EUROPEAN LITERATURE DAYS IN VIETNAM 2024
EUROPEAN LITERATURE DAYS 2024 – GENDER NOVEL[TY]
There is a vibrant trend in European literature to address current gender issues and the multifaceted perspectives of female and queer writers. Novels from Europe reflect the diverse realities of queer identities and the situation of women, showcasing both the challenges and success stories on the path to legal and social equality. In the literature of the younger generation, there is a new sense of gender diversity.
The European Literature Days 2024, organized by EUNIC (EU National Institutes for Culture), will ignite literary conversations around gender themes through various formats of literature and events. It boldly showcases feminist and queer works by emerging writers, while also reimagining timeless European classics. Notably, this year’s event fosters dialogue forums for writers from the fringes of European literature and Vietnam.
This year's European Literature Days will be supported by the Goethe Institute, the British Council, the Cervantes Institute, the Embassy of Spain, the Embassy of Italy, the Embassy of the Czech Republic and Embassy of the Republic of Poland.
Goethe-Institut Hanoi
EVENTS
Talk - How AI is Changing Book Translation Methods
Casa Italia - 18 Lê Phụng Hiểu, Hà Nội
In the era of 4.0, technology is constantly evolving and the use of AI - Artificial Intelligence - has brought about many significant benefits to humans in the translation between languages. Can AI completely replace humans in the translation of literary works? Explore all these and more at the opening event of the European Literature Days 2024 programme.
Talk - Geronimo Stilton: A Thousand Wonders. A Journey to Discover Italy
Casa Italia - 18 Lê Phụng Hiểu, Hà Nội
Talk - Lorca: Poems and Love
Embassy of Spain - 4 Lê Hồng Phong, Hà Nội
We invite you to immerse yourself in the life and work of the most influential and popular poet of 20th century Spanish literature, Federico Garcia Lorca. The event is organised by the Embassy of Spain, in collaboration with the Aula Cervantes of Hanoi.
Talk - Diaspora Literature of a Queer Perspective & the Conundrum of Dual Identity
Goethe-Institut - 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hà Nội
Writing about diaspora literature, the renowned writer Salman Rushdie insightfully remarked, “The act of migration puts into crisis everything about the migrating individual or group, everything about identity and selfhood and culture and belief.” This very sentiment is mirrored in the experience of the protagonist Nilufar in the debut novel Terafik by the German-Iranian writer Nilufar Karkhiran Khozani, which intertwines elements of autobiography. It narrates Nilufar's journey to Iran to visit a family she hardly knows. Growing up in Germany with her mother after being abandoned by her Iranian father, not speaking Persian, Nilufar has always felt her existence to be transient and estranged, as if she doesn't fully belong in Berlin nor in Tehran.
At this talk, 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, who has written about the criticism, “You're Vietnamese, why don't you speak Vietnamese?” The conversation will provide a space for discussions on diaspora literature from a queer perspective, as well as the advantages and conundrums faced by writers carrying dual identities.
Talk - Hanna
Goethe-Institut - 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hà Nội
Alena Mornštajnová is a highly successful author of Czech literature, particularly in the field of literature written by female authors. Her works have received numerous literary awards, including the novel Uncle Hana, which was released to Vietnamese readers by Phu Nu publishing house. Uncle Hana is a novel based on historical events, a story about the pain of the post-war period and the epidemic in the 1950s. However, despite the challenges of the past, it is essential to learn to be brave and to move forward.
At the exchange, the writer will share more deeply about the novel Uncle Hana, and at the same time discuss with readers about his story-writing expertise and the author's personal literary career, thereby inspiring and motivating writers, especially female writers just starting their careers.
Workshop - Closure: Finding Ending Scenarios for Queer Characters
Goethe-Institut - 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hà Nội
How can a story, which features queer and intersectional identities, find an ending that acknowledges the hardships of being marginalized appropriately? Mainstream audiences’ expectations and even our own reading experience often create the demand for a “good” or at least satisfying ending. Thus, it can be challenging to find a closing scenario for the character’s conflicts with being marginalised that actually make sense. Can there be a satisfying yet appropriate storyline that provides closure despite a reality which often doesn’t accept queerness? We will examine our own reading perception and expectations, and discuss how this is challenged in the stories we want to tell.
