A story about my dream of being a book author
Let me share the journey of writing my first book with you. Looking back at an event that happened three years ago, I realized something: 'I am what I dream.'
Honestly, I didn't have any big dreams in my career. Opportunities came to me by chance, as if they were meant to happen. It was like my son says, 'Things happen as if they were destined.' That's it. Like I never thought I would live in Sweden, a cold Nordic country (at that time, I couldn't even tell the difference between Sweden and Switzerland, and I knew little about Scandinavia).
Now, let's go back to the story of my dream of writing a book. It all started at a warm family gathering, celebrating the 18th birthday of twins, the children of my sambo's brother (sambo refers to a cohabitation arrangement without marriage, recognized by Swedish law). It was an intimate dinner with only 10 people, including family members, a close friend of the twins' mother, and her two children. Her name is Marit Kapla.
Marit Kapla (right), is a Swedish journalist and author who inspired and helped me weave my dream of being a book author. She was artistic director of the Gothenburg Film Festival 2007-2014 and was one of five judges for the Un Certain Regard of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2019, her first book Osebol won the August Prize (Auguspriset) in the fiction category.
Marit and Torunn Brelin, mother of the twins, have been close friends since childhood and have experienced the joys of motherhood together. They are successful women in their careers, Torunn has worked for over 14 years at IKEA and 12 years at Lindex, and they radiate a sense of peace, simplicity, and depth, just like most middle-aged Swedish women I've met.
At the event, Marit gave the young twins a handmade album as a gift. It was filled with cherished photos from their early years, documenting their journey to adulthood. Through those photos, I could feel the intimacy, bond, and love between these two women. They had woven a beautiful, genuine friendship, expressing commitment and connection through meaningful moments in their lives. Just like today's event, which marked the independence of the two young ones, Marit and her children were an essential part of it.
Later, as I encountered many other cases, I came to understand the Swedish view of friendship and social relationships. For Swedes, quality takes precedence over quantity. They don't typically have a large number of friends, but the friendships they do have endure for decades, characterized by a profound and unwavering connection. I will delve into this aspect further in a future post.
Now, let's go back to the story of my dream of writing a book again. At the dinner, I sat next to Marit. At that time, I had been in Sweden for a year, but my Swedish was not good enough so I spoke English instead. Modern Swedes speak English fluently and it's easy to understand. When I asked her about her job, she shared that she was an author and had a new book coming out that autumn. As an educated woman with extensive cultural knowledge, she was truly a talented storyteller. I was so enthralled by her story about the new book and her job that I blurted out that:
'I wish I could become an author like you. You're amazing!'
Upon hearing my words, she smiled brightly and replied:
'You are what you dream.
Let's dream big, Uyen.'
After that party, I completely forgot about my dream of becoming an author. However, I didn't forget Marit and her words of encouragement. They remained deep in my subconscious until one day I realized, 'I have become an author of a book,' just like she said.
When I wrote the acknowledgments for my first book, I thought of her and my dream of being an author. And that dream would have remained dormant if it weren't for a significant event that profoundly impacted me and gave me the motivation to pursue it. I will tell you about it in next story.
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