Professor Phong Le: 'We need to correctly recognize the characteristics and personalities of Nghe people'

(Baonghean) - The older people get, the more they want to find ways to explain the successes and failures of their lives, especially to learn and summarize the factors and reasons that have made their lives unique. Those are also the thoughts that Professor Phong Le - former Director of the Institute of Literature shared with reporters when talking about his hometown and his life. Besides, he also had very interesting shares about Nghe people and Nghe character.

PV:As a son of Nghe An who left his hometown more than 60 years ago, he always looked back to his hometown. So could you please share a few things about your hometown and family at the time when you were living there?

Professor Phong Le:I was born in Son Tra commune, Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province, a poor countryside, not in the central region. People in the commune live mainly on agriculture, because of the many mountains and hills surrounding, the land for production is also limited. Compared to other communes in Huong Son district, my commune does not have a tradition of studying and passing exams. Everything here is not outstanding, it is just so peaceful in the tranquility of the mountains and rivers.

My grandfather was a ninth-rank mandarin, so my father also studied a little Confucianism and Western studies and worked as a teacher in the village. My mother was also the only child of a well-off family in the village, so she also had a lot of education. Because she was the descendant of families whose previous generations were landlords and rich farmers, even though her parents were not from that class, they still faced many difficulties during the land reform. I was lucky to be born into a family of teachers, so I was able to study well from a young age and had the conditions to pursue higher education.

Professor Phong Le.

PV:People often talk about the people of Nghe An, about the unique and distinctive features of Nghe An people. This story has been told for decades, but it has never ended because each person always has an answer. For you, what is the most unique and distinctive feature of Nghe An people that distinguishes them from people from other regions?

Professor Phong Le:Speaking of Nghe people in general, people think of a resilient, brave revolutionary spirit and not retreating before the enemy. Nghe people are also hard-working, diligent and studious people. However, when talking about Nghe people, people also think of the image of "crazy scholars", that is, talking about the more elite class of Nghe.

The Nghe scholar with the image of the wooden fish is also a symbol of the studious spirit, also a symbol of stubbornness. I think stubbornness is not something bad, it is a typical personality of the Nghe people, it is the arrogance of the scholar, of the educated. The Nghe people are stubborn and stubborn but are loved by many people because they are also straightforward, straightforward and sometimes generous, not calculating their own benefits.

In general, Nghe people have many characteristics such as resilience, courage, patriotism, high revolutionary spirit, diligence, hard work, generosity, frankness, loyalty... But if I had to choose, I think the most typical characteristics of Nghe people are studiousness, stubbornness, arrogance, based on talent and kindness, and are highly respected by people from other regions.

PV:Nghe An is a common cultural region, which also includes Nghe An and Ha Tinh. Do you see any differences between these two sub-regions? And how are they different?

Professor Phong Le:In the general characteristics of Nghe people mentioned above, if we look more narrowly, people in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces also have different traits. The biggest difference is that Nghe An people are more resilient, strong, and straightforward, so they often fall into extremes and rigidity. This quality is a strength in revolutions when people are willing to sacrifice to fight, but in the process of building, perseverance and patience are needed, but they encounter difficulties.

Therefore, Nghe An people are better at revolution, have more revolutionary leaders. Meanwhile, Ha Tinh people are softer, gentler and more flexible. They still persist in the path they have chosen but their way of doing things is more skillful, so Ha Tinh people are better at doing things in cultural fields, have more people successful in cultural activities, literature and art.

If we take an image that can be considered typical of Nghe people, neutralizing the qualities of both provinces, it is Nguyen Cong Tru: talented, arrogant but also gentle, flexible, accepting of ups and downs...

PV:You have said many times that your hometown and family have shaped you. So, what are the biggest influences of your hometown and family on your life and career of literary research and criticism?

Professor Phong Le:Born and raised in Nghe An, I think I have some typical qualities of Nghe people such as diligence, eagerness to learn, tolerance for hardship, and sometimes wanting to break out of normal frameworks. But those qualities could have made me go in a different direction if I had not been born into a family with a father who was a teacher and loved literature and read many books since childhood.

One important thing that has greatly influenced my life of literary research is the influence of teachers and seniors in this field that I pursue. When I entered the first course of Literature at Hanoi University of Science, I learned from many good teachers who were also from Nghe An such as Professor Cao Xuan Huy, Professor Dang Thai Mai, researcher Hoai Thanh...

Upon graduating, by chance I became the only student at that time to be accepted to work at the Institute of Literature led by Professor Dang Thai Mai and Hoai Thanh. It was these teachers who inspired me to pursue the path of researching modern Vietnamese literature. Every step I took was always accompanied by teachers and colleagues from Nghe An. The directors of the Institute of Literature, from Professor Dang Thai Mai, to poet Hoang Trung Thong, then Professor Hoang Trinh and me, were all from Nghe An. And recently, when the Kieu Studies Association was established, I joined the association's Executive Committee.

For the past 2 years, I have been entrusted with the task of being the President of the Association to continue researching the cultural celebrity Nguyen Du and the Tale of Kieu. Looking back at the age of 80, I see that although I have not lived in my hometown much, everything I have devoted my whole life to has the shadow of my hometown Nghe An and the Nghe An people.

PV:He was talking about the positive impact of the traditions of his homeland and the people of Nghe An on his life. However, not everyone can stand or accept the arrogance and foolishness of the Nghe scholars. So, sir, is there a time when the Nghe personality in you has caused difficulties for your work?

Despite his old age, Professor Phong Le is still diligently writing and researching. Photo: Thien Trang

Professor Phong Le:Life is like that. When there are people who like them, there will also be people who hate them. Some people accept them, but there are also people who refuse to accept them. Those who love Nghe people also have something assertive, a bit stubborn like Nghe people. I think that people everywhere will always have people who hate them and people who love them. What is important is how you behave and live to feel comfortable, still maintain your own qualities and still do well the work assigned to you. Nghe people are always brave people, want to go first, take the lead in everything, even dangerous and arduous things. They do not shirk their duties and are also ready to take responsibility for what they do. But whatever you do, you need to know your limits to achieve the best results. I always think that way about my work. And that is also a part of who I am, not too extreme in everything.

PV:In your opinion, should we continue to preserve and promote the unique characteristics of Nghe people in this era of integration? And how should we promote it?

Professor Phong Le:The personality of local and regional people is something that is not easy to give up. And it is even more impossible to give up the personality of Nghe people when it brings many good qualities such as studiousness, diligence, hard work, endurance, courage, resilience... However, everything has a downside, and the downside of Nghe people is that they are prone to extremism, easily forming factions according to localism. Integration means participating in a big playground, having to accept common rules, common things and thus having to adjust our own personality accordingly. We show our personality in moderation so that many parties can accept each other. If we are too mechanical and extreme, it will be easy to isolate ourselves among many people and then it will be difficult to do anything. We have to re-perceive the characteristics and personality of Nghe people, thereby promoting the positive aspects, while limiting its negative aspects for development. We need to integrate to develop, to enrich our homeland and our country, but in the process of development, we must also preserve the good qualities of the people of Nghe An.

PV:Thank you very much Professor!

Thien Trang

(Perform)