Book introduction: "Lost in the human world"

Associate Professor, Dr. Pham Quang Long, former Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities

About ten years ago, I read Mr. Doan Duy Thanh's memoir entitledBeing human is difficult. Mr. Thanh is also a “cop” type. He has many sharp premonitions, many profound ideas, many desires for reform. But as the ancients said, “man decides, God decides.” This book is also a “self-published” type, and at that time many people were looking for it to read. Mr. Thanh was also a cadre from the provincial and city levels up to the central level. Many of the stories he tells in the book have something similar (in terms of inspiration, the levels of events, the consequences and the multi-dimensional view of events) to the stories “I” told inLost in the human worldby Pham Quang Long. Mr. Doan Duy Thanh's book makes readers think about what will happen at a higher level, that is, the macro level of the national government. This feeling is also present after reading.Lost in the human world, the third book of prose writing by Pham Quang Long that I have read. So the first comment is that the material is put intoLost in the human worldenough for a few fictional novels. And if so, the characters and events must be pushed higher, beyond the local level (province, city), to give it a national and contemporary face. Because the author is an insider, at least approaching the macro level. If friends say it for fun, "I" is a bit greedy. Almost all the typical events, incidents, and situations of the more than eight years of staying in the cultural field at the provincial and city level (in the Director's chair), less good than bad, are tightly packed into the book. As a result, there is a feeling of being cramped, compressed, and suffocated like a growing body wearing too-tight clothes. According to the experience of writer Nguyen Cong Hoan, writers should know how to save, should "eat sparingly", should not spend lavishly at once in the "spending lavishly" way as is said now. Or is "I" still very rich in material, this is nothing? Maybe so! But anyway, the technical side of writing can never be discussed again, more so because "the literature of another person's wife".

I paid special attention to the saying of the son of the character “I” about “Being human is more difficult than being an official”. A philosophy spoken by a handsome young man in his teens who has already matured, not by someone who has passed the age of “fifty knowing one’s destiny” or “sixty and listening to one’s ears”. I just realized that the youth nowadays are really formidable. Therefore, we must trust and expect from them. Why not?! Is that the structure ofLost in the human worldby Pham Quang Long. The work does not clearly state the genre (novel or autobiography, memoir), but that is not important. For the reader, the most important thing is to recognize the truth, because as the 19th century Russian writer said, the author of the masterpieceWar and Peace, L. Tolstoy, then “Truth is the character I love most when writing”. Here raises a question: From which perspective is the truth reproduced? From the intelligent and keen observation of an outsider or from the experience and dedication of a person “who lies under the blanket and knows it has lice”? Again, which side does the truth come from (the dark side or the light side)? And who does the truth benefit (the general public or an interest group)? In the end, does the truth make us mature or fail after fully and deeply perceiving it? Perhaps when writing, Pham Quang Long did not necessarily want to lay it out like that to calculate in detail, but certainly the author is not someone who uses the name of truth to bend his pen, so that his work can “catch the eye” of the public, to be released quickly and smoothly. Saying that is because there is a habit of using the name of truth (as well as in the name of many other meaningless things). I have read three manuscripts of Pham Quang Long’s prose works written in the past three years and according to the “internal announcement”, the fourth book is being drafted. Certainly not colorful and beautiful, not sentimental, but on the contrary, straightforward, complex, thrilling, suspenseful for readers. And very likely to provoke emotions, stimulate debate.

Being human is difficult? But why is it difficult among fellow human beings, colleagues, comrades and sometimes teammates? This question seems difficult to answer clearly in broad daylight. Being human is difficult because, as folklore has concluded: A bad friend can sometimes be more dangerous than an enemy. Being human is difficult because everyone thinks that kind people and kind deeds seem to be increasingly rare and hard to find. Living and behaving in such an environment, with a little social status, how can it not be difficult? That is why I find myself struggling, worrying, tormenting, questioning, repenting. Then suddenly falling into loneliness and sadness, sometimes even having a defeatist mentality. But fortunately, this mentality is only fleeting. Then I get up, rise up with the determination "not to fall". A character named “I” wants to live a good life but lacks the opportunity to be a decent person. When trying to live a decent life, he is surrounded, trapped, thrown to the ground, and even at risk of falling into the law. Fortunately, he has a kind heart, fortunately has a kind nature and lives according to the Buddhist spirit, fortunately knows how to think ahead and think back to avoid retribution, and save blessings for his children and grandchildren. I do not think that giving up, being silent, avoiding, and keeping peace is the path of practice for today’s scholars. On the contrary, being committed, participating, enduring, and daring to accept challenges, even temporary failures, is the quality of a true human being, a human being with a capital letter. But that means having to endure collisions that sometimes bleed, but certainly not to the point of bloodshed!

Writing about the bad, the negative, the unkind (in the eyes of the character “I”), is not aimed at pointing out this person, this specific incident, but at finding the root cause leading to the partial and then total corruption of social life in a period of serious crisis. A direct look at the truth, a tragic inspiration of writing, a good will to protect the right, the beautiful, the good have made the critical inspiration illuminated by sober analysis and harmonized by the love of life and humanity emanating from each word. In other words, Pham Quang Long’s style inLost in the human worldbearing the mark of intelligence and emotion going hand in hand as a harmony (cool head and hot heart).

Before writing prose, Pham Quang Long had success in stage scripts (episodedebt to the country, 2014, has proven the author's ability to discover important life conflicts, transform them into typical dramatic conflicts, present characters from the past and present as people capable of resolving conflicts, creating moral values; criticize the eternal bad habits of people due to ignorance, fame, and passion for power leading to degeneration). Writing prose, as people say, requires a mindset of "passion for every detail". That's how it is seen.Lost in the human worldPham Quang Long's works are really "dense", "fertile" with material, full of plot and dense with details. Someone who likes to read light, simple, smooth and quick writing style will probably not be able to "get" into this work.Lost in the human world,I think it is more suitable for the audience who have the "nature" to live slowly, ponder, and think. That is, there is a creative sympathy between the writer and the reader who have lived a lot, thought carefully, and like to explore life issues, even have the desire to question and philosophize about life.

A messy writing style but the artistic thinking is on the contrary clear and transparent. As a person with social knowledge, a literary career, a lot of life, the heart and integrity of a scholar, Pham Quang Long has entered the literary game with confidence and generosity. It is very possible that he will be a contemporary prose phenomenon when the author successively introduces himself to readers.Tornado, Old Friends, Lost in the Human WorldandChess game.

There are also people after readingLost in the human worldIt seems that I am not really satisfied because the work is a bit "dry" (it seems that the author is too sober, reason intervenes too much, it needs to be more subtle and fresh). That feeling is correct. But as the ancients said, "I have to accept it." In a recent literary encounter, he shared his passion: "Happiness now is writing and serving my wife and children every day, meeting friends to share both the joys and sorrows of life." Looking at his prematurely gray hair because of being involved in "officialdom" for nearly twenty years, I feel sorry for my literary friends who have struggled because of things that lead nowhere. But reading literature, I feel joy when my friends are returning to being normal people. Being decent people. And writing is a decent job. Living with literature, my friends must have lessened the mentality that "being human is difficult". Is that right?!

Writer Bui Viet Thang (former lecturer of the Faculty of Literature)