SPREADING THE WORD: Best-selling author Nguyễn Nhật Ánh is named the reading culture ambassador of HCM City in 2024-2025. — Photo courtesy of the Trẻ Publishing House

HCM CITY — Best-selling author Nguyễn Nhật Ánh has been named the reading culture ambassador of HCM City in 2024-2025.

The 69-year-old writer will join the city in activities to promote community reading habits and culture, including a book fair to celebrate the Việt Nam Book and Reading Cultural Day (April 21) held from April 19-22 in District 1.

The fair will display around 50,000 Vietnamese and foreign book titles in various topics from the city’s major publishers and book distributors.

It will include a series of talks among authors, cultural experts and visitors, featuring topics such as audio books, and the development of reading habits.

At the event, Ánh will host a book signing and a talk on how to identify an original and a pirated book.

He will also give a talk to encourage writers to create more works for children.

Ánh began writing in 1984 and is known for his simple style and accurate depiction of children’s minds.

He has written more than 80 novels and collections of short stories.

His best-selling works in the 1990s, such as Kính Vạn Hoa (Kaleidoscope) and Thằng Quỷ Nhỏ (The Mischievous Boy), are still popular today.

His novel Cô Gái Đến Từ Hôm Qua (The Girl Comes from Yesterday) in 1995 remains one of the country’s best-selling kids’ books, and the Moscow State University included it in the curriculum for Vietnamese-language students in 2014.

In 2007, his book Cho Tôi Xin Một Vé Đi Về Tuổi Thơ (Ticket to Childhood) was a hit and sold more than 20,000 copies in the first weeks of its release.

It won the Southeast Asian Writers Award presented by the Thai royal family in 2010. It has been translated into Thai and published by Thailand-based publisher Nanmee Books.

Many of his books have been adapted to films such as Tôi Thấy Hoa Vàng Trên Cỏ Xanh (Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass) and Mắt Biếc (Dreamy Eyes), which won top awards at local and international film festivals.

This year will see the premiere of two new movies adapted from Ánh’s works, Ngày Xưa Có Một Chuyện Tình (Love Upon a Time) and Kính Vạn Hoa. — VNS