Reading literature that gives chills down the spine, a unique specialty of Phan Thi Vang Anh

From left to right: Dr. Nguyen Thi Hau, writer Huynh Trong Khang, critic Le Hong Lam share with readers - Photo: HO LAM

On the morning of March 23, at the Saturday Coffee Culture Salon, a talk about the book Ti's Story by writer Phan Thi Vang Anh took place. The speakers of the program were critic Le Hong Lam, Dr. Nguyen Thi Hau, and writer Huynh Trong Khang.

Writer Phan Thi Vang Anh is no longer a strange name to Vietnamese readers. She is the daughter of poet Che Lan Vien and writer Vu Thi Thuong. Her short story collection - essay Story of Ti's house (and stories of many other houses) has just been released, marking the return of Phan Thi Vang Anh after nearly 10 years of absence from the literary world.

Keep it short and sweet

Before discussing Ti's Story in depth, the speakers did not forget to mention the mark of the short story collection When People Are Young by Phan Thi Vang Anh. The work has affirmed her name in the contemporary Vietnamese literary world.

Critic Le Hong Lam recalled that he used to read the dreamy pages of Hoa Hoc Tro and Muc Tim newspapers, but when he switched to reading Vang Anh's writing, he immediately felt overwhelmed.

Because at that time, her writing was also about young people, but it was sharper and more introspective.

"When People Are Young truly reflects the thoughts, feelings and emotions of young people in a period of social turmoil. Reading When People Are Young, Fair , we can see that Phan Thi Vang Anh's style was shaped at that time.

She was arguably the most famous author at that time along with Phan Trieu Hai and Nguyen Thi Thu Hue, but her writing was still sharp, concise, succinct, profound and full of contemplation," said Mr. Lam.

In Ti's Family Story , the story of the maid's worries moved Mr. Lam a lot. The story is about a grandmother who has 3 children and 6 grandchildren. It seems like it would be a lot of fun, but her relationship with them gradually becomes cold even though she raised them to adulthood.

"Then she suddenly passed away. The maid cried until her eyes were swollen because she had been with her for so long. She was left alone like this..." - The maid's worries (Phan Thi Vang Anh).

The story reminded Mr. Lam of the famous Thai movie - Grandma's Legacy: "When reading, I felt sorry for the ingratitude in family relationships of some people and felt more deeply about life and humanity. And I saw that the love of mothers and grandmothers for their children and grandchildren is sometimes only one-sided."

Le Hong Lam discusses Phan Thi Vang Anh's literary style - Video: HO LAM

Sharp but still has a warm woman's look

According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Hau, unlike her first works, although Ti's Story still retains its sharpness, it seems to express the warm, compassionate perspective of a woman who has had many children.

The book Ti's family story (and stories of many other families) is the latest work of writer Phan Thi Vang Anh - Photo: HO LAM

"The story of the grandmother in The Maid's Worries also shows us the loose connection between generations of grandparents, parents, and children.

I think young people today reading Phan Thi Vang Anh's latest collection of stories will sympathize more with their parents.

Sometimes because we are busy and under a lot of pressure in life, we forget about their feelings" - Ms. Hau shared her feelings.

According to the speakers, Phan Thi Vang Anh has a very unique way of telling stories: no philosophy, no lecturing, no judging who is right or wrong.

Reading Ti's Story, we may feel a little embarrassed, secretly smile, and feel guilty because in those stories there seems to be our own shadow.

Ti's family stories (and many other family stories) are simply everyday stories: going back to the countryside, holidays, marriage, divorce, becoming a daughter-in-law, raising children... but they bring a lot of thoughts. Above all, it reminds us that everyone struggles with stories like that every day.

Phan Thi Vang Anh is known for her subtle, profound writing style, often exploring everyday aspects of life.

Her first work was the short story collection When People Are Young , which caused a big stir and was translated and published in France under the name Quand on est jeune . In addition, she also used the pen name Thao Hao to write essays and cultural criticism in newspapers.

Phan Thi Vang Anh has received many literary awards, including the Vietnam Writers Association Award in 1993 for the story collection When People Are Young and the Hanoi Writers Association Award in 2007 for the poetry collection Gui VB .

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