Painter Nguyen To Canh presents portrait of writer and martyr Nam Cao

Also attending were comrade Tran Huu Nghia - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper. Representing the local government were comrade Dinh Cong Tan - Vice Chairman of Ly Nhan District People's Committee, along with leaders of the Department of Culture, the District Cultural Center and Hoa Hau Commune.

Writer and martyr Nam Cao's real name is Tran Huu Tri, born in 1915, in Dai Hoang village, Cao Da commune, Nam Xang district, Ly Nhan prefecture; now Hoa Hau commune, Ly Nhan district, Ha Nam province.

Writer Nam Cao is one of the outstanding writers of Vietnamese realist literature from 1930 to 1945. During the resistance war against the French colonialists, he became a soldier on the cultural and ideological front of the Party.

Writer Nam Cao died on November 30, 1951, in Gia Tran commune, Gia Vien district, Ninh Binh province while on duty. In 1998, the grave of writer and martyr Nam Cao was moved from Gia Vien, Ninh Binh province to his hometown in Hoa Hau commune, Ly Nhan district, Ha Nam province.

In 15 years of writing, writer Nam Cao has left behind a large legacy of writings including 2 novels, more than 50 short stories, and memoirs. The complete works of Nam Cao, consisting of 1,400 pages, were completed in 1999.

To acknowledge and express gratitude for the contributions of writer and martyr Nam Cao to the cause of national liberation and the country's literature, the Party and State posthumously awarded him many noble titles and awards such as: First Class Resistance Medal (1964); Ho Chi Minh Prize (first term) in 1996 for the works: Diary in the Forest, Eyes, Chi Pheo, Midnight (short story) and Living in oblivion (novel); the title of Revolutionary Veteran;...

With the tradition of “Filial piety and charity”, “When drinking water, remember its source” and expressing gratitude and respect for the sacrifices and contributions of writer and martyr Nam Cao for the independence and freedom of the Fatherland, for the happiness of the People, Nghe An artist Nguyen To Canh has taken the trouble to search for many sources of documents, articles, images and spent a lot of time researching and restoring the portrait of writer and martyr Nam Cao with oil on canvas material that is durable for hundreds of years.

The ceremony to present the portrait of writer and martyr Nam Cao was solemnly and movingly held at the writer's Memorial Area in his hometown on the afternoon of July 23 with the presence of district and commune leaders and local people, on the occasion of the 77th anniversary of War Invalids and Martyrs Day.

Painter Nguyen To Canh hopes that the portrait of writer and martyr Nam Cao will contribute to enriching the artifacts displayed at the Nam Cao Tomb and Memorial Site, established in 2004 and receiving the National Historical Relic Certificate in October 2023.

Through this act of gratitude, we honor the dedication and contributions of writer and martyr Nam Cao; at the same time, we contribute to promoting the profound ideological and artistic values ​​of the writer. Through this act of gratitude, the artist wishes to contribute to educating revolutionary traditions, promoting patriotism, consolidating and fostering faith in the revolutionary cause that the Party, Uncle Ho and our people have chosen.