Vietnamese novel to be introduced in Frankfurt
The Republic of Korean Literary (KL) Management will introduce and popularise the Vietnamese novel Nhung Nga Tu Va Nhung Cot Den (Crossroads and Lamposts) at the Book Fair Frankfurt in October, according to Nha Nam Publishing House.
The novel was penned in 1966 by Tran Dan. It took decades, however, before the novel was finally published in 2011. It won the Hanoi Writers’ Association Award for a novel that same year.
Nha Nam has been working to introduce the novel to international copyright companies, including KL Management and Barbara J.Zitwer Agency in New York.
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"Crossroads and Lamposts is an amazing and unique literary work," said Joseph Lee, chairman of KL Management at a meeting with the late writer’s family. "Tran Dan is a great poet and novelist.”
Through the KL Management’s network, Nha Nam sent an English introduction and part of an English translation by Australian-born David Payne, to European and American copyright companies.
KL Management and the Barbara J.Zitwer Agency listed Crossroads and Lamposts among the outstanding literary works which they will introduce to publishers from all over the world at Book Fair Frankfurt.
Korean IWBooks Publishing House will publish the novel in the RoK at the end of 2018.
"It is a rare phenomenon, but important for Vietnamese books to be translated into foreign languages and published abroad, because this can popularise Vietnamese culture and art," said Xuan Minh, a representative from Nha Nam publisher.
"It is also a good sign for the Vietnamese literary when a Korean publisher buys copyright for publishing. The novel meets market demand."
Born in the northern province of Nam Dinh, writer Dan was twenty years old when he joined the Vietnamese military in 1946. He returned to Hanoi following the victory of the Dien Bien Phu battle.
He joined the Nhan Van - Giai Pham group, which included young writers, artists and intellectuals pushing for freedom of art and expression.
His works were banned from the late 1950s until 1988 but he continued to write novels and poems. Ten years after his death in 1997, he was posthumously awarded the State Prize for his contribution to literature.
Crossroads and Lamposts is widely considered a classic of Vietnamese contemporary literature.
