Published:  00:00 Tuesday - July 06, 2010

A ceremony was held on July 5 to mark the 100th birthday of writer Nguyen Tuan (July 10, 1910), one of the best known authors of contemporary Vietnamese literature.

Nguyen Tuan was not only a master writer and a Hanoian celebrity, but also a patriotic soldier, said deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Propaganda and Education Commission Phung Huu Phu.

Highlighting the writer’s contribution to the nation’s literary development, Phu, who is also Chairman of the Central Theory Council for Literature and the Arts, added that Nguyen Tuan, who had devoted his life to Vietnam’s culture and revolutionary writing to enrich the country’s contemporary literature.

The Hanoi-born writer began writing in the early 1930s, but only gained public recognition from 1938 with several essays and articles, including “Vang Bong Mot Thoi” (Memorable Times) and “Mot chuyen di” (A Trip).

After the August Revolution in 1945, Nguyen Tuan joined the Communist Party of Vietnam and worked as a writer. From 1948-1958, he held the position of Secretary General for the Vietnamese Art and Literature Association. His work at the time mainly featured Vietnam’s scenery and culture, such as his collection of essays Song Da (the Da River) and his notes on the America-Vietnam war.

Nguyen Tuan died in Hanoi in 1987, leaving his readers a collection of creative and artistic works, especially his writings on Hanoi. In 1966 he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Award for Arts and Literature.