French writer touring Vietnam
Noted French writer Patrick Deville is meeting with Vietnamese audiences to discuss his novel "Plague and Cholera" (Peste et Cholera), which has just been published by Tre (Youth) Publishers.
Deville is due to make appearances in the cities of Da Lat, Hanoi and HCM City.
"Plague and Cholera" tells the stories of Swiss-French doctor Alexandre Yersin, who is credited in Vietnam with discovering Liang Biang Plateau, the site of Da Lat town, some 300km northwest of HCM City, in 1893.
Deville's exchange with local residents in the central city of Da Lat is being recalled during the French Year in Vietnam activities, celebrating the 150th birthday of Dr Alexandre Yersin, who discovered Da Lat.
The first exchange took place at Book Cafe, 18-20 Hoa Binh Area, Da Lat on December 11.
Deville then moved on to Hanoi to discuss his book "Longue Vue" (Long Vision), translated into Vietnamese by Doan Cam Thi and published by Nha Nam Company and Tre Publishers. The talk began at 8pm on December 12 at L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street.
Audiences in HCM City will meet Deville at 10am on December 14 at the IDECAF, 31 Thai Van Lung Street, District 1.
After studying comparative literature and philosophy at the University of Nantes, Patrick Deville lived in the Middle East, Nigeria and Algeria during the 1980s. In the 1990s, he regularly visited Cuba, Uruguay, and Central America.
In 2011, Lire magazine editors selected his work, entitled "Kampuchea", as the best French novel of the year.
In 2012, his novel "Plague and Cholera" was viewed as among the most prominent of the literary season, selected among almost all French prize finalists, and received the Fnac prize and the Prix Femina.