Journey to Conquer the ASEAN Literature Award

The ASEAN Literature Awards for 2019, 2020, and 2021 have recently been awarded to Vietnamese poets and writers: Tran Quang Dao, Vo Khac Nghiem, and Vinh Quyen, adding to the achievements of Vietnamese authors in their journey to conquer this award.

The most recent award-winning authors (2019, 2020, 2021): Tran Quang Dao, Vinh Quyen and Vo Khac Nghiem (from left to right).

3 new faces added

Writer Vinh Quyen is 72 years old this year, currently living in Da Nang . He is the author of the post-war novel written in English "Debris of Debris", which was published in England and the US. The Vietnamese version is called "Fragments of Fragments", won second prize in the 2011-2015 novel contest of the Vietnam Writers Association. This year's ASEAN Literature Award named his work "In Endlessness", written about the livelihood of the Ton That family in the US and the process of collecting documents to write a master's thesis on Dai Nam - An East Asian power. The work is thick, expressing the great, consistent theme of connecting the past and taking action to perfect oneself in the present. The work contains many historical events, the fate of many lives, bringing an impressive human story.

“Flying in a Dream” is the seventh collection of poems by author Tran Quang Dao, released in 2019, marking his return to the literary world after 10 years of not publishing books. The collection consists of 80 poems, which are experiences and contemplations about life through free verse, rich in imagery and contemplation. The author is the former Editor-in-Chief of Nhi Dong newspaper, serving in the army for many years. This work was presented, covered and illustrated by him. Not only writing poetry, he also writes a variety of works, from novels, short stories, novellas...

“Thi Lo Chinh Danh”, a work by writer Vo Khac Nghiem, is a historical novel based on the character Nguyen Thi Lo, a female official of the Le So dynasty, the second wife of Nguyen Trai. This is the character associated with the Le Chi Vien tragedy that occurred in 1442, leading to the death of her husband and wife and the sentence of “extermination of the three clans” of the Nguyen Trai family. Writer Vo Khac Nghiem was born in 1942 in Quang Binh , living and working in Quang Ninh. He received the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2017 for two novels “Manh doi cua Hue” and “Manh hon cong ly”. In his literary career, he published over 20 novels, short stories and wrote many stage scripts, film scripts, and television dramas. He passed away in 2022…

Impressive journey of Vietnamese author and prestigious award

This is a 45-year-old literary award initiated by the Thai Royal Family for authors in Southeast Asia with outstanding works in the genres of poetry, short stories, novels, plays, folk literature, academic works, and religion.

The award honors the contributions of each nation's culture, expressing the beauty of the spirit of coexistence and prosperous development in peace of the ASEAN community. This year, the 45th anniversary of its establishment, the award took place in Thailand, the award ceremony was solemn, elaborate, worthy of royal status. This is a prestigious award, leaving an impression on the winning writers and the regional literary community.

Vietnam started participating in this award in 1996. Up to now, more than 20 authors have been honored: To Huu, Ma Van Khang, Huu Thinh, Nguyen Khai, Nguyen Duc Mau, Nguyen Kien, Bang Viet, Do Chu, Inrasara, Le Van Thao, Tran Van Tuan, Nguyen Ngoc Tu, Cao Duy Son, Nguyen Nhat Anh, Nguyen Chi Trung, Trung Trung Dinh, Thai Ba Loi, Thanh Thao, Tran Quang Dao, Vo Khac Nghiem and Vinh Quyen.

This has been a long journey and the Vietnamese authors who have won this award are outstanding authors, representing contemporary Vietnamese literature. Their contributions have been affirmed by works that have not only influenced many generations of Vietnamese readers, but also influenced the world with some of their works being translated into many languages and published beyond the country. With their talent and intelligence, they have been making positive contributions, affirming their personal achievements, contributing to glorifying Vietnamese literature in general.

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