Second Vietnamese poet wins Swedish literary prize

Saturday, 02/12/2017 14:15
(CPV) - Vietnamese poet Mai Van Phan was presented Swedish literary Cikada prize 2017 in a ceremony held by the Swedish Embassy in Hanoi in the evening of December 1st.

Mai Van Phan received the prize. (Photo: Minh Van)

Mai Van Phan was born in 1955, in Ninh Binh province. He has won many literary awards in the country and published a number of poetry in English and French. His poetry is among Top 10 best-selling Asian poetry collections on Amazon.

Cikada prize is founded in 2004 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Harry Martinson, a poet who won the Swedish Nobel Prize for literature in 1974. Earlier, this award was given to 9 East Asian poets.

Mai Van Phan is the 10th poet to receive this award which was presented with SEK20,000 and a pottery artwork designed by Swedish ceramic artisans Sundstorm. 

Speaking at the prize ceremony, Ms. Ylva Jansson, Chargé d’Affairs of the Swedish Embassy said Mai Van Phan has proved how poetry can give us a greater understanding of the lives and cultures of others.

“His poetry has been translated into 25 languages. Already in 2009 Mai Van Phan’s poetry was translated into Swedish and published as a part of the anthology ‘Till: igar – tolv vietnamesiska poeter,” she added.

She stressed since the diplomatic relations between Sweden and Vietnam was established nearly 50 years ago, the two countries have been continuously engaged in cultural exchanges, in which poetry plays an important role. This Cikada prize also contributes to and deepens the cultural exchanges.

“This is an honor for me as well as the whole of Vietnamese literature in general. With this award, I hope that the country’s literature and poetry will reach beyond the world literature,” Mai Van Phan shared.

Previously, in 2015 Vietnamese poet Y Nhi won the prestigious prize./.

Minh Van

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