Spanish professor Jose Manuel Ruiz Martinez from Granada University introduced the life and work of Federico Garcia Lorca, the most influential and popular Spanish poet of the 20th century, at the European Literature Days 2024 at the Embassy of Spain on May 6. Photo courtesy of Embassy of Spain

HÀ NỘI — The European Literature Days 2024 has kicked off with a series of literature and exhibition events in Hà Nội and HCM City.

Attending this year's event are the Goethe Institute, the British Council, the Cervantes Institute along with the embassies of Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Republic of Poland.

"The European Literature Days 2024 introduces new perspectives on gender issues from European female and queer writers to the Vietnamese audiences," said event organiser Oliver Brandt, President of the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC).

Speaking at a press conference held at the Goethe Institute in Hà Nội, he said: "Europe is more than a continent. It is the idea of cooperating closely with one another across national borders and language differences. This enthusiasm is particularly evident in the cultural sector, which has long been characterised by intercultural and international exchange.

"We want to share this diversity and enthusiasm with the Vietnamese audience and enter into a dialogue with local writers and experts."

European writers will be present in Hà Nội and HCM City and lead three workshops on different topics about queer literature and feminism aimed at young writers pursuing literature outside the mainstream.

Also attending are two queer writers of contemporary literature from Berlin, Nilufar Karkhiran Khozani and Jayrôme C. Robinet.

Khozani is a German-Iranian upcoming writer and a therapist. She studied Comparative Literature and Psychology, and completed training as a cognitive-behavioural therapist.

In 2023 her debut novel Terafik was published in Germany. Described as a clever and touching autobiographical story she writes about her family and her life, about growing up in Germany with her mother after being abandoned by her Iranian father. Not speaking Persian, the novel narrates Nilufar's journey to Iran to visit a family she hardly knows.

On Wednesday, Khozani will talk about the conundrum of dual identity.

Vietnamese readers will be introduced to Nilufar Karkhiran Khozani's debut novel for the first time, while also hearing the story of the Vietnamese-American poet Cát Nguyên.

The conversation will provide a space for discussions on diaspora literature from a queer perspective, as well as the advantages and challenges faced by writers carrying dual identities.

On Saturday she and French Robinet will lead a workshop and in the evening a round table discussion about queer literature and the rights of queer people, with Ph.D of English literature and independent researcher and critic Quyên Nguyễn.

French Robinet is a writer, translator and spoken word performer. His German-language debut was published in 2015 and premiered as a one-person play at the Maxim Gorki Theatre in Berlin.

More recently, his book My Journey From a White Woman to A Young Man With a Migration History was published, writing of his transition from a woman to a man.

Robinet has been honoured with numerous prizes and scholarships. On Sunday, Robinet will also lead a workshop with Quyên about creative writing and present his most recent book in Hà Nội and HCM City.

At later events, on Friday readers will have chance to meet Alena Mornštajnová, an author from the Czech Republic whose works have received numerous literary awards, including her novel Uncle Hana, which was released to Vietnamese readers last year by Phụ Nữ Publishing House.

On May 18, six talented writers from Wales and Việt Nam will display a multifaceted collection of art forms at the Goethe Institute. Entitled Room/Ystafell/Phòng, the exhibition is a remarkable anthology that beautifully intertwines the diverse experiences of queer lives in Wales and Việt Nam. It will run until May 24.

On Monday, a talk was held at the Embassy of Spain with a lead by professor and expert Jose Manuel Ruiz Martinez from Granada University. At the talk, professor Martinez introduced the life and work of Federico Garcia Lorca, the most influential and popular Spanish poet of the 20th century. VNS