Gender diversity is the main theme of European Literature Days 2024 which is getting underway in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City throughout May to introduce a vibrant trend in European literature to address current gender issues and the multifaceted perspectives of female and queer writers.

Addressing a press conference in Hanoi on May 6, Oliver Brandt from the EU National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), noted that this year’s event fosters dialogue forums specifically for writers from both Europe and Vietnam.

The festival will serve to promote literary conversations around gender themes through various formats of literature and events, whilst also showcasing feminist and queer works produced by emerging writers to reimagine timeless European classics, the organiser shared.

As part of the festival, two German writers Nilufar Karkhiran Khozani and Jayrôme C.Robinet will hold a talk at Goethe Institute in Hanoi on May 8. The conversation will provide a space specifically for discussions on diaspora literature from a queer perspective, as well as the advantages and conundrums faced by writers of dual identities.

At a May 10 exchange in Hanoi, Czech author Alena Mornštajnová will talk about novel Uncle Hana, and discuss with bookworms her story-writing expertise as well as her personal literary career, aiming to inspire and motivate writers, especially female ones, to start their careers.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Goethe Institute will arrange a creative writing workshop with German writer Nilufar Karkhiran Khozani for young writers on May 13.

This year's European Literature Days activities are 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 the Embassy of Poland. The activities will run until May 19.

VOV