ASEAN Literature Award Winners Honored in Thailand

Writers awarded the ASEAN Literature Prize 2023.

The ceremony to honor the awardees was held solemnly with the participation of 17 award-winning writers and poets from 9 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand, along with many guests including diplomats , scholars and lovers of Southeast Asian literature and art.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Sumet Tantivejkul extended his heartfelt congratulations to all the winners of this prestigious award in 2022 and 2023; and affirmed that the event will serve as a catalyst to deepen the relationship, identity and values ​​among the 10 ASEAN countries, highlight the region’s shared heritage and traditions, and promote unity, peace and prosperity across ASEAN.

Writers awarded the ASEAN Literature Prize 2022.

Writer Nguyen Binh Phuong (born in 1965, from Thai Nguyen ) was awarded the ASEAN Literature Prize 2022 for his novel "A Trivial Example", which won the Vietnam Writers Association Award in 2021. He is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Army Literature Magazine and the Literature Newspaper.

Considered a person who walks firmly on both the novel and poetry path on the literary path, writer Nguyen Binh Phuong has published 6 novels, including “The Old Dead Children” and “Me and Them”; and 5 poetry collections, including “Indifferent Fishing Session”. His works have been translated into English, French, and Korean.

Writer Nguyen Binh Phuong.

Writer Nguyen Mot (born in 1964, from Quang Nam) was awarded the ASEAN Literature Award 2023 with the novel “From the sixth hour to the ninth hour” which won the Vietnam Writers Association Award 2023 and the Dong Nai Literature and Arts Award. He is the author of nearly 20 books in many different genres, including novels, short stories, short novels, memoirs, documentary scripts, etc.

Notable works of Nguyen Mot include “Tien mat la dong song” (The River Before the Face) which won the short story award of the weekly Van Nghe Hoi Nha Van (Writers Association) in May 2002; “Dat troi vu” (the novel was translated into English and kept in the US Library of Congress) and “Ngoc mat troi” (Trinh Hoai Duc award in 2017).

In an interview with Nhan Dan Newspaper's correspondent in Thailand, writer Nguyen Mot expressed that this is a very good cultural event for writers in the region to have the opportunity to exchange with each other. According to him, the organization has been carefully prepared by the Thai Royal Family, from the reception to the organization of meetings between writers in the region to discuss writing, and the translation of works from countries into the languages ​​of other native countries to further expand literary exchange activities in the region.

Writer Nguyen Mot.

Writer Nguyen Mot believes that the great significance of this literary award is that through literature, people become closer, understand each other better and have cultural exchanges with each other. Writer Nguyen Mot hopes that Vietnam will also have an award for writers in the region to have the opportunity to exchange culture, and especially literature.

Considered one of the most prestigious literary events in the region, the ASEAN Literature Awards was initiated by the Royal Thai Government in 1979 to recognize and honor the works of contemporary poets and writers from ASEAN countries.

Thai literary giant Naowarat Pongpaiboon presents the poem "The Power of ASEAN".

The award ceremony on the evening of November 25 in Bangkok took place in a warm and culturally diverse atmosphere, when the award-winning authors had the opportunity to express their poems in their own languages ​​​​to the listening and applause of the entire audience. As noted by the Organizing Committee, each award-winning author not only left an indelible mark on the literary landscape but also enriched our understanding of the diverse cultures and stories of Southeast Asia.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/vinh-danh-cac-tac-gia-doat-giai-thuong-van-hoc-asean-tai-thai-lan-235224.html