Central European Writers' Reading Month: Li Tonghao Believes in the Power of Words [Exclusive Interview]

(Central News Agency, reporter Zheng Jingyu, Warsaw, 8th) The Central European literary event 'Writers' Reading Month' opened in Poland on the 6th, with Taiwan serving as the honorary guest of honor. Writer Li Tonghao took the stage for a reading on the evening of the 7th and gave an exclusive interview to the Central News Agency. Li Tonghao joked that the value of words in the contemporary era has been 'devalued more than the Japanese yen,' but he still, like an old-school literary youth, believes in the irreplaceable texture and weight of words.

Li Tonghao brought his work 'The Non-Murderer's Novel,' which has been adapted into a TV series, to Poland. Compared to senior writers traveling with him like Li Ang, he described his own background as very 'popular.'

Li Tonghao said he came from the 'Apple Daily' and was fed 'too many messy things,' so he doesn't take literature so seriously. The works of Jin Yong, Ni Kuang, and even Huang Shanliao have been great sources of nourishment for him. 'Writing this novel is my respect and repayment to popular literature.'

For him, his full-time job as a journalist provides a stable foundation for life, while writing novels is like a very secret and beloved stress-relief game. Between serious pure literature and popular literature, he maintains a literary youth's insistence on words, blending them to create his unique writing style.

During the interview, Li Tonghao defined a 'literary youth' as 'someone who is still willing to believe in the power of words. They can appreciate the beauty of words and are willing to use words to describe the world they see.'

As someone who has experienced the crossover between print and digital media, he said he reads e-books because he has 'gotten old,' but he is still irresistibly fascinated by the physical feel of paper books: the sound of turning pages, the texture of paper, the traces of underlining with a pen.

'All the good things in this world must give you some inconvenience for you to truly feel they are great,' Li Tonghao said, talking about travel. He prefers slow trains over airplanes because the waiting, the absurdity and inconvenience of delays, embellish the joy of travel.

He believes the same is true for words; readers must use their brains and imagination to deconstruct and then reconstruct them. When everything can be easily grasped through a 15-minute short video, it seems convenient, but it also lacks the most fascinating suspense.

Speaking about journalism, Li Tonghao, as a veteran profile writer, showcases his unique art of human interaction in his work 'Bullets and Roses.' He described that a good interview often requires the dual use of 'roses' and 'bullets.'

The 'rose' is about elevating the interview scene into a chat-like romance. The journalist melts the questions into their mind, abandons rigid interview sheets, and uses extreme focus and gentleness to make the interviewee let down their guard and reveal sincere 'love talk.'

However, when facing shrewd politicians or professional interviewees, the journalist must pull out the 'bullets,' do thorough homework, draw up a strict timeline of their life, and press hard like CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) to extract the most truthful 'confession.'

In an era where everyone is taking sides based on social media algorithms and the media environment is like 'extreme weather,' Li Tonghao advises young journalists not to take sides too quickly, to remain calm and objective, and never give up their curiosity about people.

'People are not black and white, not purely light or darkness,' Li Tonghao said. The ultimate core of literature is 'people.' Even if the aura of writers is no longer as dazzling as in ancient times, as long as one maintains rigor and curiosity about human nature, the rewards brought by words remain abundant. (Editor: Chen Yanjun) 1150608