SPEECH OF SWEDISH AMBASSADOR PERERIC HÖGBERG

AT THE LAUNCH OF MAI VĂN PHẤN’S LATEST POEM COLLECTION: LẶNG YÊN CHO NƯỚC CHẢY

Ngài Pereric Högberg, Đại sứ đặc mệnh toàn quyền Vương quốc Thụy Điển tại VN
 

Hà Nội 5 June 2018

Pleased to be here today at L’ Espace at the launch of Mai Văn Phấn’s latest poem collection entitled LẶNG YÊN CHO NƯỚC CHẢY ("Be Quiet for Water Flowing”).

With his talent and creativity, Mr Mai Văn Phấn has proved how poetry can give us greater understanding of the life and culture of others. Through poetry, the voice of one person can tell the story of many. His poetry has been translated into 24 languages including Swedish. This provides people in Sweden with better understanding of people, nature and everyday life in Vietnam. As an example, 2009 Mr Mai Văn Phấns poetry was translated and published as a part of the anthology “Till: igår – tolv vietnamesiska poeter. A bigger selection of his poems were translated and published in Sweden through the book “Höstens Hastighet”.

I’m extremely happy that Mr Mai Văn Phấn is the 2017 winner of the Swedish Cikada Award. He is the second Vietnamese poet to be honoured for such a distinguished award after Mrs. Hoàng Thị Ý Nhi.

If you have not heard about the Cikada, as an award, it was founded in 2004, in connection with the 100th anniversary of the birth of the Swedish Nobel Prize laureate in literature Mr. Harry Martinson. The Cikada Prize is given to an East Asian poet as a recognition of the great inspiration Harry Martinson found for his own poetry in East Asian literature and the purpose is also to bring greater, international attention to the rich poetry and poets from East Asia. The name of the award was inspired by Martinson’s poetry collection “Cikada” which was published in 1953.

After winning the Cikada award, Mai Văn Phấn’s poem was on air for one entire week by Swedish radio – the biggest media channel in Sweden and received very positive feedback from our Swedish audience. Numerous articles about Mai Văn Phấn has come out in different newspapers in Sweden including the Dagens Nyheter- the largest daily newspaper. I have also learnt that Mai Văn Phấn’s books have been widely sold on Amazon making him of the best sellers as a poet in recent years in Vietnam.

Since the diplomatic relations were established between Sweden and Vietnam almost 50 years ago, we have seen a continuous exchange of culture between our two countries. Literature and poetry have played an important role in this and the Cikada Award, with both Hoang Thi Y Nhi and Mai Văn Phấn have positively contributed and  deepened the literature/poetry exchange.

I would like to express my wholehearted congratulations to Mr. Mai Văn Phấn on his new collection.  I know that he’ll make a visit to Sweden in the fall at the invitation of Sweden’s friendship association with Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. I wish him a pleasant time in Sweden and all the best for his future career.  Please enjoy today’s poetry reading!

Xin cảm ơn! 

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