Mai Van Phan (right) receives the Cikada Prize from Dr Lars Vargö, chairman of the Cikada Prize’s jury, at the Temple of Literature on December 1. (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Hai Phong-basedMai Van Phan has become the second poet from Vietnam to win the prestigiousCikada Prize.
Established in 2004, the CikadaPrize is awarded to an East Asian poet who “in his/her poems shows poeticsensitivity for the inviolability of life”. The prize was founded on the 100thbirth anniversary of Swedish Nobel Prize laureate Harry Martinson. The winnergets 20,000 SEK (2,200 USD) and a ceramic art piece made by Swedish artistGunilla Sundström.
Inan award ceremony held at the Temple of Literature in Hanoi on December 1, Phanexpressed his appreciation to those who have translated his poems into otherlanguages. He expressed his appreciation for literary critics and translatorsErik Bergqvist and Maja Thrane, who helped bring his works to Swedishaudiences.
“I could not imagine that my poetry,which has a strong traditional identity, and my personality allure readers,especially smart judges on the other side of the globe,” he told Vietnam NewsAgency’s English language newspaper Viet Nam News.
Addressing the ceremony, YlvaJansson, Chargé d’Affairs of the Swedish Embassy said Phan has proved howpoetry can give us a greater understanding of the lives and cultures of others.
“Through poetry, the voice of oneperson can tell the story of many. His poetry has been translated into 25languages. Already in 2009 Mai Van Phan’s poetry was translated into Swedishand published as a part of the anthology ‘Till: igår – tolv vietnamesiskapoeter’. A bigger selection of his poems have this year been translated andpublished in Sweden through the book ‘Höstens Hastighet’,” she said.
Nguyen Phuong Hoa, deputy head ofInternational Cooperation Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism, stressed that the award is not only a recognition to the poet’s effortsbut also recognition for modern Vietnamese poetry.
“The prize is very meaningful,expressing an open policy in encouraging cultural diversity and helping all ofus understand more about the beauty of poetry, souls and lives of otherpeoples,” she said, “The prize is praise for the values of humanity for peaceand a better life as well as an important bridge in the Vietnam-Swedenfriendship.”
Phan, who was born in 1955 in thenorthern province of Ninh Binh, has received many literary awards in Vietnam,and his poetry has been published in volumes in English and French.
The first Vietnamese winner of theaward was Hoang Thi Y Nhi in 2015.-VNA
