The writer plows the field
(Baonghean.vn) In 1957 and 1958, there was a policy to organize artists to go to the localities and live with manual laborers to learn about reality in order to increase their life experiences for creation.
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Writer Dao Vu |
Like real farmers, Dao Vu and his colleagues participated in plowing, harvesting, bailing water, making green manure, building dikes... with the villagers. Dao Vu also had a score book, with the cover written: "Score book of new member Dao Vu". Scores were recorded daily, signed by the production team leader or the labor group in which he participated.
Dao Vu said: “There were days when I only got 1 point for working on the water wheel, because I was tall and had long legs, and the wheel was designed for people of average height. But there were also days when I worked on green manure and got up to 10 points.” He also helped people in Hanoi buy farming tools, then hired a car to take them back to their hometowns. Once, people were surprised to see writer Dao Vu sitting on an open car in the middle of a Hanoi street, next to him were plowshares, scythes, shovels, hoes, harrows...
After those trips, Dao Vu wrote two novels: The Brick Yard and The Winter Rice Field, which were once famous, with the main character, old Am, based on the landlord named Tu, with whom the author spent time. Many other characters were also based on Vu La!
Pham Dinh An
