New ‘conversation' approach to shed light on Dang Than romance novel
HA NOI (VNS)— A "polysymphony" performance of the novel 3.3.3.9 [Nhung Manh Hon Tran] (Fragments of Naked Souls] written by Vietnamese writer Dang Than will be held at the Goethe Institute on Thursday.
The novel is about a romance between a Vietnamese girl from Hai Phong City named Mong Huong and a German boy called Schditt von de Balle-Kant.
The author will participate in the performance of his novel alongside the critic La Nguyen and the calligraphic artist Trinh Tuan.
They will use diverse types of ‘conversation' to convey the message of the story to the audience, including dialogue, monologue and incidental chat. They will also use calligraphy to convey some of the book's meaning. It is the first time this type of art performance has been presented at the Institute. The conversations will be in Vietnamese and German.
In January 2012, the French Cultural Centre of Ha Noi held a significant seminar discussing this book, and many Vietnamese critics and authors had been drawn by its exceptional originality and heatedly discussed its style and meaning.
Than is a notable Vietnamese contemporary bilingual poet, fiction writer and essayist. He has taught American and English literature at several universities in Ha Noi since 1990, and has also worked as a translator and interpreter. He has written and published works in English.-VNS