HÀ NỘI  Bookworms in Ha Noi can enjoy new and classical books written by European authors within European Literature Days 2022 that will take place in the capital city from May 5-15.

The event is organised by the Goethe-Institut, the French Cultural Centre (L'Espace), the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation, the embassies of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Spain in Viet Nam, the British Council in collaboration with Delegation of the European Union to Viet Nam and various publishers in Ha Noi.

Besides being introduced to more than 30 new and classical books, readers can also interact with Vietnamese writers and translators who attend the event to present their latest works.

The activities within European Literature Days 2022 will be held at Casa Italia, the Goethe-Institute and Nhã Nam Book Coffee located at 3 Nguyễn Quý Đuc Street.

It is the first time that literary translations from Ukraine presented at the event. Readers can listen to poems from the anthology Timeless Poetry that has been translated and published on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Ukraine.

The book includes works by renowned and contemporary Ukrainian poets like Taras Shevchenko, Lesia Ukrainka, Ivan Franko and Lina Kostenko. They are accompanied with illustrations by Taras Shevchenko, Ukrainian poet and painter, which are being preserved at the national museum of Taras Shevchenko.

A collection of poems filled with love for the people, homeland and life becomes close to Vietnamese readers when it is translated into Vietnamese by writer Vũ Tuấn Hoang, lecturer in philology at Kyiv University. 

In terms of literary classics, two Czech anti-war novels The Fate of the Good Soldier Švejk in World War by Jaroslav Hašek and Money from Hitler by Radka Denemarkova will be presented at Casa Italia.

The highlights of this year’s edition are children’s books by immensely popular HCM City-based Belgian writer ECO (Eddy Coubeaux), and short stories by the Gianni Rodari, who is considered Italy's most important 20th-century children's author.

Children's books from Europe have long been favoured by Vietnamese young readers as they are known for beautiful design, exciting stories and colourful illustrations.

Attendees will also meet novelists from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, and Italy, some of them have been popular with a broad readership in Viet Nam.

Another event not to be missed is the discussion on Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, hosted by the British Council, Nhã Nam Publishing House and ZZZ Review online magazine. The discussion will be attended by Vietnamese translators and expected to reveal what is implied behind the ambiguities of Ishiguro's works.

European Literature Days 2022 is a cultural event to celebrate European Day on May 9.

Europe Day has been regularly celebrated in recent years in Ha Noi, featuring various cultural activities; however, it was postponed in the past two years due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. VNS