Nguyen Quoc Anh, a poet who knows his own strength

(Baonghean) - Poet Nguyen Quoc Anh, from Duc Bui commune, Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh province. Member of the Vietnam Writers Association. He was a member of the Executive Committee of the Nghe An Literature and Arts Association, terms VI and VII. He published 9 poetry collections and 2 prose collections, and won the B and C prizes of the Ho Xuan Huong Literature and Arts Award (Nghe An). He passed away on January 7, 2012...

I still remember the afternoon at the end of 1973, Nguyen Quoc Anh visited the Basic Construction Department - Ha Tinh Department of Culture

Poet Nguyen Quoc Anh

I was gullible and fun-loving, so after listening to Quoc Anh's sweet talk, I agreed to join the Literature and Arts Association.

After finishing the Nguyen Du writing training course, I made up all kinds of excuses to return the position of Chief of the Association's Office to Nguyen Quoc Anh. It took him five or seven times to accept it back. At that time, the cadres in their 20s rarely thought about titles, being a cadre, and being a cadre of culture and arts was already quite impressive. Once I asked Nguyen Quoc Anh: "Have you gained anything in the past half year from the Nguyen Du writing training course?" Nguyen Quoc Anh said: "Oh my, every student showed off their knowledge, so the teachers were just being perfunctory! There were famous students like Pham Tien Duat, To Ngoc Hien, Le Minh Khue... sitting below, so teachers Xuan Dieu and Nguyen Xuan Sanh were not foolish enough to wave their hands and feet! Especially the principal - poet Nguyen Xuan Sanh, whenever he had the opportunity, he thoroughly emphasized: We writers must always have a red thread running through it"! What do you think, every monster has a "red thread"! As for literature, as Xuan Dieu said, no one can teach anyone, not even experience. Many people are well-versed in the past and present, but can they write a single decent sentence?

I know the poem "My Battlefield", composed by Nguyen Quoc Anh during his time attending Nguyen Du's writing training class, is the best poem in his poetry career.

Father died because of them

Restless

Grave like helmet

Take to the sky!

There I will return to build a battlefield.

The grave covers one side for me!

But this poem was a child of unfortunate fate, and had to go through ups and downs for nearly 15 years before it had the chance to be published in its own poetry collection! And it was also this poem that poet Nguyen Trong Tao successfully defended the nomination of Nguyen Quoc Anh to the Writers' Association later!

Poet Nguyen Trong Tao said: In the Poetry Council meeting of the Vietnam Writers Association that year, he nominated Nguyen Quoc Anh to be on the list of proposals for the Executive Committee to consider admission. Poet Pham Tien Duat asked Nguyen Trong Tao, “What is Nguyen Quoc Anh’s poetry like? Let me give you an example of a poem.” Nguyen Trong Tao read the poem “My Battlefield”. After listening, everyone agreed!

It must be said that Nguyen Quoc Anh is one of the people who has the qualities and talent to be an office manager... In real life, he is a romantic, carefree person, but at work, he is a careful and meticulous person.

The Ha Tinh Literature and Arts Association at that time also had its own headquarters and seal, but all activities were under the Department of Culture, following the model of two houses sharing one alley. The Association's office staff at that time was only three people (Nguyen Quoc Anh, Chinh Tam, Tung Bach), but with Nguyen Quoc Anh's eloquence, the Association had 7 staff members and was able to launch the Ha Tinh Literature and Arts magazine to replace the previous La River magazine of the Ha Tinh Department of Culture.

In 1976, the two provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh merged into Nghe Tinh, and we moved our pots, pans, and boxes to Vinh. After more than a year, the internal situation of the Nghe Tinh Literature and Arts Association had a “problem” regarding solidarity! Some of us asked to transfer jobs one by one! Nguyen Quoc Anh was chosen by Tran Huu Thung to be introduced to the Vietnam Feature Film Studio as Deputy Director of the film “That Day on the Lam River”. So Nguyen Quoc Anh suddenly had a “position”.

