"Once attached, once loved" - profound message from a collection of short stories

The short story collection "Once attached, once loved" is the latest work just published by young writer Tran Duy Thanh (published jointly by Dan Tri Publishing House and Bookland). Through the work, the writer has affirmed his own path when writing from real experiences, living truly and with all the kindness for life.

Short story collection "Once attached, once loved" by writer Tran Duy Thanh.

Born in 1995, Tran Duy Thanh belongs to the generation of 9x authors who are gradually establishing their position in the Vietnamese literary world. After his first two books: "Say nang Sai Gon" (Literature Publishing House) and "Sai Gon, co nguoi noi ay cho toi" (Kim Dong Publishing House), he was quiet for 7 years. But that period of time was not completely empty, but it was truly a quiet period of distillation, of experiences and maturity.

The author once lived and worked in Australia under a Work & Holiday visa. That time abroad gave him life experience and deep contemplation about the status of young people in the midst of globalization. From his observations and insights, he returned with a book of 22 short stories collected in "Once attached, once loved". It can be considered a "life story collection" rich in emotions and thoughts.

"A writer cannot write without living" and Tran Duy Thanh has proven that with the stories he writes. The opening short story "Being Home" brings closeness and emotion to the shelter of love, storms, and patience. The author does not idealize family. He lets the home appear in the small collisions of life: the father silently endures, the mother tries to keep the kitchen warm, the children grow up but still do not really understand each other.

Many readers will find their own nostalgia and memories in the work.

"If you love enough, you will be warm, if you understand enough, you will be strong", a simple sentence but contains the philosophy about the existence of Vietnamese homes today. Other short stories, such as: "Home in the Heart", "The Late Arrival", "The Only Solution"... continue that theme. There, family is a place to return to, but more precious than that is the measure of forgiveness, for people to learn to forgive.

Tran Duy Thanh chooses a low, calm, non-dramatic narrative voice. He writes to understand, to heal, to help readers see themselves in seemingly small but poignant situations: Between resentment and forgiveness, we must choose one. The simple yet profound messages resonate like a bell in the reader's heart, reminding us of the nature of love, which always requires tolerance to survive and move forward.

An important part of the collection is dedicated to young characters, the generation that has just left school, wavering between staying and leaving, between ambition and reality.

The short stories: "What did I lose when I was young?", "One-way flight", "The land in my heart" vividly recreate that state of mind. In them, the writer neither embellishes nor is he pessimistic. He looks at youth with understanding eyes through struggles, stumbles, loneliness... but people still keep within themselves a source of love and aspiration to rise up.

"People are greedy for money out of habit... but when they have money, it is not certain that they will reach the shore of happiness" - the sentence seems light, but lingers like a sigh of an entire generation that was confused and troubled by the cycle of life.

Not stopping at the worries of making a living, the writer also boldly expands to modern social topics, such as gender identity, acceptance of differences, dating apps and digital love.

In the stories: "Myself", "Who Abandoned Who?", "The Secret of You and Me"..., the author subtly explores the journey of self-identification of people in a world full of prejudices. Without being extreme or judgmental, the writer just quietly reflects on a reality: In a world full of rules and prejudices, sometimes just a tolerant person willing to listen is enough to save someone from falling into the abyss.

That is the value that makes Tran Duy Thanh's literature go beyond age limits, touching the depth of humanity of people in modern society. "Once attached, once loved" is attractive with sincerity. Tran Duy Thanh's writing style is restrained, simple, many sentences are short but condensed, more suggestive than descriptive. He believes in the weight of details and the light of emotions.

Writer Tran Duy Thanh.

Beneath the seemingly simple writing lies a whole range of experiences, a tolerant perspective on life, with depth of emotion and compassion. He writes from the perspective of someone who has experienced and is continuing to walk through all levels of life and emotions. Perhaps that is why his writing is so close, making it easy for readers, especially those in their twenties, to find themselves in it.

Commenting on the short story collection, writer Tong Phuoc Bao shared: "This collection of short stories is simply life stories, told with an open perspective, in a simple, sincere and touching mindset, but the author's writing has tried to keep up with the trend of the times. In the dynamism of that innovation, the value of human life is always the focus of reflection."

"It is like a wish for a peaceful society with each individual being a person who knows how to live a decent life. And Tran Duy Thanh has affirmed the humanity between people - once attached, once loved, it is always the constant in the midst of life's many changes. The story collection is short but the message is long. And the length of that message, perhaps we have to spend our whole life to contemplate", said writer Tong Phuoc Bao.

Indeed, after the upheavals, the gains and losses, the author still chooses to write about human kindness, the ability to love and forgive so that the pages of writing can add more silence for people to return to themselves, to return to each other.

At the age of 30, Tran Duy Thanh has affirmed his ability as a writer with his own voice. He writes little, but with a steady hand; he does not follow trends, but delves into human psychology and emotions. "Once attached, once loved" therefore carries the beauty of a symphony of life, where love-remembering, gain-loss, reunion-breakup... resonate and blend.

"Go far away to understand the value of returning, or stay to understand the weight of leaving. Everyone has a land that aches in their heart"... that message is probably also the creative mindset of Tran Duy Thanh: Write to return, write to understand, write to love.

A collection of short stories that contain the whole journey of life; a young writer who has matured in emotions and experiences. The work evokes past stories, also brings about the journey of human self-dialogue before the collisions of life. There, the author quietly sends in his experience and kindness.

The beauty of literature sometimes lies not in the great things but in the way we keep the warmth in the most ordinary things. With this book, Tran Duy Thanh has proven that when the writer has enough faith and love, the things that have been attached to him will never fade but will turn into a gentle light that shines on every step of the journey.

THUY PHUONG

Source: https://nhandan.vn/tung-gan-bo-tung-yeu-thuong-thong-diep-sau-sac-tu-mot-tap-truyen-ngan-post915330.html