Book Title Revealed
“The character I love most every time I write is none other than TRUTH” (L. Tolstoy). Writing these lines, I remember from my time as a student of the Faculty of Literature, Hanoi University , more than 50 years ago, I solemnly wrote in my “Literary Notebook” a sentence by the great Russian writer of the 19th century, author of the masterpiece "War and Peace". As of 2025, journalist and writer Ho Quang Loi has published 11 works. That is a “speaking number”. Because, according to common thinking, writing is an act of expressing a potential, dynamic thinking in the spirit of “efficiency - effectiveness - efficiency”. To put it more poetically, “I write, that means I exist”.
The title of the book "Truth, Reason and the Pen" (Hanoi Publishing House, June 2025) both highlights the core theme of the work and expresses the author's style - based on "the wings of thought and emotion"; cherishing and loving the truth, knowing how to honor the power of truth, reason and correctness. There is a folk saying "Wisdom does not require honesty", in literature, there is a concept of "Sincere poetics". Therefore, I feel the sincerity from the blood of Ho Quang Loi's pen in the journalism profession which is very elaborate. The book is developed in 8 chapters ("The pulse of the times"; "The mindset of holding the pen"; "The light of humanity"; "Journalism ethics"; "Stronger than the sword"; "Accompanying victory"; "Social networks, AI and journalism"; "Heart and fire").
Writer Hoai Thanh has a subtle and profound idea: A good poem sometimes lies in just a few good verses. It can be understood that this is the "unique point" of the entire work. In this short article, I follow the guidance of my predecessors in the literary profession, that is, I try to find a few "bright points" of a book with a length of 621 pages - which can make anyone who is far from reading culture shy. Furthermore, I would like to leave it to smart readers to read and draw their own conclusions.
Humanistic journalism, the highlight of the work
Right in the opening of the book "A century of fighting for the country and the people", the author affirmed: "The more modern the press is, the more humane it must be". I was especially interested and delighted when reading chapter III "The light of humanity" with the dedication "Humanity is the way to the public's heart. Only upright and humane pens can spread the cultural light of journalism". The subsections in chapter III such as "Doing good journalism", "The way to the heart", "Journalism and behavioral culture", "Integrity and humanity are the beauty of journalism" ... have led readers into the "inside story", "inner thoughts", "inner feelings" of journalism which easily creates a simple media effect on events, thereby giving them a fuller perception and feeling that journalism is also a field of culture and humanity. Thus, journalism must be practiced thoroughly and most effectively by kind and talented journalists to promote kind deeds, to multiply the seeds of truth - goodness - beauty. Because, the ultimate of culture is human, even though "Human is a weak reed. But a thinking reed" (Pascal). Writing about journalism (as a "glorious profession" but also a "dangerous profession") like Ho Quang Loi, I think is writing from the heart and passion of a writer (he is also a member of the Vietnam Writers Association ). Therefore, I often jokingly say when sharing with colleagues the phrase "Newspapers do not harm literature. Literature does not prevent intelligence". How true! That is Ho Quang Loi!
Vietnamese Spirit - the highlight of the work
True journalism must adhere to the “Pulse of the Times” (title of chapter I). I think this is also a bright spot of the work “Truth, reason and the pen”. That is the stance of a true journalist/writer “I am of the same flesh and blood as my people/ Sharing the same sweat, sharing the same boiling blood/ I live with the life of fighting/ Of millions of beloved and arduous people” (“Marching Nights” - Xuan Dieu). Talking about “Vietnamese Spirit”, it seems like something too big. But in fact, thousands of years of Vietnamese history have eloquently proven that it is the truth “Nothing is more precious than independence and freedom” (President Ho Chi Minh ). To put it more simply and easily, “Vietnamese Spirit” has a “golden core”, “root”, “foundation” which is Vietnamese culture “Like our Dai Viet country from the past/ Having long been known as a cultured country” (“Binh Ngo Dai Cao” - Nguyen Trai). The Vietnamese spirit is simpler: "Coming to modernity from tradition". The author summarizes the "Vietnamese spirit" based on "Vietnamese culture" so it is summarized into the qualities: "Adaptability, response with courage", "Spirit of peace, overcoming hatred", "Surpassing oneself", "Using our strength to liberate ourselves", "Spirit of great solidarity"... To be fair, Ho Quang Loi is not the one who discovered the truth about the "Vietnamese spirit" as he presented it with many-meaning words in the work. But it is in the method of operation, applying intelligence, based on "the wings of thought and emotion". Writing to clarify and make more wise a concept that encompasses the categories of philosophy - history - culture - anthropology - aesthetics.
Color of the letters
Reading "Truth, reason and the pen" by Ho Quang Loi, it is clear that in broad daylight the author was endowed by God with a sharp intellect and a clear and concise way of thinking. But more valuable is a source of abundant and intense emotions that permeate each word, creating a table of values of "literature". In the hands of a person with a sharp intellect and a heart full of emotions, words are a powerful weapon. The author humbly shared: “I really haven't thought much about my language style, so I don't have a clear conclusion. I write every article naturally according to the flow of emotions I have. Sometimes emotions lead the writer to "new lands" of the world of language, so there is no clear limit. The main thing is to be consistent with the content and ideas of the article. Language also contributes to creating a flow for the article. At that time, words and meanings just "call" each other to appear. That is when the article has "flesh and blood of words". Many times a sentence, a word, an image flashes unexpectedly, if you can "capture" it, the article will have a "bright spot". It is very difficult to have a "bright spot" in each article". In the article about the 10th book of journalist and writer Ho Quang Loi "People on the road of life" (2024), I emphasized the idea of "Finding the soul for words" as a unique feature of Ho Quang Loi's journalistic style. That advantage continues to be fully promoted in "Truth, reason and the pen".
I want to talk about the endurance of Ho Quang Loi's pen throughout his 45 years of journalism and publishing 11 journalistic works with the spirit and breath of literature. Maintaining an advantage as a superior advantage of writing (journalism or literature) is rare. Rare so precious. People often talk about the word "truth". Entering an age that is "rare in the past and present" like Ho Quang Loi, he is indeed a pen with endurance. I admire the "old-fashioned" style of a truly talented journalist. I want to borrow the image of ocean waves (rising tides) to talk about Ho Quang Loi's pen, which has made worthy contributions to the 100-year-old Vietnamese Revolutionary Journalism (1925 - 2025). That is, whatever he writes is the source, the source and the waves.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/doc-su-that-le-phai-va-ngon-but-cua-ho-quang-loi-nhung-diem-doc-sang-705524.html
Comment (0)