Talking to Thanh Nien , Nguyen Dinh Khoa said he likes the journey more than the destination. "As long as I keep traveling and writing, I will continue to explore myself and the world around me."
* Having studied architecture, worked as an executive and project manager, when did you start your writing journey? And how does the "writing" journey show a different version of "Nguyen Dinh Khoa" compared to the "Khoa" in your daily work?
- Nguyen Dinh Khoa: I started writing when I could not express what I thought, within the limitations of my language. Sometimes, I would say that it was because I idolized a writer and realized the mission of a writer. Sometimes I would say that I wrote when I felt most desperate. I also encountered many obstacles in expressing an answer and simplifying my thoughts also made me suffer (laughs) . That is why I often do not focus on the ending of a story, but let my thoughts and emotions guide me through the development of the story and characters. I write about the people around me, through my imagination of them and dialogue with myself. Inside me there are them, and inside them there is me.
Nguyen Dinh Khoa and the 4th work published by Tre Publishing House at the end of 2023 - Variant
How is "Khoa" in literature different from "Khoa" in daily work? It is difficult to compare myself in two different aspects. My colleagues often know me in work, but rarely understand me in literature. And my readers only see me in my books. My friends wonder why a technical person writes literature? But I only see "Khoa".
* As someone who loves to write and read, are you "strict" with your own works? Are you influenced by anyone's opinions, especially those of influential people in the literary world?
- I often write and rewrite, and edit back and forth. I don't know if that's called "strict" or not? But I understand what I do, as well as respect the person holding my book. I don't have any outstanding talent, so I stay focused and work hard. Otherwise, I don't put much emphasis on the ending of the story, as I shared above. I like the reader's imagination from the connections between characters and situations, between space and emotions that I try to build. And it's interesting if readers can create other scenes, open up other thoughts. I don't think everyone likes my writing. But if someone likes it, then they will like it.
Am I influenced by the judgments of influential people in the literary world? It would be wrong to say no, but I am interested in sincere contributions from the sincerity in following, observing and supporting the path I take.
In fact, I prefer personal feelings, like taking a sip of coffee in silence. You can only say it tastes good, but you can't describe how it tastes, and how it differs from the coffee you drank before. I don't know how people judge a work, and I usually don't judge any work or author. I just love them, because I can feel the characters they create, and because I can integrate into a scene, a life that I have never known. For me, just being able to listen to the reader's thoughts, through my characters in the book, makes me feel satisfied.
Recently, I met a friend, and we sat together to peel away layers of meaning about the characters in Different Version . I listened very attentively, as if my characters were being tolerated from a different perspective. And I liked it that way.
* Are people who like to write good at observing life?
- I think so and I believe so. I like to observe everything around me, from people, landscapes, experiences, personal emotions, from movies, from friends' stories, from my own observations and imagination, from the inner world, from separation, from loss... Not only observing, I often say that I am present in everything I write, but not everything I write is me. I am suspended in the middle, drifting between a vast sky and a small piece of board.
Writer Nguyen Dinh Khoa
* And are those who sympathize with the deepest sadness, not only of themselves but of the fates around them?
- That's true. For me, it's a special gift and I think every writer needs this gift, even though it's a bit tiring sometimes! (laughs) . My mother once advised me to try writing something brighter. I don't know how sad my writing is, but maybe sadness makes people remember me longer.
When I started writing, I didn’t intend to write about sadness, but perhaps my experiences unconsciously led to such words. I think that there are few writers who are truly happy, because they will never write when they are happy. Maybe in short periods of life, they are happy. As for me, writing is a way to escape from sadness, which can be temporarily called a medicine to soothe the pain. When we learn to write down our pain, it gradually fades away. And at some point, they are just feelings about the experience.
* Has the character's sadness ever kept you up at night?
- I'm not obsessed with my characters, I just love them and think a lot about them. Sometimes I wonder if they were here, right now, in the situation I'm struggling with, how would they react? It's funny, because sometimes I get confused, so I see myself as a character in a book. In a way... I always like the conversations between the characters, and I'm the one taking notes. Every now and then I glance to see how they react. I try not to play the role of judge, but just create situations to question the characters and let them defend themselves. It takes time and effort for a character to find every way to prove the reason for his actions day after day. Sometimes people don't need any reason at all, a small fire can ignite an explosion.
* If you don't worry to the point of losing sleep, can you see a journey of your development, like from Doc Hanh to Di Ban ?
- I like the journey more than the destination, and as long as I keep traveling and writing, I keep discovering myself and the world around me. That's why I don't care much about the destination, nor about the ending of the story. I think each work has its own life. And that in the end, I still love each of my "children", regardless of whether it comes from a simple or complex idea, I still accept it, as a way to cherish each path I have traveled, because it has given me wonderful scenes and experiences.
* In Different Version , readers see the interweaving of two worlds - "The Real World" with interconnected characters, struggling to find their own answers in the pain of loss, and a "Future World" where an artificial intelligence wishes to live and feel emotions like a human. What do you want to convey through this contrast?
- I put the character in a situation, or rather a perspective. For Different Version , instead of focusing on the main character, I focused more on building a perspective for the supporting characters to highlight the main character. And so, it's like watching a movie with two halves of the screen, two parallel films, and you can choose to stand on one side to look at the other half, or vice versa. Between one side is the world being destroyed by humans, and the other side is a world being gradually rebuilt by artificial intelligence. And between one side is humans struggling in the pain of loss, and the other side is artificial gas wanting to live and experience as humans. So what are the unique characteristics of humanity? And have we ever felt like we are living?
In the Different Version , readers see the interweaving of two worlds - "The Real World" and "The Future World"...
* From Doc Hanh to Di Ban , it seems that you like and want to "challenge" readers in connecting timelines, characters and details so that each person can find a connection with their real life?
- Actually… I challenge myself more (laughs).
* So, are Nguyen Dinh Khoa's works for people with rich imaginations or for people who can empathize with life through fates and choices in life?
- I think anyone can read it. Literature or any form of expressive art is directed towards people, through which the inner world of people is expressed to the outside, so that people can be heard and understood. I think there always needs to be that connection between the writer and the reader. More than anyone else, writers like me are also listened to.
* Finally, a little reveal about the "inspiration" for your next work?
- Still about love and people, about forgotten children.
* Thank you!
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