Behind the thorny appearance of a journalist is a generous, kind and compassionate heart. There, literature is not just words, but a journey to find the beauty of humanity in all aspects of life.
The name Do Quang Han is not unfamiliar in the newspaper industry. When mentioning him, many people talk about a sharp, edgy pen, even somewhat extreme; a calm man with a dry appearance, a bit arrogant, and un approachable. However, reading essayals & Portraits: Deo May, people encountered a very different Do Quang Han - open-minded, emotional, and full of compassion.
From journalism to literary enzyme
Originally a journalist, Do Quang Han clearly understands the foundational elements of the writing profession: Who, where, when, why and how? Journalism materials are the origin, a solid support for his essay. But instead of stopping at the boundary of signing, he chose to overcome it, going further towards literature - where emotions, dreams and the stream of consciousness are allowed to fly.
The intersection between literature and journals creates a special sound, both sensitive to reality and lyrical. There, readers see the observation of the journalist blending with the vibration of a poet.
Writer Trung Trung Dinh once commented: "Do Quang Han writes like playing but going his own way". Indeed, his essay is not bound by genre regulations. The author dares to be fictional, dares to be dreamy, dares to put his ego in the flow of words - something that few journalists dare to do, but thanks to that, he has created a unique identity: Post-moderate literature in the form of journalism.
Deo May - Symbol of extreme and sentimental people
The title of the book "Deo May" - the name of a famous essayist who wrote about O Quy Ho Pass - is a beautiful metaphor for Do Quang Han.
The cloud is the open, soaring, romantic part of young master Ha Thanh - the poetic, the sublime, the Saigon - the free brother of the South.
The past is the thorny, bumpy, and rigid part - the manifestation of a writer who has gone through many stages of life, witnessed so many opposite things, so he chose a decisive lifestyle: Love with all his heart, hate with all his hatred.
In literature, the quality of pass is courage, which is daring to touch thorny topics; and the quality of cloud is the way he calms them down with kindness and romance.
Reading Deo May, we see that reality is no longer dry but soft, absorbing the breath of humans - small, weak people who still know how to love and be loved.
Having lived and worked in all three regions of the North - Central - South, Do Quang Han has a rich natural life and the ability to observe in many ways. The ancient text has the sophistication of the North, the calmness of the Central region, and the freedom and generosity of the South.
The "Southern flame" blends with the deep affection of the Central region and the meticulousness of the North to create a tonghisticated voice, both strong and profound. The essay Con ca cha is the clearest proof of the authors extreme personality and strong expression.
A small detail - the act of throwing a fish out of the door because "he does not like to leave it alone" - opens up a world full of controversy, where people have to start to be released. After that sudden momentum was the loneliness of an experienced man, and behind the violence was a fragile heart, a desire to be understood.
writing here, I remember the image of a Do Quang Han from more than ten years ago, immersed in a glass of Chivas amidst drinking with many artists and writers in a small shop in the middle of bustling Saigon every weekend afternoon. Then he just sat still, every time he went down a glass, until he was not drunk...
For that reason, between harsh angles, we always encounter him in a soft space - where love is anchored by a very human detail. In The quiet Morning, the image of a girl holding hands with the character anh in the mist of the highlands is a vague and haunting moment: When I got to the place where the stone sign was so high, I was trying to set my foot on it, Lanh turned around, his eyes just kept looking at me and gave me a hand....
That handshake - seemingly small - is the fulcrum for his entire emotional world: a connection between dream and reality, between love and memory, between people.
Living capital spread across 3 regions helps Do Quang Han have a tolerant, unprecedented vision. He does not look at the fates of people at the bottom with pitying eyes, but with respect and sharing.
In The Nameless Swallow, he told about the old lady and the man who pretended to be weak for so long that it was really weak - a strange but painful detail: The leg that I knew was healthy before was as healthy, normal as the other leg, just because I pretended to be weak for too long, it became weak.
Just one sentence is enough to make readers silent. There is understanding, there is also grief, and above all, belief in the remaining kindness in each human being.
Similarly, the Essaies about the sea, the sound of the ship's horn, the sound of the car, or the moonlight at night all contained worries, but never misery. Do Quang Han's pen always seems to find light, even in the darkness of human life.
"Offroad, the sound of the ship's whistle increased for a long time, making her very excited. The familiar sound of the "uy" train will pass... The moon gradually becomes bland, the light seems to die on the water surface. Look carefully, the far and wide of the sea is like a sun, a new day of the sea (Night ship).
In the "portrait" part, Do Quang Han transformed into a calm and profound storyteller. He did not interview to "take news", but listened to understand, to love, to record the most humane moments of his seniors, seniors or friends and colleagues.
That is the Symphony No. 6 of Beethoven associated with the silent love of writer Nguyen Quang Sang; the open laughter of musician Hong Dang; or the concern of researcher Nguyen Dinh Dau about "unity of people's hearts" rather than territory. Under the pen of Do Quang Han, the portrait is not just a record, but an emotional experience. He wrote about others with the heart of a person of many talents - so each character appears both real, beautiful, and warm.
Therefore, Deo May is not only the name of a book, but a symbol for the whole person Do Quang Han - who has spent his entire life living between two lines: journalism and literature, reason and emotions, freedom and compassion.
He wrote with experience, with commitment, with kindness. Do Quang Han's pen not only records life but also cherishes people in that life.
For me - a younger brother who received many compliments from his seniors in the stranger and most powerful city of Sai Thanh - "Deo May" is a precious souvenir. It is not only to read, but to remember, to look back in the example of a writer: Live kindly, write honestly, and love life with all you have.
