HCM CITY — Young female writer Dương Thụy’s book collection for children debuted in HCM City on Sunday before 100 young readers and their parents.   

The book collection, Susu và Gogo Bước Ra Thế Giới (Susu and Gogo Reach the World), includes three books featuring two characters, named Susu and Gogo, and their adventures to Paris, Singapore and Tokyo.   

The works, for children between 6 and 13 years old, include stories of friendship, love and dreams, written with the authors’ typical flair and imagination.  

More than 7,000 copies of each book have been printed by the Kim Đồng Publishing House, one of the country’s leading printers for children, which signed a copyright deal with the author to republish many of her books.  

“I wanted to challenge myself by writing for children. I wrote these books first for my kids and then for young readers, who’ve helped me improve my soul,” said Thụy, 42, who has spent nearly 20 years writing for adults and teenagers.     

Thụy is one of several women writers now in the limelight after breaking a series of best-selling records.

Her first book, Dấu Lặng Trong Điệp Khúc (A Silence in the Chorus), is a collection of short stories featuring topics about women and love.

It broke records after being reprinted seven times by different publishers after its first release by the HCM City-based Văn Nghệ (Literature & Arts) Publishing House in 1997.  

Her most popular books, including Oxford Yêu Thương (Beloved Oxford), Nhắm Mắt Thấy Paris (Paris through Closed Eyes) and Trả Lại Nụ Hôn (The Kiss from the Past), feature stories of young women living in urban areas.

“I was not sure my books would be so successful, but I knew exactly what readers, particularly urban women, wanted,” said Thụy.  

According to a report by two bookselling websites, Tikiweb and Vinabook, books by female writers, including Thụy, are among this year’s bestsellers.   

“Female writers add something new to a market dominated by traditional writing styles. Young readers, particularly women, can find themselves in their books,” Trần Anh Thư, a fan of Thụy, said. —  VNS