Father's Day | Books and songs about father you should never miss
There is always a book or a song that reminds you of your father and the time you've spent with him, no matter which country you come from.
The Father's Day has just past. Let's get into a number of stories and songs having touched people from different countries, and celebrate this particular day for fathers together!
Chinese novel: Father
Liao Xiaosheng is a contemporary Chinese novelist, and one of the five individuals who won China’s top literature award Mao Dun Literature Prize in 2019. In his latest novel Father (2022), he narrates the life story of his father with a mix of objective and personal tones. Father was a strict and silent person. Yet in Liao Xiaosheng’s memory, a strong sense of responsibility for the family, particularly his children, had also been part of his character. This reminds many Chinese readers about their own fathers.
Vietnamese novel and film: Father and Son
Father and Son (or Cha Cõng Con in Vietnamese) is a collection of short stories written by Vietnamese director Luong Dinh Dung. In the story with the same title of this book, a fisherman carries his increasingly unwell son on his back to a big city where better medical treatments are available, and the boy’s “sky-touching dream” eventually comes true on the top of a skyscraper. One film adapted from this story ran the foreign-language Oscar race for Vietnam in 2018.
Cambodian song: Father
Father is a song by Cambodia’s top singer Preap Sovath. This song begins with a father soothing his crying son gently. By recalling some sweet moments that he shared with his father, the singer thanks the father for making him a real man, and candidly shows his regret for not having taken good care of his elder father as a son. Preap Sovath’s distinctive voice has touched a great number of listeners.
Lao song: The Teachings of Father (song)
Father's love is everywhere, and our steps to follow our fathers have never come to an end. The Teachings of Father is a lastest song written by Saikham Boutthala, a famed song writer from Laos. Through the lyrics, he shows how great father's love is, and how much he misses his father. In his eyes, father has always been a role model who keeps encouraging him to become a better person.
Thai book: Following the Path of our Father
Bhumibol Adulyadej, better known as Rama IX, was the king loved by all Thai people. He has been considered the founding father of modern Thailand. As a collection of his speeches, including the one that he gave on his coronation in 1950, Following the Path of our Father incorporates a total of 59 speeches of this legendary figure throughout years. To Thai readers, this is a guidebook which can genuinely lead them to a better and brighter future.
Myanmarese novel: Father’s Face in the Mirror
Linga Yi Kyaw is a renowned contemporary novelist from Myanmar. Father’s Face in the Mirror is one short story from The Riverside Sunset, a collection of him published in 2011. The protagonist never gets a chance to learn about his father’s past, until his father begins to suffer from a critical illness. Through father’s diary, he starts to understand how much and deep his love for children has ever been. The book became a blockbuster after publication.
English novel: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Written by American writer and philosopher Robert M. Pirsig, the autobiographic novel tells the story about a summer motorcycle trip undertaken by Pirsig himself and Chris, his 11-year-old son. In this cross-country road trip in the United States, Pirsig asks fundamental questions, such as how one should live his or her life and reconcile with the greater world. In other words, this book records not only a physical odyssey, but a philosophical one, as it repeatedly touches on the nature of human existence and the meaning of life through conversations.
Writing by Wang Jingzhong, Li Ling, Li Zha, Yang Chunmei, Cai Meng, Long Wei; trans-editing by Wang Jingzhong (Yunnan Daily)