Publishing is one of the spearhead industries of the cultural industry strategy. In recent decades, literary life and literary book genres have not shown a solid foothold, and have even lost their once-present position in the publishing market.
Lao Dong Newspaper reporter had a conversation with writer Nguyen Quang Thieu - Chairman of the Vietnam Writers' Association before the challenges posed for Vietnamese literature in the new era.
As you know, the cultural industries are receiving special attention from the State. However, in the field of literature, for decades, Vietnamese literature has been considered to lack excellent writers, lack impressive new works to create "best-selling" books in the publishing market. Some opinions say that the Vietnam Writers' Association "recruits" members every year, the number of members is very large, but there are few talented people. What do you think about this comment?
- It is difficult to blame us for this. Even if the executive committee of the Vietnam Writers' Association is full of super talented people, it cannot help members write better and better. Having talented people - requires many factors, in which it greatly depends on the capacity, responsibility, will, and aspiration of each writer.
We used to have Nguyen Minh Chau, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Nguyen Binh Phuong, Nguyen Ngoc Tu... They all have impressive works, write very well. Currently, there is a lack of excellent writers - maybe, because they are conceiving, looking for topics, looking for inspiration, being involved... Let's wait and see.
To have a good work born, it depends on the consciousness, capacity, determination, and determination to the end of the writer.
With the Vietnam Writers' Association, our executive committee only has the main task of protecting and promoting the value of that work to the public.
You just mentioned "promoting" works. Examples can be taken from the literary award of the Vietnam Writers' Association itself. For decades, award-winning works have taken place almost silently, quietly, only members of the association know each other mainly. Meanwhile, in many countries around the world, winning awards can help literary works change their lives and become publishing phenomena. So, the question is, where is the role of promotion of the Vietnam Writers' Association with the works that the Association awards?
- Not in every country, award-winning works become "best sellers" (best-selling works). Except for very special awards.
I believe that the fact that literary works that have won awards from the Vietnam Writers' Association have not had a large spread is due to many factors.
First of all, due to its artistic nature, the story and theme of the work have not been attractive to the majority of readers. Sometimes, readers like to read sensational, dramatic stories, showbiz secrets, or scandals. Meanwhile, literary works often write about human fate, everyday life.
It is also possible that the work is not unique enough, not of sufficient stature to have widespread spread and influence.
The biggest reason, in my opinion, is that reading culture, reading habits in Vietnam are still low, this has been discussed many times. Nobel Prize-winning literary works are not selling well in Vietnam.
Of course, it is also necessary to mention the role of the Vietnam Writers' Association. But it is also very difficult, many award-winning books are not produced by the Writers' Association Publishing House, if we stand out to promote them, it is somewhat inappropriate.
However, we will have to review it. There needs to be a link between the Vietnam Writers' Association, bookstores, managing agencies, publishing units... to have a plan to promote and spread the value of the award-winning book.
This will be necessary. No matter how good a book is, if only 10 people read it, it will be very regrettable. Good books, good works - need to be known by many people.
obel is a very large channel to promote the work, because it is a "high-class" award ceremony. It seems that the literary award of the Vietnam Writers' Association is not strong enough to be a channel to promote the winning work?
- In recent years, agencies and departments have made great efforts in developing and improving reading culture, from organizing reading festivals, reading days, book exhibitions to propaganda to raise reading awareness in all classes...
However, I think that the explosion of social networks has created too much competition for reading culture, most of us still spend hours surfing our phones to watch TikTok, Facebook... rather than reading a book.
In that context, literature will be affected in a certain way. Of course, the fault lies with many sides, as I have analyzed. But reading culture is an important reason.
According to statistics from many publishers, reading culture has actually grown, but the genres of books that are selling well in the market are usually books about life skills, books teaching how to get rich, how to "survive" in the office... not literature books. Do you think that it is writers and literature books that have lost their position?
- In my family, my children are very diligent in reading books. But it is true that they read less literature books than books on business, books on nutrition, and recently books on parenting.
This shows the practicality of books and the market. Readers will look for what they need, and buy books with content practical to their lives. Therefore, literature has partly lost its position, lost its strength. In the future, literature will have to consolidate and regain what it already has.
I have seen many literature books that have been sought after by readers, and have been sought after, such as books by Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Nguyen Nhat Anh...
Contemporary literature has had many good writers, with distinctive imprints such as: Nguyen Minh Chau, Nguyen Huy Thiep, Nguyen Binh Phuong, Phan Thi Vang Anh... Today's generation needs more distinctive writers to be able to attract readers to literary bookstores. This, as I said, we need more time.
Resolution 80-NQ/TW of the Politburo sets requirements for the cultural industries to promote the beauty of Vietnamese culture to the world. In the publishing sector, more than ever, unique literary books are needed, books that will bring Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese stories to the world. According to you, what do we need to realize this?
- The map of Vietnamese literature in the world is very faint. Perhaps, our works are not outstanding enough, but the biggest reason, I think, is that the translation and promotion of Vietnamese literature to the world - has not been paid due attention to.
When I was Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Writers' Association, poet Huu Thinh and I had a project to translate 100 of the most outstanding literary works of Vietnam to launch to the world, but this project was not noticed by anyone.
To translate and bring Vietnamese literature to the world, a lot of effort is needed. We must carefully select the most outstanding works. Many books may be good in the country, but not impressive enough for the world.
If there is a plan to select and translate the most outstanding literary works of Vietnam - I think the biggest role must be the State. The State will connect relevant agencies, in which the Vietnam Writers' Association is just one of the stages of implementing that strategy. Our role is to select and translate. We also need to organize seminars to introduce, print and distribute, present beautifully, bring to international book fairs, diplomatic programs... I think that will be a very large strategy, requiring many units and agencies to join hands.
About 10 years ago, we had a plan to establish a Translation Center to translate literary works, but this center has 0 VND assets and cannot do it.
Currently, there are also individuals who self-translate their own works and then bring them to the world. This is a "small-scale" path, I think, "more harm than good". That work is not worthy of being translated. Bringing substandard works abroad may cause foreign readers to make inaccurate judgments about Vietnamese literature.
A few years ago, there were Chinese translators who came to Vietnam themselves, choosing a few works by Nguyen Huy Thiep, Phan Thi Vang Anh, Nguyen Quang Thieu... to translate into Chinese. They chose my work "Two Village Women" to translate. Chinese translators have praised Vietnamese literary works.
I still think humorously that Mai An Tiem in the past had a very good "strategy" for watermelon communication. He carved the name and then dropped the watermelon into the sea. We need a methodical strategy when bringing Vietnamese cultural beauty to the world.
