Writer Chu Lai: The father of "Red Rain" and things that have never been told

Writer Chu Lai with his birth name Chu Van Lai, was born in 1946 in Hung Dao commune, Phu Tien district (formerly) and currently Tien Lu commune, Hung Yen province.

He was born into a family with artistic traditions, his father was the playwright Hoc Phi, one of the famous writers of revolutionary literature. From a young age, writer Chu Lai was soon exposed to the art and dramas full of political theories of his father, but that childhood did not last long because at that time the country was engulfed in the smoke of war.

When he had just entered his youth, he joined the army but did not choose the leisurely path but became a commando soldier directly operating in the suburbs of Saigon - the most fierce place in the anti-American years. The fierce battles, the minutes close to life and death have forged a brave and shaggy Chu Lai soldier, but also full of emotions and aspirations to live.

At the end of 1974, he attended the literary writing camp of the General Department of Politics, then continued to study at the Nguyen Du Writing School, the first course. From a commando soldier who lived in bombs and bullets, writer Chu Lai holds a pen with abundant living capital from the reality of the battlefield.

After graduating, he worked at the Military Literature and Art Magazine, where many great writers of revolutionary literature converged. This was the launching pad that helped him officially become a professional writer, and at the same time it was the place where he began his journey of nearly half a century of attachment to the topic of soldiers and the revolutionary war.

Right from the first works such as "Sunshine Plain" (1978) or "February Night" (1979), writer Chu Lai has affirmed his own style.

By the beginning of the 21st century, writer Chu Lai continued to assert his position with a series of massive novels.

But perhaps the highest peak in Chu Lai's career is "Red Rain" (2016). The novel, which he himself considers to be his "last brainchild", has been cherished for many years.

Creative journey and top-notch work "Red Rain"

"Red Rain" is a top-notch novel, full of tragedy. The idea for this work was cherished by writer Chu Lai from his travels across Vietnam with his partner Vu Thi Hong. Every year, he visits Quang Tri, sitting quietly for hours in the Ancient Citadel, to feel the sacred space, where the blood of his comrades has blended in the rain, making the whole battlefield red. From that haunting image, the name "Red Rain" was born.

Writing "Red Rain" is an arduous and costly journey for him for three years through many writing camps. He once confided: "I wrote this book as if it were the last book of my life, all my memories, all my flesh and blood, my youth poured into every page of the book."

In the work, writer Chu Lai comprehensively recreates 81 days and nights of history at Quang Tri Ancient Citadel in 1972. He portrayed a platoon of young soldiers, mostly students and students, who fought resiliently and then fell one after another. "Red Rain" not only praises victory but is also intense, haunting, and humane to the end. The reader not only sees the feat but also the terrible price of peace, the price of blood and life of an entire generation.

Critic Bui Viet Thang once commented that Chu Lai's literature is imbued with epic and cinematic language, which is very convenient for adaptation. This is absolutely true, when many of his works have been made into dramas, TV series and most recently the movie "Red Rain".

For him, literature is not a profession to make a living but a way of life, the only means to pay off the spiritual debt to the past. It is thanks to that style that "Red Rain" has brought his name to another level, not only as a military writer but also as an honest recorder of history, a keeper of the nation's memory.

The person of writer Chu Lai in everyday life

At the age of nearly 80, after nearly half a century of writing, writer Chu Lai still maintains a liberal lifestyle, sometimes somewhat dusty like his own literary style. Everyone who has met him remembers his simple appearance, elegant voice and charming conversation. He has a special talent for speaking, turning each interaction with readers into a lively "gathering".

In everyday life, Chu Lai is deeply attached to her partner, writer Vu Thi Hong. They used to be comrades, shared the same ideals and should be fated after the war. She was not only a wife but also an editor, the first reader of his manuscripts. It was that empathy that helped Chu Lai maintain the fire of writing for decades. Although his health has deteriorated somewhat, he still refuses to sit still, always participating in social gatherings to remind the younger generation never to forget the past.

"His works have inculcated the lesson that every victory must be paid for by the youth and blood of many boys and girls. For today's young generation, the legacy of writer Chu Lai has a double meaning. On the one hand, they are tragic pages of history that help them better understand the nation's past. On the other hand, it is also a reminder to live responsibly, appreciate peace and not be indifferent to the sacrifices of the previous generation.

Writer Chu Lai once said: "After all, literature is to thank people, if you forget your comrades and the people, then socialism will also become meaningless." That is his philosophy of life and also his philosophy of writing, a humanistic message that echoes through every page of the book.

Today, when "Red Rain" steps on the big screen, that message spreads strongly. Audiences not only come to the theater to watch a movie but also to relive their memories, to better understand the drops of blood that have dyed Quang Tri Ancient Citadel red. It is empathy for what writer Chu Lai has devoted his life to writing: "Never forget the past, because forgetting the past is a silver match for the future itself"

Red rain surpasses revenue, Tran Thanh faces more big trouble Minh Lợi12:27:16 01/09/2025As of 6 a.m. on September 1, Box Office Vietnam recorded that Red Rain had exceeded 350 billion VND on the 11th day of its release. This also became the first film in history to reach this revenue milestone in the shortest time.