Ngo Gia Van Phai
When I was at high school, ancient literature was the nightmare of many friends due to the deep and complex implications. But for me, I love to find out the thoughts of someone who lived hundreds of years ago, the little remains that help me feel the echoes of the past. Among the ancient Vietnamese writers is Ngô Gia Văn Phái (吳家文派), a group of writers belonged to Ngô Thì family in Tả Thanh Oai village (now Thanh Trì, Hanoi). This group released an amazing number of works in various genres, including Hoàng Lê Nhất Thống Chí (Unification Records of the Imperial Le or 皇黎一統志) – the historical novel telling the political events in Vietnam from the legacy of lord Trinh Sam in Tonkin until Nguyen Anh unified the country.
This cute drawing by Huong Giang let us see a branch of Ngô Gia Văn Phái, from Ngô Thì Ức (1709-1736) to Ngô Giáp Đậu (1853-1929). Despite not including every author but this still makes us surprised at the literary tradition of the Ngô Thì family. Do you see any familiar name?
Art by Huong Giang
Written by Kim Nhu Nguyen
