Promoting diverse expressions of Francophone Literature at the National Library of Viet Nam

On the morning of April 25, 2023, on the occasion of the International Francophonie Day and the Viet Nam Book and Reading Culture Day 2023, the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) cooperated with the representative office of the International Organization of La Francophonie for the Asia Pacific region (OIF) organized a Francophone Literary Talk under the guidance of the following speakers: Dr. Tran Van Cong, Chairman of the Jury for the Five Continents Prize of the Francophonie in Viet Nam, Dean of the French Faculty at Hanoi University, Dr. Tran Le Bao Chan, member of the Jury for the Five Continents Prize of the Francophonie in Viet Nam, Deputy Dean of the French Faculty at Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy.

Attending the seminar, there were Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hien – Deputy Dean of the Library Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST), Mr. Edgar Doering- Representative of the International Organization of Francophonie for the Asia Pacific region; representatives of departments, units and professional associations under the MoCST; representatives of the embassies of Canada, France, Morocco and the Wallonie-Bruxelles Delegation; representatives of leaders of libraries in Ha Noi; representatives of Ha Noi University, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, University of Foreign Languages – Ha Noi National University and a large number of students, the public and library readers.

As part of the OIF’s project since 2001, the Five Continents Prize of the Francophonie allows to honor literary talents, reflect cultural diversity through literary works written in French in five continents and promote writers on the international stage to the public. Several works by these prestigious award winners from Algeria, Belgium, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Palestine and Tunisia have been translated and published in Vietnamese such as: Meursault, contre-enquête/ tentatively translated as “The Meursault Investigation” (2014); Congo Inc. le testament de Bismarck/ tentatively translated as “Congo Inc. Bismarck’s Testament” (2015); Le Corps de ma mère/ tentatively translated as “The Body of my Mother” (2016); La Théo des fleuves/ Tentatively translated as “The Story of the Gypsy woman” (2018); Le Palais des Deux Collines/ tentatively translated as “Palace of the Two Hills” (2021) were introduced by speakers at the Talk.

Besides, the speakers also shared some typical Francophone literature in the French-speaking countries, such as Belgian Francophone literature, Swiss-French literature, Canadian Francophone literature, Francophone literature of African countries...; in particular, the speakers also emphasized Viet Nam’s Francophone literature on such aspects as history of birth, genre, and the main trends in writer’s works, in order to reconstruct the history, find the own identity, thereby contribute to preserve the national identity of Viet Nam.

The literary talk has helped the public to get closer to the diversity of literatures and linguistic expressions in French, at the same time contributed to bring into play the value and promotion of the Francophone Book Space. This is also an opportunity for students to strengthen their knowledge of French language and culture.

Photos of the event: