Everything has cause and effect.

The novel On the Misty Mountain is one of the works that is loved by many readers and listeners. Written about the hidden corners of teachers in remote areas, the novel is imbued with a deep philosophy of life. The message of a good life with the law of cause and effect is mentioned by the author throughout and consistently.

VTC News reporter had a conversation with writer Bui Ngoc Phuc about this work as well as online literature and the development trend of the publishing industry in recent years.

Can't sit still to write

- After listening to the novel "On the Misty Mountain Peak", many listeners were surprised, why could a writer from Hanoi write about the life of the mountain people so truthfully?

In 1994, while I was a student at the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts, I had the opportunity to climb Pu Xai Lai Leng peak, located in Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district, Nghe An province. After two weeks of exploring the surrounding sites, I was very impressed with the landscapes and people I met there.

However, at that time, I was working in the graphic design industry so I didn’t have time to write. In 1998, I started writing my first works about Hanoi and the countryside. At that time, I thought, why don’t I write about ethnic groups and mountainous areas? The two works T rang thuong huyen and Tren dinh nui mo sua were born, based on my life experience from the time I climbed to the top of Pu Xai Lai Leng in 1994.

- The title "On the misty mountain top" not only evokes the hazy space of the high mountains but also has many metaphorical meanings in it?

Having studied Industrial Fine Arts, I look at space through the eyes of an artist. When I observe the misty mountain peak, I see that it is not just a natural phenomenon but also has a metaphorical meaning. People think that they can rely on fog and darkness to hide crimes, but in reality, it is not like that.

- In this work, which character makes you worry the most and devote the most effort to?

Teacher Phong is a model of moral character. He overcame a situation where he could easily fall into a trap because his family and relatives were waiting for him at home. He is a beautiful model of a person who does a noble job in society.

However, I like the villain, Sung Chi Thau. In that person, there is both good and evil, a synthesis of bad human qualities but with more courage than others, daring to do and think.

Sung Chi Thau's nature is greedy for money and gold, but he still knows when to stop. Even though Sung Chi Thau knows that Teacher Phong is an insider, he still leaves a little bit of love behind and does not kill good people. I appreciate that.

- Your works all carry profound messages and philosophies of life. What message do you hope to convey with this work?

All the stories I write have cause and effect throughout, but the cause or effect is up to you to decide. People can commit all kinds of crimes in the dark, in deep forests, abysses or on misty mountain tops, seemingly unknown to anyone, but in the end they are still subject to the law, to the law of cause and effect. Reality proves that good people eventually return to the arms of their families. On the contrary, bad people will be pursued by the law.

Although writers can exploit life in any direction, I still want to convey the message: People must live within a certain framework, this framework is not only defined by law but also by morality and humanity.

Bui Ngoc Phuc's works are slices of colorful life.

Literature must first of all be about human condition.

- You are an author of printed books that are widely read. Why did you choose to release "On the Misty Mountain" as an audiobook?

In terms of publishing, I have published traditional paper books (16 titles), but many Vietnamese people living far from the Fatherland said that they could not access them immediately or buy them, so they suggested that I release them in audio format. They gave an example of a channel with writers abroad who often read audio books and an E-book version for Kindle. I thought about it and decided to choose to release audio books, through an inspiring MC voice. The MC factor is very important, there are stories that have been viewed more than 1 million times, which is rare for a work.

Regarding traditional paper book publishing, I think that if an author is considered a bestseller, they must sell all 1,000 - 5,000 copies they have published. However, in Vietnam, very few writers can do this, so the number of readers is not much. With audiobooks, I receive a lot of feedback from readers as soon as they finish listening. There are young people driving container trucks across the US who listen to my stories, and women who are busy driving to work can still listen to stories without having to hold a paper book. That is why I decided to publish audiobooks.

- Some opinions say that a real literary work must be selected by a publisher, printed and officially released to the audience. And those released online are still just products that have not been highly appreciated. What do you think about this?

If a writer does not keep up with the trends of the times, it is a great disadvantage.

Writer Bui Ngoc Phuc

It is true that some writers assume that publishing printed books is the only way to write authentic literature. But they do not understand that the world's approaches are very diverse nowadays. If writers do not keep up with the trends of the times, it is extremely disadvantageous.

Nowadays, the interaction between the author and the reader is very important. Many retired teachers after reading the novel On the Misty Mountain shared their experiences, so that the author could understand that he had written correctly. If I sit in the office, occasionally launch a book, and have a few critics praise it, then I will never understand and feel the responses from readers and listeners of different ages.

I think that literature must first and foremost be about the human condition. If the writer does not understand the lives and fates of people, then when the work is published, it will only receive praise from colleagues. That is not a true literary work. Why does critical realism literature live long with time? Because the writers of that period immersed themselves in the lives of the people.

I know some writers have started to reach readers through audiobooks, especially Vo Thi Xuan Ha. She has a channel Cam Ky Official introducing the works of young writers and colleagues. This is a new approach, the initial results are very positive. A famous writer like Vo Thi Xuan Ha directly reads the works of other writers, this makes many listeners very impressed.

- Does the not-so-positive evaluation of online literature by the public and some writers make authors like you feel sad?

I think gold is not afraid of fire. Real writers will not care about biased comments. However, to avoid the situation where online literature is judged as "writing whatever you like", I think first of all, writers must review themselves, review their approach to readers, and most importantly, have a sense of responsibility for their own brainchild. Along with that, listeners should choose authors and works selectively.

Instead of criticizing online literature, managers and critics should pay attention to online literature in general and audiobooks in particular, in order to have a suitable development direction. I see some critics who, when an author has just published directly online, think that it is not an authentic work, even though they have not read a single line. They do not know that this is the fastest way to reach readers. After that, writers can still publish books in the traditional way.

It is time for the Vietnam Writers Association to lead a new trend in the field of writing and take serious actions to change the perception of this issue among experts and literary critics, instead of individual, conflicting opinions that cause disunity.

- Does publishing audiobooks bring good income to writers? What about you personally?

Writers rarely publish online for fear of losing copyright and losing their ideas. They have to wait until they publish a paper book. However, buying copyright now comes in many forms. There are authors who are paid by publishers with two or three hundred books but they have to sell or sign them themselves. That vicious cycle does not develop and generate income in the true sense. If an author is attractive enough, he or she will have a stable source of income from channels and fee-based groups. I know many young authors who can make a living from their profession, even living well.

In Vietnam, it is very difficult to say that professional writers can make a living from their profession. Besides writer Nguyen Nhat Anh, who publishes a huge number of books, I know many authors who have to make a living from other professions.

As for me, I think I can make a living from this profession. Writing is a passion, but if you don't have a stable source of income, who can you devote yourself to and what are you passionate about? No matter what form you choose, online literature should not be like smoke.

I talked to a few foreign authors, they shared that when they sell their works online, they know how much money they will earn, with that number of views, how many percent. They can make a living from their profession and I also want Vietnamese authors to make a living from their profession.

Thank you!

Le Chi

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