Trần Dần (1926–1997) was a Vietnamese poet and novelist noted for his

radical Radical (from Latin: ', root) may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Classical radicalism, the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and Latin America in the 19th century *Radical politics ...

works. He is the father of the painter Trần Trọng Vũ.

Life

Dần was best known to be one of the active participators in the Nhân Văn–Giai Phẩm affair in the mid-1950s which saw many middle class intellectuals demanding for freedom and democracy in communist-led

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; ; VNDCCH), was a country in Southeast Asia from 1945 to 1976, with sovereignty fully recognized in 1954 Geneva Conference, 1954. A member of the communist Eastern Bloc, it o ...

. Born in

Nam Định Nam Định () is the capital city of Nam Định province in the Red River Delta of the Northern Vietnam. History From August 18–20 of each year, there is a festival held in Nam Định called the Cố Trạch. This celebration honors Gener ...

, he joined the Vietnamese Communist resistance against the French domination in 1946, but by 1953 he had fallen out with the party. In 1956, he was jailed for months in

Hỏa Lò Prison Hỏa Lò Prison (, Nhà tù Hỏa Lò; ) was a prison in Hanoi originally used by the French colonists in Indochina for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. During this later perio ...

also known as the Hanoi Hilton, where he tried to commit suicide. On leaving prison he joined the Nhân Văn Giai Phẩm. Until 1988, he was banned from having his works published, although he continued to write novels and poems. In 2007, he posthumously received the State Prize given by the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. In February 2008, a collection of his poems, considered to be the most complete of his works, was allowed to be published in Vietnam, but shortly after publication the Ministry of Culture and Information fined the publisher 15 million VND for "violating administrative publishing policy" and stopped it from being distributed, but did not confiscate copies that have already been printed. News of the book banning caused concerns among many intellectuals in Vietnam; and 134 leading intellectuals specializing in literature had signed a petition requesting that the government reconsider and repeal its decision to ban the book. The government responded by emphasizing that it did not fine the publisher for the contents of the book nor because of the author.

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Life chronology (in Vietnamese)
Vietnamese male poets Vietnamese novelists 1926 births 1997 deaths Nhân Văn–Giai Phẩm affair 20th-century novelists 20th-century Vietnamese poets 20th-century Vietnamese male writers People from Nam Định province {{vietnam-poet-stub