The artistic view of space and time in To Hoai's memoirs Through the memoirs Cat bui chan ai and Chieu chieu

* Specific real space associated with historical events

In the memoir"The Dust of Someone's Feet", the space that the author mentioned a lot was the space of " the slope of Hang Ken six-way intersection " [25. 385]. That was the space of historical events and at the same time the space for the author's reminiscences: " In the years before 60, the slope of Hang Ken six-way intersection was very quiet at night. The dracontomelon and milk trees were not like a few years later when an American bomb destroyed two houses and several ancient trees " [25. 385, 386]. A brief reminiscence but enough to see the contrast in the same space between two different periods of time. After the Dien Bien Phu victory in 1954, our country again confronted the American empire. " The slope of Hang Ken six-way intersection " - a place that was no longer peaceful and " deserted " as before. An American bomb " destroyed two houses and several ancient trees ". The American empire destroyed many houses and many villages like that. To Hoai did not include statistics, but through his memories, he brought readers back to the space of history, the space of the war against American imperialism.

Going back in time, following the author's memories, readers are brought back to the space of the years after the August Revolution. During the years of fighting against French colonialism, the writers also participated in that historical event: " In the summer of 1949, Nguyen Tuan and I followed the 54th Battalion of the Capital Regiment to launch a campaign to destroy a series of strongholds along the Thao River bank, blocking the Northwest, the Dai Buc, Dai Phac, Khe Pia, Ngoi Mac, Ma Yen Son posts up to Pho Rang sub-region post " [25. 394]. The space was spread out very wide, To Hoai called it " the Thao River bank corridor stronghold ". Going to the field with the soldiers, witnessing the tactics in each campaign, the writers could fully see the difficulties and hardships of the war.

Referring to the historical events of the country, To Hoai wanted to show readers the difficult periods of the nation, the years when the country was in turmoil.

Maybe you are interested!

The country was submerged in the smoke and fire of war to appreciate the independence and peace of today.

In his memoirs, To Hoai once mentioned the space of Thuong Yen forest. Thuong Yen forest " in a Red Dao ethnic village in the middle of a dense forest on the banks of the Lo River on Binh Ca wharf " [25. 414] appeared with harsh images of a revolutionary base. " Never before had the agency been huddled in such a dangerous place. Nguyen Tuan feared this place the most. Coming to Thuong Yen, in the humid forest, Nguyen Tuan was truly tormented by malaria. " [25. 414]. Those who held the pen and "taste the honey and lie on thorns" with the soldiers, they understood more deeply the hardships of the resistance war against the invaders. When they were able to go directly to the " dangerous " places, the soldiers on the literary and artistic front had more valuable materials to write about, to reconstruct the fierce years of war.

Recreating the days of bombs and bullets, To Hoai not only describes the space of Thuong Yen forest, but the writer also takes the reader to a very special space where " The shops and meat coupons only sell fat - which is rarely available. People poured into the streets, all day long, lining up, lining up to buy bunches of jute. Bombs were falling overhead, and on the ground, there were long lines of people buying and selling like this, who knows what will happen. " [25. 596]. The war " bombs were falling overhead ", and " on the ground, there were long lines of people buying and selling ". At this time, life and death were as fragile as a thread. What will be the fate of those people lining up to buy bunches of jute? To Hoai did not describe further, but from the fact that people poured into the streets, we can also imagine the fierceness of the situation. From this realistic space, the writer evokes for us the life of the Vietnamese people during the difficult and harsh period, in the suffocating atmosphere of war. To Hoai always describes events from an objective point of view. The author does not analyze or comment but lets the reader feel for themselves.

The reality of life through events. The space of this event makes the reader feel anxious because death seems to be present right above everyone's head. Gloom and danger cover the space filled with bombs and gunpowder.

The author has distilled and placed meaningful historical and social events in a very open space. Although the events are not arranged in chronological order but according to the author's recollection, they have contributed significantly to reflecting the realistic picture of life in a turbulent period.

* Specific real space associated with private events

In To Hoai's memoirs, in addition to the historical event space, there is also the private event space, which is the family space, of individuals whose changes affect the character's life and psychology.

We have known many portraits of writers through To Hoai's humanistic view of life. Once again, readers have the opportunity to meet them again through a realistic space associated with personal events. When the resistance war broke out, the families of writers and artists had to evacuate to safe places:

“ During the resistance war, Nguyen Hong and Kim Lan evacuated their families to Cau Den hamlet on Nha Nam. Painters Tran Van Can, Ta Thuc Binh, and the whole family of Uncle Ngo Tat To also gathered on the low hill that was still deserted at that time. Areas in Xuan Ang (Phu Tho) or Quan Tin (Thanh Hoa) also gathered villages of resistance artists. It is said that painter Tran Van Can was given a field by the commune, and he was very good at plowing .” [25. 422]. The event of evacuation during the resistance war is no longer strange to us – the people of the invaded country. Evacuating to avoid the sweep of the enemy. Families of artists and writers all had to temporarily leave their familiar living places. They went to deserted areas, which gradually became villages of resistance artists and writers.

