The memoir The boy in the cave and Hoa Hoc Tro tells the journey of more than half a century of a boy born in the northern border, growing up to become a student, studying geology and then becoming a science book editor, a journalist writing for children, and a student.
Although it is a memoir, the pages of the book not only tell personal memories but also recreate part of the history, culture, and education of Vietnam through very specific and realistic experiences of the author.
The boy in the cave and Hoa Hoc Tro is not only the story of one persons life but also an example of the determination, personality and social responsibility of a Vietnamese intellectual.
From a boy living in a cave in the middle of war, Nguyen Nhu Mai has stepped into the light through her path of studying and working, then devoted her whole life to accompanying and supporting generations of young people.
The memoir is also a rare cut of my childhood during wartime, realistic and rich in humanity, vividly recreating life amidst bombs and bullets, helping today's generation better understand how Vietnamese children grew up during war.
With The boy in the cave and Hoa Hoc Tro, the author has brought readers back to their childhood in the mountainous areas of Cao Bang: Living in a cave, running away from the army, going to school on a strict diet.
In the midst of poverty, he soon showed his passion for letter writing: Establishing a group of student pens, making a morning sun wall newspaper, boldly sending a letter to the Tien Tien Tien Tien and having his first pen money.
Writer Nguyen Nhu Mai also devoted many touching pages to readers, colleagues, young writers, and special memories with General Vo Nguyen Giap and international friends at the World Youth and Student Festival at Algerie.
With his colleagues, he participated in the development of historical - geographical books published at Kim Dong Publishing House such as: "Children - ancient stories told", " talents are national weapons", "Good stories in Vietnamese history", "Young kings in Vietnamese history", "Nature of our country" ... with the goal of making history closer and easier to understand for young readers.
Author Nguyen Nhu Mai, born in 1950, Tay people, from Cao Bang. Childhood is associated with the wartime, there was a period when people had to live in a cave to avoid bombs. Graduated in Geology, he worked at the Science and Technology Publishing House as an editor.
He is also a veteran journalist of Tien Tien Tien phong Newspaper and one of the people who contributed to the foundation and development of Hoa Hoc Tro.
He is the image of a moderate intellectual, working a good job, putting teenagers at the center of all his creations all his life.
