Portrait of poet, scriptwriter and reporter Văn Thảo Nguyên. — Photo sggp.org.vn

HCM CITY —  Poet and scriptwriter Văn Thảo Nguyên, former deputy-in-chief of Lâm Đồng newspaper, has died in Bình Dương Province. He was 90.  

Nguyên was born in 1930 in Hà Tây (now Hà Nội). He joined the Việt Nam People’s Army when he was 17. He took part in the Hồ Chí Minh Campaign in 1975. 

Beginning his career in the 1950s, he wrote poems and short stories for newspapers and magazines, including the Military Arts magazine of Hà Nội.

In 1965, he won first prize for Best Work at a poetry contest launched by Văn Nghệ (Literature & Arts) newspaper.

His poem, Đường Lên Bản Muối (Way to Muối Village), features his memories and love for the culture and lifestyle of ethnic minority people in the North.     

With his romantic and simple style in writing, Nguyên quickly became a bright star in the country’s literature.

His poems featuring Vietnamese characters were used in theatrical plays and printed in many books by leading publishers.   

Two of his featured poettry collections are Nhặt Những Hạt Rơi (Memories of Love) and Lời Nguyện (The Prayer), released in 2011-12.

He also worked as a scriptwriter for the Việt Nam Film Studio. His works were filmed by veteran directors such as Lê Văn Duy and Hồng Sến who produced canonical works in Vietnamese revolutionary film.

In the 1970s and 80s, he worked as a reporter in Lâm Đồng Province and HCM City. He also worked for several newspapers, magazines, literature & arts institutes and universities. — VNS