Following our discussion, we will turn to the participants’ own works. In the practical part of the workshop the participants will develop scenarios for the characters of the texts they are currently working on. We will then discuss the drafts and provide feedback for each other.
Talk - The Power of Words: Queer Voices across Borders
Goethe-Institut - 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hà Nội
The Goethe-Institut aims to stimulate discussion about gender and queer equality, creating platforms for queer creative practices. Acknowledging the interface between language and queer activism, we invite artists and rights advocates who use language and various creative methods to engage in the dialogue of queer rights and voices. Among these luminaries are German queer writers Nilufar and Jayrôme, who navigate the literary landscape constantly seeking fresh voices and unconventional expressions.
Additionally, contemporary Vietnamese artist Nhung Dinh, who stretches beyond the mainstream, uncovering hidden histories and queer footprints in the bustling tapestry of Vietnamese life, will also share her interdisclipnary approach into queer practice.
Workshop - Creative Writing with Jayrôme C. Robinet
Goethe-Institut - 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hà Nội
To support young Vietnamese authors in enhancing their storytelling skills, the Goethe-Institut Hanoi and Zzz Review are organizing a workshop on creative writing in Hanoi. The workshop will be led by the writer Jayrôme C. Robinet.
In this practice-orientated workshop, participants learn basic methods of creative writing. They playfully try out how to overcome writer's block, are given the tools to write their own texts and learn how to express thoughts and feelings in words with strength and vigour.
Workshop - Flâneuring: Diverse perspectives on public space in writing
Goethe-Institut - 18, Street 1 Cư Xá Đô Thành, District 3, HCMC
Strolling around, exploring, and discovering, are present in public spaces. In classical literature we encounter many romantic wanderers who are roaming cities and landscapes, and who are appropriating these spaces in one way or another. We travel along with them to foreign places, and see through the eyes of Büchner or Eichendorff for example. But their view may be biased. Flexen is a compilation of essays from rare perspectives which often provide a completely different view of an environment. Being able to move freely in public places depends on the attributions given by society, and on being visible or invisible. Based on these perspectives, some of these places even become inaccessible.
Moving around in a city, waiting at a bus stop, taking a walk, using a restroom, entering a park can be a unique experience, a challenge, or even political, if you are a woman*, a person of colour, queer, or a person with disabilities.
In this workshop we want to give space for marginalized perspectives and highlight their voices, which we hardly find in literature.
Talk - Queer Literature from the Perspective of Mobility
Goethe-Institut - 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hà Nội
Details to be updated.
Talk - Polish Legends Adventure: 6 stories to inspire young explorers
Venue and other details TBC.
Exhibition Launch and Talk - Room/Ystafell/Phòng
Goethe-Institut - 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hà Nội
'Room/Ystafell/Phòng' is a remarkable anthology that beautifully intertwines the diverse experiences of queer lives in Wales and Vietnam through a multifaceted collection of art forms. Compiled by six talented writers—Joshua Jones, Leo Drayton, Xuân Tùng, Kai Nguyen, Maik Cây and Lauren Morais —the book is a celebration that encapsulates the joy, resilience, and depth of queer experiences.
Talk - The power of words for trans rights activism
Goethe-Institut - 18, Street 1 Cư Xá Đô Thành, District 3, HCMC
Details to be updated.
Room/Ystafell/Phòng: a queer expression Creative writing workshop with Kai Nguyen and Leo Drayton
Goethe-Institut - 56-58-60 Nguyễn Thái Học, Hà Nội
In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to embark on a journey of self-discovery, weaving together personal narratives, poetry, prose, and visual art to celebrate the diverse spectrum of queer experiences. Through a series of engaging exercises and discussions, Kai and Leo will guide you in unlocking the power of your voice, embracing authenticity, and finding resonance in your unique queer expression.
Join us for an inspiring and affirming exploration of identity, community, and the transformative potential of storytelling.
Gathering and public talk on Queer Ecology
Public park - address TBC
Details to be updated.