Eighteen collections by late writer To Hoai have been published to commemorate his first death anniverary. The collections are the latest editions that were proof-read by the writer before he passed away. -- Photo tuoitre.vn

HA NOI (VNS) — A workshop on the life of late writer To Hoai (1920-2014) will be held here on Saturday and will be attended by dozens of researchers and writers.

The event aims to commemorate Hoai's first death anniversary, and is being jointly organised by the Ha Noi Writers Association and Phuong Nam Book Company.

The book company has also published 18 collections by the writer, such as the novels Que Nha (Homeland), Que Nguoi (Others' Homeland) and Muoi Nam (Ten Years), a collection of short stories Chuyen De Quen (Things to Forget) and a collection of notes Ky Uc Dong Duong (Indochina Memories).

The collections are the latest editions that were proof-read by the writer before he passed away.

The three novels are among the works for which the writer was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Prize in Literature and Arts in 1996.

To Hoai was born as Nguyen Sen into a craftman's family in Thanh Oai District on the outskirts of Ha Noi. He was well-known for his children's tale, Adventures of a Cricket.

As a teenager, Hoai did various jobs, such as teaching children, selling goods, to being an accountant for traders in the city.

Hoai embarked on his literary career in the early 1940s, but could not devote his life to writing till 1954. During his 60 years of work in the literary field, he wrote more than 100 works in different genres, from short stories, multi-series, long stories and memoirs to novels, film scripts, essays and commentaries.

The writer is famous for a great number of works such as De Men Phieu Luu Ky, 1941 (Adventures of a Cricket); O Chuot, 1942 (Hunting Mice); Nha Ngheo, 1944 (Poor Family); and Truyen Tay Bac, 1953 (Stories of the Northwestern Region); as well as Ba Nguoi Khac, 2006 (Three Others).

Besides his pen name, To Hoai, the writer also used other names such as Mai Trang, Mat Bien, Thai Yen and Hong Hoa. — VNS