Nguyễn Đình Thi Explained

Nguyễn Đình Thi
Birth Date:20 December 1924
Birth Place:Luang Prabang, Laos
Death Place:Hanoi, Vietnam
Awards:Ho Chi Minh Prize

Nguyễn Đình Thi (20 December 1924 – 18 April 2003) was a famous Vietnamese writer, poet and composer, most notable for writing, the song that became the official daily theme tune of the Voice of Vietnam.[1]

Biography

He was born on 20 December 1924, in Luang Prabang, Laos. His home, Vũ Thạch Village, is now known as Bà Triệu street, Tràng Tiền ward, Hoàn Kiếm District, Hanoi, Vietnam. His father was an official in the Indochina Post Office, who moved to Laos to work.

He came back to Vietnam in 1931, to study in Haiphong City and joined the Youth Rescue nation in 1941. He belonged to the generation of artists who were involved in the French defeat in the 1950s. He wrote essays on philosophy, poetry, music and drama.

After the August Revolution (1945), Nguyễn Đình Thi became the general secretary of the national culture association. From 1958 to 1989 he was secretary of the Vietnamese Writers association. From 1995, he was chairman of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Art Association. In 1996, he received the Ho Chi Minh Prize for literature. He died on 18 April 2003, in Hanoi.[2]

In 1951 he met the French poet Madeleine Riffaud in Berlin at an international meeting of youth for peace. She fell in love with him and moved in with him when he was minister of culture in Vietnam, but then had to leave the country. Their subsequent long-distance relationship lasted for 50 years.[3]

Works

Philosophy

Musical compositions

Novels

Essays

Poems

Plays

Memory

A street along the southern bank of the West Lake (Hanoi) was named after Nguyễn Đình Thi since 2015.[10]

In 2020, writer Nguyễn Đình Chính – a son of writer Nguyễn Đình Thi – established the Nguyễn Đình Thi Prize for Art and Literature, covering many fields that Nguyễn Đình Thi has devoted himself to, including literature, music, theater, fine arts, and art criticism, mainly for authors who have made many contributions to the country and rising young talents.[11]

Notes and References

  1. John Shepherd Continuum encyclopedia of popular music of the world. Continuum Publishing 2005 Volumes 3–7 p229 "Songs like Người Hà Nội (People of Hanoi 1947) by Nguyễn Đình Thi" and Tiến về Hà Nội (Advancing back to Hanoi) by Văn Cao expressed a longed for victorious return to the capital."
  2. Web site: The 95th birthday of musician Nguyễn Đình Thi . baohaiduong.vn . 7 December 2021.
  3. News: Anizon . Emmanuelle . 22 July 2018 . A Life on the Front Line . 15 November 2024. Jacobin . en.
  4. Web site: Celebrating birthday of writer Nguyễn Đình Thi . hoinhacsi.vn . 15 December 2021.
  5. Web site: The song go along the timeline – Annihilate Fascist . bcdcnt.net . 29 November 2021.
  6. Web site: The untold story about the song "Annihilate Fascist" of composer Nguyễn Đình Thi . vov.vn . 29 November 2021.
  7. Web site: The song go along the timeline – People of Hanoi . bcdcnt.net . 30 November 2021.
  8. Web site: Country – NGUYỄN ĐÌNH THI . nhandan.vn . 19 December 2021.
  9. Web site: Nguyễn Trãi ở Đông Quan . dtv-ebook.com . 12 December 2023.
  10. Web site: Two streets have named after writer Nguyễn Đình Thi and musician Trịnh Công Sơn . vnexpress.net . 17 December 2021.
  11. Web site: Nguyễn Đình Thi Prize for Art and Literature . baoquangngai.vn . 30 April 2022.