Muong Amulets - A new perspective on spiritual culture
The reportage collection Muong Charms tells us more about the diversity and richness of Hoang Anh Suong's writing.
For a long time, journalist Hoang Anh Suong has been known to readers through special reports such as: "Ms. Nam Nghia and the 13-year journey to find more than 5,000 martyrs' remains", "The journey to find 4,000 martyrs' remains in the hell on earth Phu Quoc", "Talking with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh about happiness", few people know that journalist Hoang Anh Suong is also a person who likes to learn about the spiritual culture of ethnic minorities. And Muong Charm is a testament to the passion of a strong writer, full of scientific thinking combined with an attractive and engaging storytelling style.
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| Launch of the documentary series Muong Witchcraft. |
It can be said that the magical appeal of this book does not lie in the literature. If considered from the perspective of writing style, Hoang Anh Suong appears very simple. Even reading the literature, one does not see literature. One only sees life. A hot, fresh life. But that is also why it has a special appeal. Because it is life. As the poet and critic Vu Quan Phuong said: When you encounter life, you forget the words and sentences…
At the beginning of the book, the author writes: “I have heard many people talk about the mysterious magic of the Man and Muong shamans in the green forests and red mountains. That with just a handful of salt, a pair of chopsticks, a branch..., they can "tie" a couple who are on the verge of breaking up to become as close and intimate as in the beginning. They can separate a couple who are madly in love with each other, suddenly becoming indifferent, cold and then... separating. Even with just a needle, a piece of iron wrapped in five-colored thread, they can kill their enemies with mysterious spells...
To “guarantee” the authenticity of those creepy stories, some people even made very vicious oaths that made me, a curious and skeptical person, restless. And then, despite the raging tropical depression, I still tore through the wind and rain to Muong Thanh Son (Phu Tho), determined to lift the veil of this mysterious spirituality...”, the more I read, the more readers seem to be drawn into Hoang Anh Suong’s journey to find spiritual culture, as poet Tran Dang Khoa said: “The reportage collection Muong Charms tells us more about the diversity and richness of Hoang Anh Suong’s pen. I call them “charms”, or more specifically, a kind of “charm” because of its mysterious and enchanting nature that even today’s scientific community cannot easily explain. Therefore, Hoang Anh Suong’s writings, no matter what issue they discuss, are often very attractive and captivating. It seems that without that attraction and appeal, he would never have enough "spirit" to hold a pen and share with readers."
Reading Muong Charms by Hoang Anh Suong, you may be surprised and find something very new. Because Hoang Anh Suong has an insider's narrative style with a voice that is both clear and wise of an investigative reporter, and also gloomy like a shaman or a witch. He dives headfirst into the sea of real life with his strange characters. That is also the reason why his books often have a very special flavor. The book has 415 pages but you may be absorbed in reading it all at once to feel the full flavor of this book./.
According to VOV.VN
