An English translation of a collection of Vietnamese poetry, Memory of Black Eyes, has proved to be a big hit with foreigners, with the book flying off the shelves at bookshops.

Nguyen Trong Tao

Memory of Black Eyes, written by Nguyen Trong Tao, a well-known writer and composer, was translated by two of his fans, young Vietnamese poet Nguyen Phan Que Mai and American linguist Hilary Watts and published by the The Gioi Publishing House.

Its 21 poems are the recollections of a man who lived through more than 20 years of war and love.

American poet Mary E. Croy, one of the first readers in both languages, said Tao’s highly romantic poems, written in traditional Vietnamese style, would inform foreigners about the country’s culture and literature.

She has written the introduction for Tao’s book and discussed his poems with many Vietnamese and foreign writers at the International Conference on Promoting Vietnamese Literature, which opened in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

Tao said he was happy that Mai and Hilary had translated his poems, taking Vietnamese poetry to the world. “We need people to translate Vietnamese literature into many world languages.”

While thousands of international literary works had been translated and published in Viet Nam, only a few Vietnamese books had been translated into foreign languages, with most of them being published by foreign printers, he said.

Tao, a native of Nghe An Province, is an incredibly versatile creator – besides writing poetry, he also paints and composes music.

He has published nine poetry collections, four epics, and dozens of novels.

One of his most famous works is a poetry collection called The Gioi Khong Con Trang (The World Without The Moon) that was published in 2006. It features 60 poems eulogising life and people.

Tao has received a clutch of Vietnamese literary prizes.

The six-day International Conference on Promoting Vietnamese Literature, organised by the Viet Nam Writers Association and its partners, attracted 300 Vietnamese and foreign delegates, including 150 authors, poets, and translators from 31 countries and territories.

It featured four seminars attended by foreign translators and publishers who have published Vietnamese literature, especially modern literature, and Vietnamese writers.

VietNamNet/VNS