Vietnam Women's Publishing House has just introduced to readers the book "Dam Phuong - The Cong Nu of the Transition", a concise but richly documented biography, recreating the life, contributions and heritage of Dam Phuong Nu Su (1881–1947) - one of the pioneering intellectuals of Vietnam in the early 20th century.
The book depicts Dam Phuong's image as a symbol of the generation "standing between two eras": between tradition and modernity, between Confucian order and Western thought, between old patterns and the desire for liberation of Vietnamese women.
Born into the Nguyen Dynasty royal family, growing up in a historical context of many upheavals, she had both a deep traditional cultural foundation and received new ideas with a sober, selective and independent spirit.
The work is built according to the method of objective biography writing, analysis - interpretation, based on a system of historical, journalistic and pre-establishment materials. Dam Phuong's portrait appears not only as a pioneering writer and journalist, but also as a persistent social activist, operating in the strict and restrictive conditions of contemporary society.
Her activities in the fields of journalism, literature, feminism, children's education, community organizations for women and feminism are expressed as a unified whole, aiming to build a new image of women: having knowledge, having a profession, having self-reliance, having a social position and having a voice.
In terms of structure, the book consists of three chapters, corresponding to the three stages of life and thought of Dam Phuong. Chapter I recreates the background of origin, the process of maturity and formation of intellectual personality. Chapter II focuses on the period when she enlisted in the "writing school", journalistic and social activities, and East-West ideological dialogue.
Chapter III expands the perspective on Dam Phuong's influence on later generations of female intellectuals, the feminist movement - feminism and her position in cultural history, education, and the Vietnamese women's movement.
Dam Phuong - The Concubine of the Transition" is considered a valuable biography that opens up awareness, helps readers look back at history through a humane, multi-dimensional, and thoughtful lens; and at the same time contributes to clarifying the persistent, silent but fundamental efforts of Vietnamese women in the process of modernizing the country.
