"Incubator" of Quang Nam's literature and arts

The press is not only a place where Quang Nam artists and writers send their works, but also becomes a "nursery" and a place where they leave their footprints on their creative journey...

Dat Quang Magazine, one of the press publications that is a place to "incubate" and a source of creative motivation for artists. Photo: BA

Good land

Poet Nguyen Tan Ai had his first poem published 40 years ago - in the Thieu Nien Tien Phong Newspaper, with a poem "impression" about the movie "Diem Hen". But after that happy "first time", it was not until 27 years later - in 2010, that he had his poem published again, with a poem about his mother, published in Dat Quang Magazine.

From this time onwards, Nguyen Tan Ai's works - not only poetry but also short stories, essays, and criticism - continuously appeared in Quang Nam Newspaper, Dat Quang Magazine, Quang Nam Culture Magazine, and many other newspapers and magazines in other localities.

“I feel the warmth and closeness when my work is selected to be published in my hometown’s newspapers. For me, it is not only a trustworthy place to send my work but also a very suitable land for me to practice my writing and strive to create,” he added.

Likewise, a fairly new prose writer from Quang Nam, Ho Loan, said that thanks to the press - directly the newspapers and magazines of her hometown - she has confidently continued on the path of literature.

In addition to the two magazines specializing in literature and art, Dat Quang and Van Nghe Tam Ky, she always receives suggestions and encouragement from the editors of Quang Nam Newspaper. "The closeness and friendliness of the editors at the editorial offices helps me feel more confident in my journey to conquer myself" - Ho Loan confided.

When choosing service photography as a career, young photographer Le Trong Khang never thought that one day he would become a professional art photographer and be recognized as a proper photography artist.

But once he took some “pretty nice” photos, Khang tried sending them to Dat Quang Magazine and they were published. After that, Le Trong Khang focused more on taking artistic photos and the number of his works selected for publication increased day by day.

After Dat Quang, from the connection and suggestion of an editor of Quang Nam Newspaper, Khang began to compose more intentionally and his photos then continuously appeared in the newspaper's publications.

“I am grateful to the newspapers and magazines that I have been collaborating with. They are not only places to “check” the quality of my work but also places to nurture creativity. There are times when I run out of ideas, thanks to reading newspapers, thanks to suggestions, I have good topics, find more unique beauty very close to me, right in the life around me...” - Le Trong Khang said.

In particular, even in some fields that are less related to journalism, such as music , theater, and fine arts, the positive impacts of journalism and from journalism are still quite evident. An author who specializes in writing short plays for the stage said that thanks to articles about the profession of playwriting or reviewing some of his scripts, it has given him more motivation to pursue his career until now.

Sculptor Tran Duc said that from the illustration orders of Dat Quang Magazine, he has had new experiences, learned more about life and art, and enriched his emotions to expand and renew his creative space.

Artists participating in the Literature and Arts Creation Camp with the theme "New Quang Nam" at Nui Thanh in March 2025. Photo: BAO ANH

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At the Quang Nam Literature and Arts Association, photographers Dang Ke Dong, Huynh Ha, Phan Vu Trong, Le Trong Khang, or artists Vo Nhu Dieu, Tran Van Binh, Le Viet Thang... are often jokingly referred to as "cover faces" by their colleagues.

Not because their portraits are printed on the covers of books and newspapers, but because they are the ones whose works are chosen to be printed on the covers of Dat Quang Magazine and some publications of Quang Nam Newspaper.

This is a "channel" for promoting and introducing works that many artists love, because of its wide reach and the uniqueness and characteristics in the way the works are exploited and used.

Moreover, according to a photographer, each of his works used for cover printing is almost always associated with a story of collaboration and frank exchange in the spirit of art. Therefore, what remains after each creative operation is not only the name and shape of the work but also the connections and sharing of affection.

Over the past 28 years, artists who are members of the Quang Nam Province Literature and Arts Association have published more than 350 books, including photo books, art collections, song collections, poems, short stories, novels, research, studies, theories, criticisms, and translations.

The common point of most of these books is that a part of their content has been published in specialized newspapers and magazines. In some books, the proportion of individual works that have been previously published in newspapers is even 70 - 80%.

Poet Nguyen Tan Ai said that many of his short stories and poems when published in books “used the words” of newspaper and magazine editors, because according to him, those were all appropriate changes and adjustments. Some other literary authors said that each time they made a book, they felt much more confident when they collected works that had been published in newspapers because they had been reviewed and screened by press agencies.

Therefore, it is not surprising that sometimes there are books where, below each individual work, in addition to the time of composition, the author also notes "the work was published in the newspaper/magazine...; issue date... month... year". This is not only a way to remember, to clarify the work's background, but also a form of gratitude.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/vuon-uom-van-nghe-xu-quang-3157199.html