Introduction
Tố Hữu (birth name Nguyễn Kim Thành) was born in 1920 in Quảng Thọ commune, Quảng Điền district, Thừa Thiên Huế province, into a family with a revolutionary tradition. He is known as a representative poet of Vietnamese revolutionary poetry, and also as a senior leader on the ideological and cultural front of the Party.
Early years and turning point
Orphaned by his mother early, at the age of 13 he entered Quốc học Huế School, where his poetic soul and revolutionary ideals were nurtured. At 16, he joined the Communist Youth League and became a leader of the Democratic Youth League in Huế. In 1937, he joined the Indochinese Communist Party. The poem Từ ấy was written at this time, marking the meeting of youthful aspirations and revolutionary ideals.
Period of imprisonment and secret activities
In April 1939, he was arrested by the French colonialists and went through the prisons of Thừa Phủ, Lao Bảo, Ban Mê Thuột, Đắk Lay. In prison, he continued to compose revolutionary poetry. In March 1942, he escaped from prison to Huế, then went to Hà Nội and secretly entered Thanh Hóa to rebuild revolutionary bases. In 1945, he served as Chairman of the Thừa Thiên Huế Uprising Committee. From 1947, he was assigned to Việt Bắc, in charge of cultural and literary work in the Propaganda Department.
Leadership career and ideological work
From the 1950s, he participated in the Central Committee and the Secretariat (1958-1980), and was a member of the Politburo from 1976 to 1986. He held important responsibilities: Head of the Propaganda Department, Head of the Science and Education Department, Head of the Reunification Department, Head of the Agriculture Department, Director of the Nguyễn Ái Quốc Party School, Permanent Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Propaganda, ideological and cultural work was his long-term, main field of activity with many contributions.
Poetry career
Tố Hữu's poetic path is tied to the historical line of the nation's revolutionary struggle, through the poetry collections: Từ ấy, Việt Bắc, Gió lộng, Ra trận, Máu và hoa. His poetry portrays brave youths such as Lượm, the hearts of Vietnamese Heroic Mothers in Bầm ơi, Bà Bủ, Bà mẹ Việt Bắc, Mẹ Tơm, Mẹ Suốt, Bà má Hậu Giang, along with portraits of outstanding sons and daughters such as heroine Trần Thị Lý and Nguyễn Văn Trỗi. He is also known for his verses about the Party and President Hồ Chí Minh.
Honors
He is honored as the poet of the revolution, the poet of the people, the fighting flag of revolutionary poetry. He was awarded the Gold Star Order and the Hồ Chí Minh Prize. In his 82 years of life, he had nearly 70 years of relentless revolutionary activity.