VietNamNet Bridge - The Hans Christian Andersen Award Committee yesterday announced three winners ofthis year’s global Hans Christian Andersen Award, including Ms. Tran Thi Minh Tam, Vietnam’s renowned children’s book translator. 

Translator Tran Thi Minh Tam

Tam is awarded for her success in extending the reading of Hans Christian Andersen in Vietnam. In the native country of H.C. Andersen, people do not completely understand why his fairytales find so many readers in faraway countries like Vietnam. Recently they learned that millions of schoolchildren in Vietnam knows the Danish famous poet quite well with the reason being Ms. Tran Thi Minh Tam. 

Her work with H.C. Andersen has stretched over almost 20 years and has resulted in an impressive fairytale-edition published in 2003 with 88 fairytales at first and later 100 fairytales. In different editions, these collections have since been published in 16 impressions and another impression is coming in 2018.

Tam’s impressive work means that schools all over Vietnam has been able to work with H.C. Andersen – and not just read his fairytales but also use them as an inspiration when working with visual arts, music and drama in school. The young people of Vietnam has thus acquired the fairytales as an entire world for their growing experience.

Besides Tam, the other award-winners are Dr. Phil. Klaus Müller-Wille (Switzerland) for his groundbreaking studies on the material aesthetics of Hans Christian Andersen and singer/composerSebastian(Denmark)for his interpretations of Hans Christian Andersen for the Danish musical scene.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is presented annually in recognition of outstanding achievements in working with Hans Christian Andersen and of contributions to promoting and spreading further knowledge of the Danish national poet in many parts of the world.  

These works have been expressed in the publication of new translations and publications, in many forms of artistic creativity, in philantrophical or educational activities. Since 1996 the Hans Christian Andersen Award Committee has presented its Honorary Award to 44 different organizations and individuals from 12 different countries. Tam is the first Vietnamese to receive this award.

The award ceremony is to take place on April 3rd, in the celebrated Danish poet’s native town of Odense. The award will be motivated and presented by Denmark’s Minister of Cultural Affairs, Mette Bock, the Mayor of Odense, Peter Rahbæk Juel and the Committee’s Creative Manager, Christian Have.

T. Van