Slow down and enjoy books.

My uncle came all the way from the countryside to wait for me, just to get my opinion on his newly completed poetry collection. Honestly, I thought he had some literary sensibility, but I didn't expect him to write poetry and even publish it. But as his nephew, I patiently listened to him talk about his poetry "project."

It was a handwritten manuscript of about two hundred pages, containing memories of his childhood, glimpses of his hometown, emotions from encounters, and even the people who appeared in his life... but it wasn't quite poetry yet. He said he intended to publish over a thousand copies, either as gifts or to exchange works with the authors who had given him books. His words were very serious and determined. Many of his friends had already published books. Some had published several. He meant that there had to be reciprocity; if they gave him something and he didn't have anything to give back, it wouldn't be fair.

I also heard my uncle say that you need to have a published book to be admitted to this club or that group. These are all spontaneous organizations in the countryside, self-established and self-managed, but they all share the criterion that members must have at least one published work.

Seeing his unwavering determination, I indulged him and asked some talented poets I knew to edit and revise his manuscript. After much effort, the poetry collection was finally published. He held a book launch and invited many friends and relatives.

I was too busy with work to attend. Over a year later, he told me about his new "project," a memoir. He said he had poetry, and now he needed prose to complete it. I asked him if he had given away all his poetry books and what the readers' feedback had been like, and he proudly said: "Oh well, over a thousand copies, I gave them all away in a month." He spoke confidently, but he was hesitant about reader reviews. He said he hadn't actually received any official feedback. I suspected that no one had truly read his poetry to offer any comments, beyond the polite praise he received as gifts. I knew he was disappointed by my assumption, but I had to say it because he still had his memoir "project" ahead of him. If he rushed to publish it, it might just fall into the same trap as his "poetry project."

The culture of printing, publishing, gifting, and especially reading books has recently become increasingly superficial. People like you, who print and give away books, are not uncommon. I just want you to do something truly worthwhile, to make the most of the value of what you do.

If we observe carefully, we can easily see that many people spend money buying and collecting books because they recognize the value of books, but they don't have much time to read them, resulting in wasted books. There are also those who buy books or respectfully receive them as gifts, only to display them in their offices for show... Even more sadly, some people promise to read books carefully upon receiving them, but then immediately forget about them, letting them gather dust over time.

We all know that books help people pursue spiritual values ​​and also create material values. Let's view publishing, gifting, and reading as cultural practices, not just conditions or means, so that we can fully appreciate their value. The series of activities in response to Vietnam's Book and Reading Culture Day, as well as the launch of the Thanh Hoa Province Reading Culture Ambassador Contest 2026 with the theme "Books and the Dream of Reaching Further," including seminars, exhibitions, and book displays, are being held enthusiastically in many localities. This is an opportunity for us to "slow down" with books, take reading culture more seriously, and thus develop more appropriate behaviors. Only then will the printing and gifting of books by people like my uncle not become a waste.

Hanh Nhien

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/song-cham-voi-sach-285040.htm