From the perspective of a cultural and artistic researcher, how do you assess the similarity between the values of peace and humanism in the cultural and ideological heritage of great writer Lev Tolstoy and the philosophy of life of our Vietnamese nation?
- In my opinion, the values of peace and humanity are always values with a common global denominator. These are the core cultural values that determine the existence, and are also the driving force for the development of cultures in all countries around the world. Vietnam and the Russian Federation all aim for these common values - the spirit of humanity, humanitarianism, and peace.
The awarding of the Lev Tolstoy International Peace Prize to General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed the ideological and cultural consensus between Vietnam and the Russian Federation: Together towards protecting the Fatherland and nation from war of aggression and maintaining post-war peace to move towards a developed, progressive, healthy, humane society that respects international law on the foundation of sustainable peace.
In my opinion, this event is based on a deep cultural foundation between the two countries, one of the important pillars of which is the cultural and artistic exchange between Vietnam and Russia, the Soviet Union (formerly). In the long history of this special cultural and artistic exchange, thinker and writer Lev Tolstoy played an extremely important role.
Lev Tolstoy is a cultural - thinker, a great writer with profound humanitarian philosophy. So according to your observation, how have Lev Tolstoy's ideas (in his philosophical and literary works) influenced Vietnamese cultural and artistic workers in general and writers in particular in Vietnamese literature?
- The issues raised in Lev Tolstoy's philosophical and literary thought, whether it is the thought of protecting national destiny in "War and Peace", or preserving family happiness in "Anna Karenina", are all issues that reach globality. Because if war may not happen in some countries, or some countries have not yet achieved the desired peace, then the family story is a existing problem of every nation in the world.
The structure of all societies in the world takes family as the root, because family is the fundamental unit of human society. When looking at the history of Vietnam and the Russian Federation, we will see that both countries have gone through turbulent historical stages with many wars, and both value the basic values of family in a humane spirit, protecting happiness.
Lev Tolstoy opens the novel "Anna Karenina" with a classic line: "All happy families are the same, but each family is unhappy in its own way". Looking at modern society, the family tragedies Tolstoy set out in this work (the appearance of a third person, raising children, the pressure of having children... ) are all global family issues that Vietnamese and Russian families are currently facing... ...
Lev Tolstoy also created influence in the prose works of many Vietnamese authors, as Dr. Do Hai Ninh commented: "The deepening of the personal ego and the constant self-questioning through Lev Tolstoy's autobiographical texts reminds us of the development process of modern Vietnamese memoirs and autobiographies, especially the period after 1986... ", with names like To Hoai with "Cat bui chan ai", Nguyen Khai with "Finding the lost ego"... ...
She spent decades attached to Russia (receiving a PhD in Art Studies at the Leningrad Institute of Theater - Cinema - Music in 1992), being a student of the Soviet era, how did she interact with Lev Tolstoy's works during her years living in the Russian cultural space? From your experience, what advice do you have to help students (including me) enter the massive philosophy and literature world of Lev Tolstoy in the most natural and convenient way?
- The long period of studying and researching in the Soviet Union was a very wonderful time. Living and studying right in the Soviet Union helped me have a special vision when approaching classical Russian literature in particular and the Soviet Union in general. Being directly exposed to culture, living in the space, cultural and social context, getting acquainted with the lifestyle of Russians is the most authentic context that helps me feel the "breath" in Russian literature in general and Lev Tolstoy in particular.
Reading works in the original language of Lev Tolstoy, i.e. in Russian, helps me fully absorb the sophistication that translations find difficult to fully convey. Through this, major topics such as the fate of peasant slaves, ideology of war and peace, family and marriage tragedy in Russian society... all appear both contemporary and with global humanistic depth.
To step into the world of Lev Tolstoy's massive works, young people can start by enjoying them through audiovisual art forms. Watch movies, watch ballets based on Lev Tolstoy's works to easily visualize the context and create initial inspiration. Combining listening to audiobooks is also a flexible method in modern life because to be able to patiently read a book "War and Peace" today, it takes a lot of time.
For international students in Russia, experiencing local life and striving to access Russian texts will open up the most original sense-level discoveries. You are fortunate to have access to Russian literature - a rich and advanced literature of mankind, and are living in Russia, so accessing the locations described in Russian literary works is much easier.
More importantly, reading needs to be associated with depth thinking and contemplation to read so as to "break words" in Russian, thereby understanding timeless humanistic values while still maintaining their own personal perspective on the issues Lev Tolstoy raised in his works.
So, in the context of global cultural exchange and the impact of digital transformation on human spiritual life today, according to you, what approaches and directions are needed to bring Lev Tolstoy's literary works to the young Vietnamese generation to both maintain literary value and suit the tastes of young people in the digital age?
- Nowadays, clearly, in the context of strong digital transformation, accompanied by the rapid development of social networks, the ability to read in the most... highly focused, systematic, and in-depth way is greatly reduced compared to before. But I affirm one thing: No matter how much technology develops, nothing in this world can replace human intelligence and hearts!
I want to send a message and earnestly request young people: Must read books! I myself have grown up thanks to reading. Reading a lot helps us not to make the most basic mistakes such as spelling mistakes, arbitrary punctuation when writing, which words/words are capitalized, which words/words are not capitalized... For example, using dots and spaces is an art that is difficult to teach completely, you need to read more yourself. Only by reading yourself can we understand how the writer interrupts sentences, lowers lines, and how the authors pronounce words on each page.
Literature is the art of words and literary writing, the essence of literature is contemplation through reading. The biggest challenge of today's era is the slow, deep reading culture that is fading away. If we just sit there and complain: "Young people are too lazy to read now!", we will not solve anything.
In order to bring philosophical ideas and humanistic spirits in Lev Tolstoy's works closer to young people today, it is necessary to find a way to turn them into forms of artistic enjoyment that young people are listening to, looking at, and living with. In the digital age, the forms of "listening" and "seeing" are very popular today.
A film, a play, a ballet based on the works of Lev Tolstoy in particular and Russian writers in general will be the first "open door" to lead them back to the original book page, introducing the path to great Russian literature.
A very good way to promote Russian literature: In November 2025, the famous Eifman Ballet Theater of Russia had 7 performances of the play "Anna Karenina" in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. Next October, this theater will bring to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City the play "Eugene Onegin" by the great poet Alexander Pushkin.
I want to emphasize that no matter how technology or performance forms change, the core ideology in Lev Tolstoy's works is never outdated.
Translating literary works from Russian to Vietnamese is also a matter of concern. The important thing is whether the translator is sophisticated enough to "translate" classical values that are both good and accurate! Translation is not just a translator, but also a connection between cultures, helping readers understand the culture outside of themselves. Only when the translator truly understands, directly contacts that cultural space, can the translation truly reach the level of sophistication and accuracy.
In my opinion, to have a truly "beautiful, magnificent" translation in terms of semantics, the translator must first "absorb" the literary spirit and cultural flavor of the nation that gave birth to the original work.
I hope that the awarding of the Lev Tolstoy International Peace Prize in 2026 to General Secretary and President of Vietnam - To Lam will be a major cultural turning point, creating motivation for the development of cultural exchange, including promoting translation and publishing of literary works between Vietnam and Russia in the coming time.
Thank you for this interesting conversation!
