On June 27, in Hanoi , Alpha Books organized a discussion and exchange with journalist Hoang Kiem Nam (pen name Dong Duy) - author of the book "Memoirs of a professional journalist's life" at the Reading Station space.
"Memoirs of a Professional Journalist's Life" is a true slice of journalism during the war, written by an insider: journalist Hoang Kiem Nam. He was one of the southern war correspondents before 1975.
With over 40 years of experience, journalist Hoang Kiem Nam is both a witness and a narrator of the country's changes through the lens of journalism: from the southern battlefield to the editorial office during the renovation period.
The book is dense with real life documents, not borrowed from textbooks or literary fiction. The author wrote: "This book was written by me with everything I lived, grew up, wrote, worked as a journalist in the South and experienced during the war. Recorded here, good, bad, as it is..."
It was also his effort to "open the door to a corner of the southern past" so that Vietnamese people, no matter "which side" of the Ben Hai River, could contemplate and reflect.
The discussion opened a space for sharing about the book, and was also an opportunity to pay tribute to the generation of writers who told the truth with all courage, honesty and humanity.
Journalist Huy Minh - the person in charge of editing the memoir - shared: The first draft was titled "Today I am a journalist". After many discussions, the current name was chosen to reflect the true spirit of the profession and the depth of the content.
From a manuscript of more than 320,000 words, the editorial team worked for a year to condense it to 258,000 words while still preserving the spirit and special material of the work.
According to writer and journalist - Lieutenant General Huu Uoc, the work is "a huge archive of documents" and demonstrates "very sweet literature", which is also rare for an 84-year-old person to still publish three books in just three years.
"Memoirs of a Professional Journalist" is considered by writer Yen Ba to be the most worth-reading journalistic memoir since "Forty Years of Lying by Vu Bang", and journalist Nguyen Huy Minh compared it to the legendary journalism textbook "Professional Journalist" by John Hohenberg. Journalists, speakers, and readers all shared their opinions and affirmed the special position of this work in the genre of Vietnamese journalistic memoirs.
While being autobiographical, the book also provides valuable resources for those studying and working in journalism, especially journalism students who want to approach "journalism" in an honest, unadorned way.
At the event, veteran journalists shared many emotional behind-the-scenes stories: from wartime reporting to peacetime career concerns. The discussion space brought many emotions to the attendees when they heard stories from behind the scenes of journalism, lessons on professional ethics, and even unpublished historical memories.
This is also a rare opportunity for readers to meet and interact with a generation of experienced journalists who have made journalism history with their presence and writing.
"Memoirs of a Professional Journalist" is a personal memoir but is also considered a memoir of an era, of a profession and of an entire generation of journalists with hearts that love the truth.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/gap-go-nha-bao-hoang-kiem-nam-tac-gia-hoi-ky-doi-ky-gia-chuyen-nghiep-post890137.html
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