This is the opinion of Professor Huynh Nhu Phuong when talking about the relationship between humans and technology, literature and digital technology - quoted in his collection of critical essays Echoes from the South .
On the morning of December 14, at the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, the launching ceremony of the collection of critical essays Echoes from the South , compiled by Professor Huynh Nhu Phuong, published by Da Nang Publishing House - Book Hunter, took place.
Professor Huynh Nhu Phuong shared in the meeting this morning
"I never thought I would be… literary critic"
Echoes from the South collects and selects 36 articles on poetry, artistic prose and politics, along with some general issues of literature. The book's title is taken from the epilogue of the short story collection by writer Tran Truong Khanh translated into Vietnamese, also wanting to convey the meaning that these are responses from a concerned reader who is living and writing in the Southern land. Part 1 "Residence of Love" of the book has articles on poetry by Pablo Neruda, Xuan Tam, Nguyen Vy, Ngo Kha, Diem Chau, Tuong Linh, Dong Trinh, Y Nhi... Part 2 "In You There Is Me" is dedicated to articles about Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, Nguyen Van Trung, Vo Hong, Nguyen Ngoc, Hoang Ngoc Bien, Cao Huy Thuan, Thanh Thao, Le Van Nghia... The articles have all been published in domestic publications for about 10 years now.
During the meeting, Professor Huynh Nhu Phuong said that Echoes from the South is his 15th published book, including 5 collections of critical essays. "From the time I published my first articles in 1970-1972, including both creative writing and argumentative writing, until I entered university, I never thought that I would do a job called literary criticism. But when I graduated and became a teacher, reading books and following literary life inspired me to write book reviews, comments, and critiques on some literary phenomena of the time," Professor Phuong said.
Professor Huynh Nhu Phuong signs books for friends and students
In addition to his books written together and individually, over the past 40 years he has written about 250 short and long articles related to literature. However, according to Professor Phuong, from appearing in magazines, weekly newspapers or daily newspapers, such articles are usually only noticed by readers for a month, a week or even a day.
He said: "People have compared such articles to bubbles that quickly disappear on the flow, sometimes calm, sometimes turbulent, but never stopping, of literary life. Time passes, life changes, and our perceptions are not the same, so what we write is quickly surpassed. What remains are traces of a literary time and a bit of affection for colleagues and literary friends. Publishing books of critical essays that collect such articles is an effort to preserve some of these literary pages from being forgotten in the stream of current events."
People worry about the role of literature in life…
During the meeting, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Huu Hieu, Head of the Department of Literary Theory and Criticism, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City, expressed: "Professor Phuong wrote with inspiration and a very high sense of responsibility. Not only did he write about writers and works, he also wrote about issues related to education, bringing readers new emotions and perceptions. If he did not worry about the role of literature in life, he could not have written like that."
Critical essay Echo from the South by Professor Huynh Nhu Phuong
As stated above, in Echo from the South , readers once again approach Professor Huynh Nhu Phuong's perspective on learning literature through the article "Contributing to the story of learning literature". This can be seen in the passage printed on the cover of 4 books: "Literature is a way of communication and communion between people. Digital technology helps deepen the connection and interaction between literature and life. But sometimes communication in the virtual world makes people indifferent to real-life communication. Literature is the voice of the individual to the individual. Digital technology not only provides a convenient means to personalize education, but can also simplify the identity of the individual through digitized data. The problem is that people and technology are always in a mutual relationship, not that technology completely controls people. Thus, we should not worry that digital technology will erode human emotions; we should only worry that people do not know how to exploit the strengths of digital technology to enrich their own knowledge, thoughts and emotions."
"Making books now means accepting sacrifices…"
Not only talking about books, the meeting also discussed book making. Professor Huynh Nhu Phuong said: "Making books now means accepting sacrifices when they are not popular books. This is even more true in the time when the printed book market is increasingly narrowing, research - theory - criticism books are even more difficult to sell."
Writer Ha Thuy Nguyen, founder of Book Hunter, shared that recreating Vietnamese cultural history through literary and artistic works is currently facing difficulties due to the lack of close connection with Vietnamese intellectuals of different generations. The female writer hopes that through this event, a list of books can be built that contribute to recreating the appearance and development of Vietnamese culture.
Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Thanh Truyen, Head of the Department of Literature, Ho Chi Minh City University of Education, commented that the book Echoes from the South is very easy to read because it combines commentary, analysis and feelings. "Not only from this book but also from the author's previous publications, we can draw a conclusion: in a writing career, combining two factors: the influence of the land where one is attached to and grows up and human emotions will create works that touch the heart," Professor Truyen added.
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