War. Even the painter Tran Van Can, who was only good at using a brush to draw, is now " very good at plowing ".

After the peace, many writers moved to Hanoi. And Nguyen Hong's return to Hanoi was a change in his family life as well as in his own life. " Returning to Hanoi, Nguyen Hong and his wife and children rented the second floor of an old Miriben townhouse next to the eye hospital near Hom market... Only the children running in and out made it so confusing. She applied to work as an employee at a state-owned book store, selling at the corner counter of the current general store, at the entrance to Hang Bai street " [25. 422]. The space became narrower than the days " under Nghia Dung beach ". Everything was difficult at that time. And then there were many events that affected Nguyen Hong and the life of the writer's family. Incidents happened. After the extraordinary conference to discuss and confirm the structure of the Writers' Association, Nguyen Hong prepared to return to Nha Nam - where the writer had left. Let's look at the space of Nguyen Hong's room: " The room was still as messy with mosquito nets as usual. But if you notice, it was different. Everything was packed and tied up like I had seen before, early in the morning, things in the houses were ready to be thrown out to the fence to avoid the planes. I nodded, but I really didn’t understand how… Then one day, I heard Kim Lan say that Nguyen Hong had moved to Nha Nam. I don’t know if his wife and children were carrying things like the day they happily returned to Hanoi or if they hired a three-wheeled cart to push them. ” [25. 492]. Life in Hanoi could not hold Nguyen Hong. A man full of self-respect and “ determination ” [25. 492] made Nguyen Hong “ definitely not stay anymore ” [25. 493]. “ So he left everything, went back to Nha Nam, Cau Den hamlet, Doi Chay hamlet, and lived on the hill like the years of evacuation… On the hill with sparse bamboo, there were still a few houses of villagers, a primary school, thatched roof, dilapidated walls, and desolate. He still lived in the same house as when he fled from the West. The house has mud walls, the fence has cactus, the well has a puddle of water in the ravine at the foot of the hill. Far away, ahead, begins

The undulating low forests on Yen The Thuong. ” [25. 493]. It was the historical and social events that affected the family events, the psychology and actions of the character. When he was insulted and hurt, he did not hesitate to express his attitude: “ - Yes, Nha Nam. Enough, enough. I will not play with you anymore. I will return to Nha Nam .”

In his memoirs, especially in "Cat bui chan ai" (The Dust of One's Feet) in specific real-life spaces, especially the space of events associated with individuals, we see that To Hoai never forgot his late friend Nguyen Tuan. The writer with the " arrogant " style has appeared many times, each time he appears, the reader is surprised. This is the image of the writer Nguyen Tuan when he was young: " The train from Phnom Penh arrived in Poipet just before dusk. It was the fall of 1930 (…). At the end of the row of seats, there were two young people (…). The train rumbled all night to Vong Cac. They could not sleep. They were still nervous because of their luck and praised themselves for being wise and skillful in hiding the secret police. So they safely left Cambodia. By mid-afternoon, the train entered the city of Vong Cac. The two were bewildered in the middle of nowhere. Around them, in the big station, there were crowds of Siamese, Chinese, and Vietnamese people, chattering and chattering. Four Siamese policemen in white uniforms and gold-rimmed hats and a group of soldiers carrying rifles gathered around. One of them spoke Vietnamese and asked:

- Are you Tuan and Thiep?

True to his given name. The police already knew, just asking to perform a spell. Confused, not knowing how to answer, the rope tied them both up and jerked their elbows. The gun butt pushed them back, pushing them to walk through the crowded streets. ” [25. 500, 505]. In his reminiscences, To Hoai built an image of the young man Nguyen Tuan “ with a young face, not even twenty years old ” [25. 502], “ Disgusted with the suffocating, deadlocked life of the people in a colony, Nguyen Tuan always dreamed of faraway lands. ” [17. 599].

That is why he tried every way to go abroad, and his illegal wandering trip of the colonial regime led to his arrest in Thailand and finally being sent back to Thanh Hoa prison in 1930. To Hoai chose a very special event to reveal the personality of writer Nguyen Tuan. That personality created an "I" with its own color from the ego of "nomadism". To Hoai respected the truth. He recorded authentic events when: " In Thanh Hoa, when he was no longer under house arrest, Nguyen Tuan went to Hanoi, wrote to make a living and created every character as my character. " [25. 519]. Escaping from house arrest, not "wandering" like before, but " In the book, it is similar to real life, that person's name is Nguyen or Bach, after drinking and drinking to his heart's content, he left the place of entertainment, but did not return home, at that time, Uncle Nguyen's family had moved from Thanh Hoa to live in Nga Tu So on Moc Thuong Dinh, his hometown. ” [25. 519]. We see the contradiction in Nguyen Tuan through this very real detail. When returning to his homeland, Nguyen fell into a vicious circle and then became bored. This is clearly shown in his works before the August Revolution. Violent, sad, but also sometimes heartbreaking and above all we still see a personality, an honest soul that is not necessarily closed to life.

