Thai novel gets local release

Vietnamese readers were given a unique opportunity to gain insight into the world of Thai literature on August 19, when Thai writer Prabhassorn Sevikul's acclaimed novel ‘Time in a Bottle’ was released in Hanoi.

It tells the story of teenage boy Nat and his fledgling experiences with first love, friendship, happiness, sorrow and loss.

The author expects that throughout the story, Vietnamese readers will be able to understand the people, society and culture of Thailand.

Sevikul also shares his own childhood memories in the renowned book which has been re-published 39 times and translated into several languages.

Sevikul was born in 1948 in Bangkok. He joined Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1969 and has worked as a diplomat ever since. He started his writing career when he was a teenager with poems and short stories before penning his first novel in 1982. To date, he has written more than 60 novels.

Sevikul has received many literature prizes for his books, while several have also been turned into movies and TV dramas, including ‘Time in a Bottle’.

He is an active advocate of literary exchanges between Vietnam and Thailand . He edited and wrote the introduction for the Thai version of Nguyen Nhat Anh's ‘Cho Toi Xin Mot Ve Di Tuoi Tho’ (Give Me a Ticket Back to Childhood).

Early this month, he also visited Vietnam to introduce ‘Lotus Blooms in the Stream and Literature’, an English, Vietnamese and Thai language book of modern poems and short stories written by Vietnamese and Thai authors.

The book, published by Nha Nam Culture and Communication Company, costs 75,000 VND (4 USD).-VNA

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