Written at the foot of the sacred mountain

Book cover of the novel "The Misty Region, the Deep Tunnels and the Deserted Islands" by Ho Tan Vu (Photo: XH)

Although I had previously read Ho Tan Vu's short stories scattered across newspapers such as Tuoi Tre, Tien Phong, and Lao Dong, it was this novel that truly surprised me with his passion and writing prowess.

Turning memories into gold

As a journalist for Tuoi Tre newspaper, shouldering the responsibilities of the newspaper's regional representative office, Ho Tan Vu still diligently weaves words onto blank paper. Nearly 14,000 words for a debut novel is no easy task, even for a professional writer. Yet Vu has written it, and it can be said that he has achieved initial success.

Ho Tan Vu was born in 1978 and graduated from university with a degree in economics , but his passion for writing led him to journalism. Originally from Nong Son, his impoverished youth was closely associated with the legendary Ca Tang mountain.

He struggled with arduous jobs such as buffalo herding, farming, and gold panning to make a living before leaving his hometown for the city. This life experience allowed Ho Tan Vu to reflect on and recognize "rural lessons" (Nguyen Huy Thiep), incorporating them into his books as a tangible reflection of his personal life.

The entire novel is a series of events and characters emerging from Ha village, interwoven within the misty mountain forests, gold mines, city streets, and out to the ocean. The characters are so familiar that the reader might think they've seen them somewhere before, and already understand them completely, but it turns out there are hidden thoughts and reflections that will startle the reader.

I haven't known and been friends with Ho Tan Vu for very long, but long enough to realize that he is a multi-talented and multifaceted person. We haven't been very close yet, but it's enough to see that Vu pursues his passions, whether it's his journey into literature or music .

Above all, Vu was always deeply attached to his poor village, his family, his relatives, and his neighbors where he was born. Therefore, wherever he was, Vu always leaned his soul towards memories, ready to sacrifice himself and turn those memories into gold for himself.

Legendary Linh Son

Closing the last page of Ho Tan Vu's debut novel, "The Misty Region, the Deep Tunnels, and the Deserted Islands," I had almost forgotten everything. I no longer remembered the treacherous seas and lakes, the deep forests and mountains, or the vast ocean; nor did I remember much about the life of Tan—the main character—who struggled through his youth before freeing himself, or the strange fates and haunting deaths of Mr. Lien, Mr. Hiep, and old Nhan…

Author Ho Tan Vu

Spanning various spaces and times across the sections: Wind Through Ha Village (8 chapters), Dance in the Deep Tunnel (19 chapters), and The Lost Archipelago (5 chapters), I only managed to glimpse the human figures of many people with their obvious and absurd existence, caught between existence and aspiration, between nakedness and civilization, between ease and peril.

Through playing and understanding, I believe the main character in the novel, named Tan, is actually Vu (part of the pen name Ho Tan Vu). Then I will remember this character as Vu, born in the village at the foot of Mount Chua, where he looked up at the mountain peak to see: The village is always forgotten, no matter who governs it.

Linh Son is both real and an illusion (to use the words of writer Hoang Phu Ngoc Tuong) because it symbolizes what is sacred and impossible, full of desires that ultimately lead to the loss of its true meaning.

Seeing and searching for the sacred mountain is a journey through life, leading to the realization that, like the forest it passes through, there are lush green patches and stunted areas. There are precious medicinal plants, but also poisonous species coexisting. There are gentle animals, and there are ferocious ones. Snakes and vipers live alongside peacocks and warblers. Life is like that! (Excerpt from a novel).

The novel's first, last, and only question is why the protagonist, and indeed we, cannot find the legendary sacred mountain of our lives.

Ho Tan Vu has said a great deal, recounting a story hundreds of pages long. But for me, the author vaguely answers at the end of this book, which is the mist of ignorance: A beautiful village nestled by the river, where fragrant rice fields stretch along and embrace the high, cloud-shrouded mountain peaks. Logically, the souls there should be as carefree as the mountain mist and as gentle as the scent of rice, but why? Why are the footsteps here always so slow?

Is it because their souls are oblivious to the footsteps treading through the times? “The villagers’ eyes are always gazing at the high, mist-shrouded mountain peak. Yes, it’s all because of the mist. Because of that distant, mysterious mountain peak. It is the culprit, and no one else. It is the cause of all the calamities that have befallen this land. It’s all because of the mist. Yes, because of the misty mountain peak…” (Excerpt from a novel).

I was fortunate enough to visit the hometown of author Ho Tan Vu. Raising a glass of wine in my hand, I gazed at the Thu River upstream, with its deep, sacred Hon Kem Da Dung rock formations, then looked up to see the mist enveloping the forests and white clouds swirling over the peak of Ca Tang mountain, my heart filled with emotion. The sacred mountain's image was reflected in the wine in my hand.

Anything more would be superfluous. I believe that when Ho Tan Vu knows how to dissect life according to its layers of human meaning, based on his own experiences, his debut novel "The Misty Region, the Deep Tunnels and the Deserted Islands" is worth hoping for and anticipating, a powerful force in the genre of socially relevant literature.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/viet-duoi-chan-linh-son-3154520.html