The dog Beto and writer Nguyen Nhat Anh

Our ancestors have a saying: "If it's fate, they'll grab each other" is like that. Because of fate, from the moment they met , they accepted each other, captured each other's souls, both felt comfortable "blowing" like popcorn, chatting away as if they had played together and been close to each other for a long time. It was so natural, something that God seemed to only give to artists, nowadays people call "special", a "special" thing that is like no other, the origin is also simple because of the natural lifestyle, or to be more exact, innocent, indulgent, fond of playing, fond of friends with the criterion of taking fun as the root.

I am Beto Special Edition (illustrated color version)

Perhaps that is why I can no longer remember which day was the first time I sat with Nguyen Nhat Anh. But I do remember the later event, a long time ago. That was the day Anh went to Hanoi to attend a conference and launch a book.   Kaleidoscope   medical specialty newly reprinted. I must add this detail, Anh never forgets to reserve a place for me in any new book, so that I can have a gift "sent from the South" for my three kids with the very neat handwriting: "Dear Uncle Anh to Dad Dinh for my beloved Cun children".

This time Anh gave me a much larger amount, I had to ride my motorbike home with a big bag of the books Anh had not sent before. At that time, my three dogs, the oldest was seventeen, the second oldest was thirteen, the youngest was nine, meaning this group of "dogs" were fans of Uncle Anh. The name "dog" we called them at home was familiar, but they were no longer "dogs" in the sense of kids, but each of them had their own private property. This time the three of them showed off their three "private corners" very excitedly, I was really surprised when I gathered up the "pile" of books and found out that they had bought Nguyen Nhat Anh's books a long time ago. They said they had a big "investor", that was their mother who supported them to the fullest. It was really cool, I once told Nguyen Nhat Anh, you are the "boss", the "king" of books for my children. Nguyen Nhat Anh smiled gently and very very cutely in his own unique way.

It seems that "that uniqueness" has made Nguyen Nhat Anh who he is today and will be forever.

oOo

Writer Nguyen Nhat Anh and writer Trung Trung Dinh through the lens of photographer Nguyen Dinh Toan in 2002

I have a habit, when I am close to someone, I am more or less curious to learn more, not because of any worries, but because of the consciousness of loving the friend, so that I can have some concept of the circumstances, personality, and fate that created the person that my friend is, in order to tighten the daily relationship. But not with Nguyen Nhat Anh. Absolutely not! There is no consciousness to learn more "outside the box", and I have never paid attention to compliments or criticisms: compliments or criticisms of his lifestyle, his personality, and his works.

I have a default in myself that, once you put yourself in the literary world, you must constantly practice your way of life, your way of playing, taking truthfulness as a foundation, taking the perception of right and wrong according to your own standards! And that would be extreme. Yes, extreme. I am often fascinated by extremists. Maybe that is wrong for the majority, but no, extremists have an independent perspective and they are much more confident than the majority.

A friend told me that Nguyen Nhat Anh's books are not to his taste, but his children are crazy about him. A woman who is both a literature teacher and a mother of two children, one in middle school and one in high school, and the host of the drinking party that day, said, "My children are all crazy about Nguyen Nhat Anh's books." Another guy said, "This guy must be a master, he has some secret, it's not simple that as soon as a book is released, children excitedly line up to buy it."

I think, here, in this place, there is a question, but it seems the answers above have only been partially revealed!

So what's the rest?

In my opinion, there seems to be some kind of irony in the story between writers and readers. I remember once I heard an in-depth talk about writers and readers by Professor Hoang Ngoc Hien in front of young writers. And he touched on a sensitive topic: our writers rarely pay attention to a core of the profession - which is just "a small detail". That small, very small detail, it often clings to his creative process.

Let me repeat, it is tiny but it is essential, that is talent. Yes, talent! God is very stingy. He only gives this person and that person a little bit. Whoever can catch that tiny drop of talent, combined with sweat and hard work, can become successful. In life, all jobs, there is no such thing as the "tiny bit of talent" that God gives, but trying to become a genius, my God, even 99 percent of those sweaty workers, to be honest, are at best just skilled workers, never trying to practice and strive to become true artists.

oOo

To find that "small detail", I carefully read Nguyen Nhat Anh, especially the book I am Beto, which was written excellently about an animal, a dog named by Ms. Ni. Moreover, Ms. Ni is a football fanatic, a fan of player Beto and the Brazilian team at the time when this team won the World Cup. The character of the dog named Beto tells the story of his life, telling the story using the personal pronoun "I" which is very interesting.

I am Beto captivated me from the first page to the last with simple chapters in paragraphs 1-2-3-4. Reading I am Beto , I felt excited, each small story was given its own idea by the author, each piece was so natural, and it was linked together by the interesting thing between the previous page and the next page, pulling each other, like whether a bridge becomes a complete bridge or not depends on the connection of each bridge beam.

Nguyen Nhat Anh does not have serious philosophy or profound doctrines, but tells short stories from familiar, everyday life, creating a space where the stories are told in a friendly and intimate way, close to everyone's life.

Maybe that's the secret.

Nguyen Nhat Anh's dog Beto goes everywhere with a rustic innocence, a dreamy way of life that is unlike anyone else's but attracts curiosity not only among the young, but everyone who reads it finds themselves, even though it is a story about a dog.

After the meal, Beto and Bino were allowed by Ni to go to the cemetery to visit their great-grandmother's grave:

"Bino said happily:

- Beto, she still lives with us!

- Yes. I agree immediately.

Bino enthusiastically:

- People can live in many ways.

I said "uh" again, still thinking it was right.

But when it said, "And there are many ways to die," I found myself wondering. I had known about living in many ways, but I had never thought of death in the same way.

- Die in many ways?

- Yes. Like that old man Hieng. He died a long time ago.

Bino's revelation surprised me so much.

- When did Mr. Hieng die?

- Beto, there are people who die while they are still alive."

There, Beto Nguyen Nhat Anh's philosophy is that simple.

The more we think about it, the more we find depth and truth in that seemingly simple sentence.

Or another passage, related to the name. Regarding the name, in the previous passage Nguyen Nhat Anh discussed: "The name is sometimes given randomly by parents, but it is your way of life that has continuously distilled your name over the years, helping it to radiate its fragrance", but this passage has another interesting discovery:

"I looked at Bino and pretended to ask:

- Hey, what's your name?

Bino looked back at me with a bewildered expression, but still replied:

- I am Bino.

It realized that I had just thought of a new game and nudged me with its shoulder:

- What's your name?

- I am Beto.

I have never called myself by my name. Today was the first time and I was surprised to find myself calling my own name and half-closing my eyes to listen to that familiar yet suddenly unfamiliar sound ringing in my ears. It was a very interesting thing.

If you don't believe it, try calling your name once, and you will feel a feeling of affection, joy, and pride spring up in your heart - all at the same time.

It is also one of the countless interesting things that life intentionally hides in some corner of our souls, the way parents hide gifts for their children in the most unexpected places in the house.

Discovering those interesting things, or finding those gifts, is what enriches the meaning of life and adds more reasons to make life worth living.

The sage Bino said so".

At this point, it seems that I have found what I was looking for. Without that "small detail" but decisive for a writer, the philosopher Nguyen Nhat Anh, the writer Nguyen Nhat Anh could not have ended the story of the dog Beto in such a simple way.

The simpler, the more intimate and lovely.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/con-cho-beto-va-nha-van-nguyen-nhat-anh-185230821182839052.htm