opportunities and challenges to demonstrate their role with professional contributions, while at the same time solving limitations and urgent requirements to innovate thinking and approaches.

The fact that young writers both inside and outside the military still choose to exploit this topic is a positive sign. It is possible to mention writers of the 8x and 9x generations such as: Nguyen Minh Cuong, Dinh Phuong, Nguyen Quang Hung, Tong Phuoc Bao, Phat Duong, Phung Thi Huong Ly, Le Quang Trang, Ly Huu Luong, Nguyen Thi Kim Nhung, Tran Viet Hoang... who have seriously pursued and won awards with the topic of armed forces and revolutionary war. This is a positive sign because with the specific nature of the topic, there has been a "trough" for young writers due to the gap in time, experience as well as changes in thinking and aesthetics.

However, there are still many works that are only of a “writing competition” nature, done hastily to meet the competition’s schedule, lacking the necessary incubation process. Therefore, the works easily fall into a state of obscurity, lacking the power to move. Not to mention, a large number of young writers maintain an old, stereotyped approach, lacking multi-facetedness, making the works unable to “live” in the hearts of readers. In addition, many young authors have only stopped at composing single works/series of works, avoiding difficult genres such as epics, novels, long stories, etc., leading to a lack of large-scale works with real ideological and artistic weight.

Discussing this issue, writer Nguyen Binh Phuong, Vice President of the Vietnam Writers Association , shared: “The generation of talented writers and artists who have gone through the war have become exhausted, while the next generation is still limited in terms of creative experience, awareness, and the realities of war and the armed forces. Although there has not been a break in the topic, one can feel the loss. Another challenge is that no matter how creative, this special topic requires the writer to be serious. Therefore, the writer must overcome himself, overcome the competition to conquer the readers.”

Urgent requirements

Young writers need to define their roles and responsibilities through the following issues: commitment, experience; active innovation; linking writing with the communication and dissemination process... Contests, writing camps and advocacy programs launched by organizations inside and outside the military have contributed to stimulating the spirit of creativity, but many contests still have many shortcomings, affecting quality and effectiveness. One of the reasons lies in the organization and the judging team. The selection of judges is sometimes based on administrative criteria or representativeness rather than deep expertise and understanding of modern literature, leading to a lack of objectivity in evaluation, and the selection of works based on safety criteria, causing many young writers, despite their abilities, to not be recognized as worthy, causing skepticism and lack of motivation to continue pursuing the topic.

In addition, the organization of some competitions and programs still follows the old way: taking writers to visit and experience a few locations or historical sites, then asking them to complete their work in a short time. Many creative campaigns lack a communication strategy, failing to create a strong ripple effect in the young creative community. Many administrative approaches do not truly encourage creative freedom or create an open artistic space.

In order for the topic of armed forces and revolutionary war to truly become a "living ground" for young writers to break through, changes in organization, thinking, and dissemination are needed.

In order for the topic of armed forces and revolutionary war to truly become a “living ground” for young writers to break through, changes in organization, thinking, and dissemination are needed. In competitions and writing camps, in addition to “assigning tasks”, organizing units need to create opportunities for young writers to accompany them long-term, supporting the development of works with depth in both ideology and art. In-depth investment in large-scale genres such as novels and epic poems also needs more attention. Expanding the audience, diversifying the approach, and creating a connection between writing and communication and publishing are also key factors in spreading the value of literature on revolutionary war to the modern public.

Chairman of the Vietnam Writers Association Nguyen Quang Thieu said: “Never before have writers been as free to create as they are now. The reality of life and the spirit of the times are creating an extremely rich source of data and inspiration for writers. Exchanges and events with the participation of famous writers around the world also create effective learning and interaction. From 2021 to now, the Vietnam Writers Association has awarded the Young Authors Award and among the winning works are the themes of the armed forces and revolutionary war. Many writers who are soldiers are also honored. That raises the requirements and hopes for breakthrough works.”

When competitions and writing camps are organized in a more systematic, fair, and professional manner, and young people are trusted, encouraged to commit, and have strong aspirations, there will certainly be more large-scale, moving works that create lasting value for the country's literature.

LU MAI

Source: https://nhandan.vn/van-hoc-ve-de-tai-luc-luong-vu-trang-va-chien-tranh-cach-mang-co-hoi-cua-cac-cay-but-tre-post906779.html