Sadness of book street

Although reading culture has shifted, there are still people who are passionate about printed books. Photo: Tang Thuy

Next to Nhan Dan Bookstore is Ba Dinh Printing House. Opposite is the exhibition area and the headquarters of a newspaper. Therefore, even when the subsidy mechanism was changed and the market economy began to operate, this place was still full of books and newspapers, and also pictures, cultural products... very happy and warm. Then things changed, this place now has a spacious bookstore, but the atmosphere around here no longer has any trace of a book street.

Because it is not just a shortage of a few bookstores. Now, the places that used to be state-owned bookstores in the old district streets are no longer places to buy books. Private bookstores have sprung up, but they mainly display signs selling textbooks. Only textbooks are practical books nowadays. Books of all kinds, especially literature and science and technology books, are no longer considered precious and essential books like before. Right in Hanoi, the Dinh Le book street, which used to be very grand and bustling, has gradually thinned out and become very deserted in the past few years. Currently, there are only a few bookstores left. Sadly, when I walked into one of the few remaining bookstores to ask to buy a novel, the owner replied that they no longer sell stories or poems, but mainly sell comics, pictures, calendars and textbooks.

It is inevitable when life progresses, digital technology enters every field and changes every day. But the heart is indescribable. Now, even if you have money, it is difficult to find a good book. Because publishers are no longer subsidized, they cannot publish when there is no market. Bookstores, because they cannot sell, do not dare to accept goods. Such a vicious cycle is not anyone's fault. It is only the fault of nostalgic people like me. But we must also look straight at the current problem worth pondering: reading has changed a lot. There is a lack of need to read stories and poems in most social classes. If in the past, people could read books when there was only oil lamp light, during breaks between shifts, or while sitting on the back of a buffalo, now people mainly look at their phones to scroll through videos, few articles, news or a few stories. Rarely can anyone devour books weighing several ounces or half a kilo for hours. Even though long stories, novels like “War and Peace” have been posted online, few people have read them all. The need to read literature and poetry is not the same as before, which is one reason, but the main reason is that the means of transmitting literature, poetry, cultural knowledge... are also more diverse, faster and more convenient. Therefore, it is natural that literary books and bookstores are downgraded.

In fact, with human thinking, reading on paper is still more effective. Memory and emotions will be deeper when assessed from the page. Paper printing technology has created great minds of mankind for generations. Printed words are still very useful in human life. And there are still a group of intellectuals, students, and university students who love to read books, still preserve the long-standing tool of transmitting cultural knowledge. Therefore, here and there are still large bookstores that are doing well. However, the owners must be people who, in addition to being talented in business and having a lot of capital, must also be passionate about books and rich in knowledge.

Van Diep

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/noi-buon-pho-sach-243740.htm