Although she has not been involved in children's poetry for long, author Huynh Mai Lien has left her mark on readers, especially young readers. Many of her works are taught in primary school textbooks and are memorized and loved by students. Her 5th collection of poems - Huynh Mai Lien writes about Hanoi , the land she chose as her second home, and also the land she holds dear.
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| Author Huynh Mai Lien |
When did you start writing poetry for children? Perhaps like many mothers of writers and poets, your inspiration often starts from your children?
I started writing poetry in 2016, starting with an “order” from the program “Rainbow Class”. At that time, theeducational television channel - VTV7 was building a program for preschoolers and was struggling to find authors to write poems on each topic. Before that time, I never thought I would become a children's author, but I still enthusiastically accepted. I did not expect that the nod that day would bring the result of 8 poems for the program and the “start” of a completely new journey: becoming a children's literature author.
Sometimes, looking back 8 years ago and asking myself why I write, I still think it was because I loved literature and had a dream of writing since I was a child. When choosing a university, I did not hesitate to go to the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi National University. When choosing books, I always like to be friends with children's books. However, I did not recognize those "signs" and had to wait until VTV7 opened the door to writing for me.
And that “test” led me through more than 8 years of poetry collections: “The Sea is a Child” (2016), “My Old Days” (2018), “The Sea is a Child Special Edition” (2020), “My House is the Happiest” (2023) and in 2024, “Flying Over Hoan Kiem Lake”.
In my first collection of poems in 2016, it is true that I wrote in a family atmosphere revolving around my two young children. But when I started the next collection, I immediately realized that I needed to expand the topic and practice observing my surroundings. My current job as a journalist helps me approach the topic quite conveniently.
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Hanoi is not the land where she was born but it is the place she chose to settle down and settle down. She must love this land so much that she wrote a whole book of poems, “Flying over Hoan Kiem Lake,” to share her love with the children?
I was born and raised in Phuc Yen, Vinh Phuc - a place very close to Hanoi, so every holiday and Tet I leave the capital. In the first years after graduating and staying in Hanoi, I still kept my "distance" from this city. But with the attraction of a thousand years of culture, perhaps not only me but anyone who is attached to Hanoi "falls in love" with Hanoi. I realize that through every long trip, when I come home I find a way to go around the lake, then check in on the delicious dishes at familiar restaurants, close friends...
With "Flying over Hoan Kiem Lake", what other things do you want to convey besides sharing your love for the place you live?
When writing the poetry collection “Flying over Hoan Kiem Lake”, I had two perspectives, one of a lover of Hanoi and one of a person who was not born here. Therefore, there is a sacred Hanoi with the beauty of all four seasons and a Hanoi as familiar as anywhere else in the S-shaped strip of land. There is an artisan who has kept the Dinh Cong silver bean craft for more than a thousand years; there are children who love to sing folk songs, play the pipa, monochord, and two-stringed fiddle; there is a funny barber with a clacking sound; there is a baby crying when he is born… I want to tell a story about Hanoi that does not belong to anyone. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and each of us has our own corner of Hanoi.
Although he has not been composing for long, he has quickly established himself in children's poetry (publishing books regularly, being loved by readers, having many works in textbooks...), surely it is not just because of "luck"?
Why am I not lucky when in the vast world of children's books, I still have my own readers. But because of that luck, I am more careful and appreciate my writing work. Behind every book is a difficult journey. For example, to have the book "Flying over Hoan Kiem Lake" published this October, I chose a year full of financial difficulties for my family. Because if I did not have the courage to say no to jobs that help me earn more income, how could I have enough time and energy to complete that journey.
Writing poems to share with children about great loves like homeland is not easy for many authors. What about you? Can you share how poems about great topics reach children's hearts?
A little secret, I… don’t have any secret. Before each poem, I only have one topic and let myself become… a child. I always believe that children will find their own perspective, their own path, even on big topics. For example: “Let me ask you/ What is the country?/ Drawn with a pencil/ Can it fit on a piece of paper?” (What is the country?); or in the new poetry collection “Flying over Hoan Kiem Lake”, a friend commented that I… talked to Hanoi, about Hanoi, with very dear thoughts: “Miss, please sell me/ A giant birthday cake/ With more than a thousand candles/ Celebrate the capital’s birthday” (Happy Birthday).
This new work is illustrated by your daughter. Did you encounter any difficulties in making the book?
Fortunately, from 2016 until now, all my poetry collections have the mark of my little daughter Mai Khue. In 8 years, mother and daughter have written and drawn 4 poetry collections together, of which Mai Khue drew the cover pictures for 3. It seems simple at first glance, but to have enough paintings for a poetry collection is a long journey of bickering, sometimes the child is angry with the mother, sometimes the mother is sulking with the child. While Mai Khue wanted to spend a lot of time on the internet in the summer, the mother found excuses for her daughter to draw dozens of pictures by hand. Of course, conflicts and disagreements constantly occurred. But through that, I wanted my daughter to have a lesson on how discipline will lead her to such a wonderful destination. When holding the book "Flying over Hoan Kiem Lake", my daughter exclaimed "It's so beautiful, Mom!".
After "Flying over Hoan Kiem Lake", do you have any plans for your next poetry collection? Is writing children's poetry easy or difficult?
Would it be embarrassing if I revealed that there are two completed manuscripts? “Letters from the Past” is a collection of poems about children with dirty hands and feet during the subsidy period, marking the childhood memories of those who are now grandparents. “The Miracle” is a manuscript “marking” memories with 8 poems selected from Vietnamese textbooks for grades 3, 4, and 5. Besides, I have always cherished the idea of writing comics, after the book “Who does Mom love the most?”.
Whether writing children’s poetry is easy or difficult – each person will have a different perspective. For me, poetry is the “light breath” of my life, so I will always cherish and preserve it for myself. And then, whether it is difficult or easy will no longer be important.
Thanks for sharing!
Source: http://baolamdong.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202410/tac-gia-huynh-mai-lien-tro-chuyen-cung-ha-noi-ve-ha-noi-dbf3417/
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