Luu Quang Vu and Xuan Quynh

A documentary about late Vietnamese playwright Luu Quang Vu and his wife, Xuan Quynh, will be broadcast by Viet Nam Television on the 20th anniversary of their death next Monday.

Vu was born in the northern province of Phu Tho, although his father, playwright Luu Quang Thuan, emanated from the central province of Quang Nam. Vu’s literary work was enriched by memories of his childhood.

Later, he served as a soldier in the American War from 1965-1970, when his poems began to gain recognition. But it was later in the 1980s that he became a celebrated poet, writing about life in the post-war period and during the progress of national renewal in the late 1980s.

His dramas, short stories and poems were charactised by their gritty realism and great humanity. He wrote some 50 dramas, many of which earned high literary acclaim.

He was married to poetess Xuan Quynh, whose poem Song (Wave) became standard reading material in secondary schools.

The couple died in a car crash in 1988 when travelling from Hai Phong City back to their home in Hanoi. Their 12-year-old son was also killed in the accident. The country’s two highest awards: the Ho Chi Minh Prize and State Prize were posthumously given to Vu in 2000 and Quynh in 2001.

The documentary, which is being co-produced by Viet Nam Television and Vu’s family, opens in Phu Tho Province and ends with footage of the 9sq.m room at No 96, Hue Street, in Hanoi, where the couple lived.

The documentary took three months to film and takes in Phu Tho, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Due to the scarcity of film-footage or photos of the couple, six minutes of footage taken by Nguyen Thuoc during the couple’s funeral is being shown.

Nguyen Thuoc and Bui Tuan directed the documentary.

"It can’t believe that Vu and Quynh didn’t leave any documentation about themselves. They were absorbed in living, working, and loving. They forgot about preserving their images. Only the memories of their relatives, friends, colleagues and readers remain," said Thuoc.

These people appear in the documentary and relate anecdotes of the couple, he said. They were good friends of artists Trong Khoi, Le Hung and Doan Dung. Hai Phong-based actor Manh Tuong, the last person to ever speak to the poets, will recount memories of working with Vu in Hai Phong City.

The documentary also focuses on the important part played by Quynh in Vu’s life and career. She was older than her husband by six years but was a passionate and patient lover who nurtured Vu’s talent.

Film-makers have also contacted Vu’s previous lovers. The character "Unnamed Woman", who appears in a number of Vu’s poems, will have her identity revealed in the film, said Tuan.

"We met painter Nguyen Thi Hien in Ho Chi Minh City and were shown hand-written drafts of poems which were given to her by Vu. Hien was a great source of inspiration for Vu in the poems Gui Nguoi Dan Ba Khong Ten 1; 2; 3 (Send To Unnamed Woman 1; 2; 3)," said Tuan.

The documentary, which is entitled Luu Quang Vu - Xuan Quynh Gui Lai (Memories of Luu Quang Vu - Xuan Quynh), was screened at the Vietnam Literature and Arts Union on Monday.

The day before its television debut next Monday, the book Luu Quang Vu – Di Cao (Luu Quang Vu – Posthumous Manuscript) will be launched by Lao Dong and Phuong Nam Publishing House.

In addition, on Thursday night Vu’s work will be performed by representatives of the Ha Noi Cheo Theatre, the Military Drama Troupe, the Youth Theatre and the Hai Phong Cheo Theatre at the Youth Theatre in the capital.

The Vietnam Writers’ Association and the Vietnam Stage Artists’ Association also plan to hold a commemoration service for Vu and his wife next Friday in Hanoi.(VNS)