The cover of Cá Kịch (Carp Diem) by Phan Ngọc Trâm, a 12th-grade student in the English class at Nguyễn Huệ High School for the Gifted, Hà Nội. Photos courtesy of Dân Trí Publishing House

 HÀ NỘI — The aspiration for creativity and innovation, the connection of friendship, and self-confidence regardless of how you look, those are the messages that Phan Ngọc Trâm, a 12th-grade student in the English class at Nguyễn Huệ High School for the Gifted, Hà Đông District, Hà Nội, aims to convey in her new book.

She was not just the writer and translator of the book, Cá Kịch (Carp Diem), but also the illustrator. The title, written in Vietnamese and translated into English has just been published by  the Dân Trí Publishing House.

Throughout its nearly one hundred pages, Carp Diem tells the tale of a girl who dreams of creating a masterpiece.  However, her path is not simple, as emotions, enthusiasm, and motivation seem to be blocked.

Along the way, she meets a merman, and the story follows a narrative blend of reality and fiction. The friendship between the merman and the girl grows fuelled by their mutual aspiration to create outstanding work to perform before famous people.

The story is written in a unique natural style, capturing the authentic dialogues of student life, filled with quarrels, fall outs and resilience, from a child's perspective. Carp Diem concludes with a completed play rolling out onto the stage, warmly received by the audience. This represents a fresh and colourful experience of school life that Trâm imbues into the story. The illustrations of the two friends are depicted in a vivid and whimsical manner, yet very harmonious.  

Cá Kịch (Carp Diem) was written in Vietnamese, translated into English and illustrated by the young author herself.

 The story not only brings forth a narrative filled with joy and warmth of friendship, but also contains a message about love and the value of creative culture in literary works within schools.

Former American diplomat Davit Devin, who is also a long-time English lecturer in Việt Nam, commented that Trâm has a solid command of English, that is shown with her bright and vibrant personal style brought to the narrative. He said that the story is easy to understand, easy to read, light and charming.

Young writer Trâm said Carp Diem was inspired by her personal passion for writing and her desire to capture beautiful moments of life to include in her work. The full title is about her drive and ambition with this debut : Carp Diem – Catch the Moment and Write a Play that is Uniquely Yours.

Editor Nguyễn Thị Hương Giang from Dân Trí Publishing House said she was honoured to be trusted to accept the book for editing and amazed when she learned that its author is still a high school student.

“I highly appreciate her creative abilities and ideas across three areas - writing in Vietnamese, writing in English and illustrating the story. The book has a coherent, easy-to-understand style and clear language,” she said. VNS