When people get old, they don't write fairy tales.

Writer Alena Mornštajnová at a meet-and-greet with Vietnamese readers on the evening of May 10th - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

Writer Alena Mornštajnová recently had a conversation with Vietnamese readers in Hanoi on the evening of May 10th about her novel *Aunt Hana *, about the Holocaust, which was published in Vietnam at the end of 2023, as well as her literary career.

This event is part of the European Literature Days in Vietnam series.

When writers begin writing in their later years

Alena Mornštajnová, born in 1963, graduated with a degree in English and Czech from Ostrava University, Czech Republic.

She began her writing career at a relatively late age. Her first novel, Slepá Mapa, was published in 2013 when she turned 50, but in just over 10 years she has become a bestselling author in the Czech Republic.

During the conversation, Alena Mornštajnová was asked what it was like to write at a relatively older age.

She said that she had actually always wanted to write a book. Even when she was a child, she wanted to write one. But busy life kept her busy, and it wasn't until 2000, at the age of 37, that she began writing her first novel.

The book took 10 years to complete, and the first volume was finally published in 2013, when she was 50 years old.

Having started writing at a relatively late age, Alena Mornštajnová doesn't say whether it was good or bad, advantageous or difficult.

But she realized that at 50, with more life experiences and greater realizations, "sometimes people don't want to write anything, and of course they don't write fairy tales."

Writing at this age, the author clearly sees what she wants to share with her readers, what is truly valuable. However, Alena Mornštajnová was not immediately well-received. She says that at first, readers didn't even know who she was.

It wasn't until her fourth book that she began to receive promotion from publishers, media attention, and recognition from readers.

Initially , not many people bought Hana's book . But after a few months, people started talking about it and bought a lot. After 10 months, it became a bestseller, the most popular book of the year.

The book was later adapted into a play, which premiered in July 2019. A feature film based on the book will be released next year.

Author Alena Mornštajnová signs books for Vietnamese readers on the evening of May 10th - Photo: T. ĐIỂU

Just write what you like.

When it comes to being a bestselling author, and whether she chooses to write about what she likes or what she anticipates readers will like, writer Alena Mornštajnová asserts that she only writes what she enjoys and doesn't bother searching for what readers will like.

"I usually spend two to three years choosing a topic that I'm truly passionate about for a new book. You have to absolutely love the subject you're writing about to be able to go through the very long and challenging process of completing a book," says author Alena Mornštajnová.

Regarding the themes of her books, author Hana said she usually writes about family relationships, and each book explores that theme from different perspectives.

Alena Mornštajnová also doesn't write sequels to any books, so she won't write another book on the Holocaust, even though the topic is now easy for her because she has already done a lot of research and found a lot of material on it.

The book "Aunt Hana" has been translated and published in 18 languages ​​- Photo: Women's Publishing House

The book "Uncle Hana," recently published by the Women's Publishing House, was translated from the original Czech by Bình Slavická.

This is a novel about the victims of concentration camps and the 1954 epidemic in a Czech town, the very town where the author lived, about two generations of Czech Jews.

My uncle went through the war and concentration camps, becoming a mere figurehead, suffering from severe Holocaust-related trauma and losing all ability to communicate with others.

Next is Mira, Hana's nine-year-old niece, who lost her entire family to a typhoid epidemic. These two rely on each other to overcome the terrible trauma that fate has inflicted upon them.

The book has been translated and published in 18 languages.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/khi-lon-tuoi-nguoi-ta-khong-viet-co-tich-20240511090442343.htm