Introduction
Tô Hoài (1920 - 2014) was a Vietnamese writer and journalist, widely known for the children's work Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký. His birth name was Nguyễn Sen, born in 1920 in Thanh Oai, Hà Đông (now part of Hà Nội), and he grew up in his maternal hometown, the village of Nghĩa Đô (Cầu Giấy, Hà Nội).
Literary career
Tô Hoài was a major figure in modern Vietnamese literature with a career lasting more than 60 years. In the current of critical realist literature and journalism before 1945, his notable work was Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký (1941). Although written for children, the work carries strong elements of social allegory: through the image of Dế Mèn, arrogant and selfish, and his journey of growing up, the author criticises conceit and authoritarianism and encourages a spirit of compassion and dedication to the community.
In addition, he wrote short stories, reportage and sketches published in newspapers such as Trung Bắc Chủ nhật, Hà Nội Báo, Phổ Thông bán nguyệt san, reflecting the hard lives of the poor on the urban fringe, especially craftspeople, small traders, orphaned children and oppressed labourers. In this current of critical realist literature and journalism, Tô Hoài truthfully portrayed the lives of the lower strata of society without wallowing in misery; his characters often carry the will to rise up and are steeped in humanity.
After 1945, Tô Hoài shifted to writing revolutionary literature, literature serving the resistance, but still retained a vivid realist quality. A representative work, Vợ chồng A Phủ (1952), reflects the brutal oppression of the feudal regime in the mountains and the journey of awakening resistance among ethnic minority people. He was also a famous writer of reportage with the collections Tây Bắc (1953) and Miền Tây, recording his fieldwork trips with a deep, truthful eye. Tô Hoài's style is vivid and sharp, describing characters' psychology with subtlety.
Journalistic work
From very early on, Tô Hoài was a sharp writer of reportage and sketches. He worked as an editor and was in charge of the editorial office for many major newspapers such as Cứu Quốc, Văn Nghệ and Tạp chí Tác phẩm mới. His journalistic style was simple, easy to understand and profound, strongly coloured by everyday life yet not lacking in philosophical quality. He wrote from real life with deep observation, always writing about what he had lived, witnessed and felt deeply.
Works and awards
Tô Hoài left a vast legacy of more than 100 works in many genres: short stories, serial fiction, memoirs, film scripts, essays and reflections on the craft of writing. His last two works were the memoirs Cát bụi chân ai and Ba người khác. He was awarded the Hồ Chí Minh Prize for Literature and Art in 1996 for the works: Xóm giếng, Nhà nghèo, O Chuột, Dế Mèn phiêu lưu ký, Núi Cứu quốc, Truyện Tây Bắc, Mười năm, Xuống làng, Vợ chồng A Phủ, Tuổi Trẻ Hoàng Văn Thụ.
Death
The writer Tô Hoài died at midday on 6-7-2014 in Hà Nội, at the age of 94.