I remember once he invited me to Nghi Xuan to buy a thatched house for a movie. The thing is, in the movie “That Day on the Lam River” there was a scene of burning down a house to rob, so when the scene came, he told me to burn it! A house is for living in, but for burning it, the cheaper the better!

I asked: "You are the Deputy Director of Film, so what is your specific job?" Nguyen Quoc Anh shook his neck and laughed: The position of Deputy Director of Film sounds impressive, but in reality, it's just a bunch of errands, man! For example, if they need the role of a newspaper boy, I'll find and introduce them to Le Ham's kid, if they need the role of a "crier", I'll find Danh who sells herbal medicine at Vinh Railway Station market, if they need a blue-eyed, long-nosed guy to play a Westerner, I'll find Minh to cut his hair in Pho Chau town... In short, being a Deputy Director of Film is like that, it's mainly for fun, there's no need for punctuation, moreover, this is a film about the Soviets of Nghe Tinh, the script is by Tran Huu Thung! The good thing is that I have the opportunity to travel to many places, to know the places I need to know, that's also very profitable!

In 1991, Nghe - Tinh was split into two provinces - Nguyen Quoc Anh did not return to Ha Tinh but stayed in Nghe An.

He participated in two executive sessions of the Nghe An Literature and Arts Association, term VI and term VII, as Head of the Association's membership committee.

In 1996, Nguyen Quoc Anh had to have 3/4 of his stomach removed, so all his activities had to follow the doctor's instructions. He gave up alcohol, only keeping the habit of occasionally sipping a couple of pipes of tobacco. He said that from childhood until now, he had never owed anyone a penny, but at the end of his life, he had to owe blood! He had a stomach tumor and had to have it removed, but unfortunately, he did not lack money but he was also anemic! So he had to rely on blood donations from students! No one asked for this debt, but he still had to remember it! I know he paid that debt through poetry, and with all the efforts of the rest of his life!

In 2008, God punished him again. This time, he had to have his liver removed! When I visited him occasionally, I often joked to make him happy: You should hurry up and write a collection and not write anything more! A poet's essence is his liver and intestines, but you have had your heart, liver, heart, and lungs almost completely removed, right? Nguyen Quoc Anh shook his neck and laughed: You only know how to say the right thing, for a long time you have only focused on playing and have not written or done anything else. Try to complete the previous things and then write a collection, and consider it done! Oh, have you heard my new manifesto?

Talent? I don't have it.

Mind? Cut it off.

Liver has only one leaf left

One kidney is atrophied.

Stomach - throw away three parts

My stomach is empty now

Only love remains

For Me and for You!

Yes, maybe he is not talented, but try to be in his situation and see how many people are as optimistic and love life as him? Life is sometimes thought to be like that but it is not! In times of peace, Nguyen Quoc Anh also consoles himself with optimistic pride.

What they have, we don't have

They want to be like me, just a dream

(Self-comfort)

He fully understands the human condition in this life, who are friends and soul mates: "When you leave, how many friends / When you return, how many people remain / Who left you and died / Who let go of the pole?"

"Mood" is his favorite poem, expressing his decisive and resolute attitude towards life:

My hands grow peaches

My hand chops peach

My hand put the peach branch into the vase

My hand - still my hand

Throw peach branches out in the alley!

Having fun is the nature of a writer. Nguyen Quoc Anh also has the qualities of someone who likes to organize and lead fun events, especially he has the ability to create a playground for many people, even when he has to physically "walk lightly, speak softly", he still tries his best with his passionate enthusiasm, rushing back and forth to establish the Vinh City Literature and Arts Association, take care of the headquarters, and manage money to publish the Literature and Arts magazine. He deserves to be appreciated by his literary and artistic friends in Vinh City!

He once compared himself to a lightning rod:

Lightning strikes the lightning rod

Lightning rod calmly takes it all

Five floors of peace.

Five floors of peace

Forgot the lightning rod on the roof!

Pine and Cypress

(Vinh City)