In which, the work "Sweet and sour life of literature" is the most sincere confessions and reflections on the profession, the career, the gains and losses, the glory and bitterness of a writing life.
His literature is a journey to find the truth and explore the most "sweet and sour" and most difficult to name areas of human life. In his writing career, he has constantly raised and entrusted in his works great issues and painful questions about people and society.
The memoir “Sweet and sour life of literature” by writer Nguyen Manh Tuan is not written in chronological order. Through 11 conversations with close colleagues, he recounts his creative process, from the story “Can writers make a living from their profession?” to the story “There should be a way for writers to be less vulnerable”.
In his memoir, he expressed his view: “I write only to make a living from my profession and for a better society, so I always start at the lowest level, within my capacity, to go the long way… Since deciding to choose modestly to try to make a living from my profession, I have realized that the less delusional literature is, the more open the creative journey will be.”
At the same time, in his memoir, he also sketched out a picture of literary activities at that time: “When I first became famous with the novels 'The remaining distances', 'Standing before the sea', 'Cu Lao Tram', I was often invited by literary associations, factories, enterprises, and universities to give talks or discuss literature. At that time, there was no envelope culture. After the talk, I was often treated to a drinking party, followed by gifts. In the provinces, they put on the truck dozens of kilos of rice, peanuts, green beans, or a few kilos of dried shrimp, along with a legal certificate to avoid confiscation by market management. In Ho Chi Minh City, they gave MSG, canned fish, and boxes of instant noodles…”.
According to Associate Professor, Doctor Bui Thanh Truyen (Head of the Faculty of Literature, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education), one of the factors that creates the maturity and position of a writer is the ability to laugh at himself. "Sweet and sour literary life" is not dry but attractive thanks to the abundant, fresh, and interesting information, thanks to the writing style that is both profound and humorous, both serious and joking, especially the courage and talent to laugh at oneself, both in glory and in bitterness, both in youth and in old age.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Truyen added that writer Nguyen Manh Tuan always looked at life and friends with a generous, talented, and sympathetic eye, so he bravely defended those who were wrongly accused in the literary arena many times, correcting doubts in the country's literary life. His portraits of literary friends through his direct drawings, therefore, appeared vivid, close, and full of affection.
“That is Nguyen Quang Sang who writes scripts in an “amateur” style; Le Phuong - a fortune teller, shocking with his sarcastic way of speaking every time he gets drunk; Nguyen Khai loves his wife and children to the extreme, but when necessary "still cares for his friends more than his wife"; Chu Lai "tries to keep the peace in any situation",... The desire to clarify literary suspicions related to himself, especially his literary friends, is also the courage of someone who has taken up the writing profession, the effort to find justice for those he respects and loves", Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Truyen said.
According to the writer, Colonel Do Viet Nghiem, “Sweet and Sour Life of Literature” is written using the question and answer method, although it is not the most optimal technique, but according to him it is a wise choice. Because only with this technique can readers fully express what they need to know, how sour it is and how sweet it is in the writing profession. The essence of questions and answers is to create interaction, attract and retain readers, arouse curiosity, make them want to know what will happen next.
Speaking at the meeting with writer Nguyen Manh Tuan on the occasion of his launching of two new works “Sweet and sour life of literature” and the novel “The wiser than the king”, writer Bich Ngan, President of the Ho Chi Minh City Writers Association, shared: “Sweet and sour life of literature” by writer Nguyen Manh Tuan has many mixed joys and sorrows. However, above all, readers realize that writer Nguyen Manh Tuan is always calm and always open to learning to achieve the goal of writing that he has chosen. Even the stumbles and disadvantages of writer Nguyen Manh Tuan also evoke positive thoughts to promote the development of the country’s literature in a sustainable and decent way.
“Certainly, from his 'Sweet and sour literary life', those interested in literature will have a true perspective on the writing profession, which is full of hardships but also full of happiness and sublimation,” writer Bich Ngan commented.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/chua-ngot-doi-van-cung-nha-van-nguyen-manh-tuan-post928559.html
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