In the memoir Cat bui chan ai , the letters Nguyen Tuan sent to To Hoai during his trip to several provinces in the Northwest left readers with an unforgettable impression of the natural scenery of the mountainous region, especially the space associated with Nguyen Tuan's personal events in a very special landscape. " The previous letter was written from Simacai on a sunny market day. This letter was written after three days of walking 70km in a row, in the rain, the day before there was a big flood blocking the stream, so we had to go around to Meo village to avoid the flood. The day before it rained, the next day it rained, the day after it rained again. (…). I was still feverish, after several days of walking in the rain I still had a fever. I brought all the ointment with me, had to ask the local people to give me more ointment to withdraw."

like that. Tired, hard, but the images collected about postal transportation are not too poor. The Lao Cai line is basically what I have grasped. ” [25. 573]. Although Nguyen Tuan was always tormented by the disease “ his bones were already cold because of rheumatism this season ” [25. 572], he was still enthusiastic about going and exploring. Everything the writer “collected” became the material for his later works.

In the Hoa Lo prison, the interview between “us” and an American prisoner named John, from Ohio, took place very specifically. To Hoai described very carefully Nguyen Tuan’s attitude and emotional state: “ Nguyen Tuan sneered (…) ”, “ Nguyen Tuan spoke seriously (…) ”, “ Nguyen Tuan smiled faintly (…) ”, “ Nguyen Tuan shook his pipe. That was his way of regaining his composure. So he was annoyed. The heavy popping sounds of the ashtray in the quiet night made the wrinkles on Nguyen Tuan’s forehead stretch out. Nguyen Tuan said, leisurely (…) ”, “ Nguyen Tuan stood up, angrily pointing his pipe at John’s face (…) ”, “ Nguyen Tuan shook his head gently: “Killing someone and saying that people must love each other! I don’t understand!” ”, “ Nguyen Tuan slowly stood up, raised his hand: “Remind me: when you come back, remember to study geography again. There are no two United States, no two Vietnams. Remember that” ” [25. 630, 631, 632]. With a natural but also very “mischievous” narrative tone, To Hoai showed readers a Nguyen Tuan with full nuances of mood and emotion in a very special space. To Hoai was honest when he commented: “ Nguyen Tuan is quiet, very political and has a self-righteous look. (…). Nguyen Tuan is logical and tough. ” [25. 632]. It is not by chance that To Hoai placed his character in such a space. In this space, Nguyen Tuan clearly revealed the attitude and viewpoint of a person on the other side of the battle line with the invaders. With descriptive language that is “ as natural as the breath of life ” [40. 137] along with a very special event, To Hoai built

A complete portrait of Nguyen Tuan, not only a normal person but also a person “ also in politics ” [25. 632]. The person who was once passionate about those trips, at times he refused to go to Paris, perhaps because “ the two hollow legs of that strong man made it difficult to travel, erasing all the feelings of the distant world. ” [25. 661]. Perhaps the departure of that talented, “arrogant, proud” man had been foretold. Before going to Cat Ba, “ I came to show off to Nguyen Tuan a small but interesting trip. ” [25. 662]. And the expressions of Nguyen Tuan: “ The yellow stick of Sapa, the sound of the stick hitting the wooden surface was sparse and disjointed. I could guess the difficult, heavy footsteps. Nguyen Tuan walked in, his face was pale and purple, not red from wine. ” [25. 662] showed the tiredness of old age and travel. No one can avoid the laws of life: " In the morning, someone came to tell Dao Vu and me:

- Last night, I heard on the radio that Mr. Nguyen Tuan had passed away.

I thought it was still the same day I sat alone at his house, but Nguyen Tuan had been lying still since the morning I came here. Nguyen Tuan! Nguyen Tuan oh! Oh! Oh! ” [25. 663, 664]. Revealing the sorrowful mood from this specific event, the reader can feel the author's profound sadness at the eternal departure of Nguyen Tuan.

An event that cannot be ignored when writing about the poet Nguyen Binh is the loss of his child. To Hoai attached this event to a harsh space so that we can understand the pain of a father who lost his child: “ Hien (Nguyen Binh's daughter) was plump and chubby, but soon she became skinny, scabby, and had terrible pimples. Every day, her father carried her on one shoulder, like a cat carrying its baby. Wherever she went, swarms of green-gray flies chased after her. One night, her father got drunk and carried Hien out into the street. At Ba Trieu intersection - oh, how could so many confidences, tears, and smiles of the writer of the story

The artistic view of space and time in To Hoai's memoirs Through the memoirs Cat bui chan ai and Chieu chieu - 7

Comment