Khái Hưng Explained
Trần Khánh Giư, pen-name Khái Hưng (1896 in Cổ Am village, Vĩnh Bảo, Hải Phòng - 17 November 1947 in Cựa Gà, Xuân Trường) was a Vietnamese novelist, a pro-independence but non-communist intellectual.
As a boy he studied at the Lycée Albert Sarraut in Hanoi. From 1933 he was part of the new Tự Lực Văn Đoàn "Self-Strengthening Literary Group" with editor Nhất Linh and his novels were first serialized in the group's magazines before being published as books. Just as Nhất Linh was a pen name ("One-Zero" 壹零) Giu briefly adopted the pen name Nhị Linh ("Two-Zero" 貳零).
In 1941, as a member of Nhat Linh's Dai Viet Democratic Party (DVDC) he was arrested by the French, along with the artist Nguyễn Gia Trí.[1]
He was captured by the Việt Minh in the Lạc Quần, Trực Ninh area, then executed at Cựa Gà on 17 November 1947.[2]
Works
His novels were written in a style influenced by social realism, and were critical of many aspects of traditional Vietnamese society.[3]
Novels
- Hồn bướm mơ tiên (1933)
- Ðời mưa gió (with Nhất Linh, 1933)
- Nửa Chừng Xuân (1934)
- Gánh hàng hoa (with Nhất Linh, 1934)
- Trống mái (1936)
- Gia đình (1936)
- Tiêu sơn tráng sĩ (1937)
- Thoát ly (1938)
- Hạnh (1938)
- Ðẹp (1940)
- Thanh Ðức (1942)
Collections of Stories
- Anh phải sống (with Nhất Linh, 1934)
- Tiếng suối reo (1935)
- Ðợi chờ (1940)
- Cái ve (1944)
Notes and References
- Imperial Japan and National Identities in Asia, 1895–1945 - Page 227 Li Narangoa, R. B. Cribb - 2003 "In 1941, well known members of the DVDC (Hoang Dao, Khai Hung and Nguyen Gia Tri) were arrested by the French "
- Virtual lotus: modern fiction of Southeast Asia - Page 278 Teri Shaffer Yamada - 2002 "Khai Hung (1896–1947) is the pen name of Tran Khanh Giu, a cofounder (along with Nhat Linh) of the powerful Self-Reliance ... In 1947, while fleeing for safety to his wife's village, he was captured by the Viet Minh and died at Gua Ga in Nam Dinh "
- Vietnamese short stories: an introduction James Banerian - 1986 "In 1947 while fleeing for safety to his wife's village, Khai Hung was captured by the Viet Minh and murdered at Cua Ga, in Nam Dinh province. A bold intellectual, Khai Hung often challenged the very roots of traditional Vietnamese society."
