The exhibition entitled Kim Van Kieu và Cac Ban Dich (Kim VanKieu & Translations) includes over 100 book titles with 70translations in 21 different languages.
Among these is the firsttranslation in French by the orientalist Professor Abel des Michels in 1884.
“The exhibition is being heldto commemorate Nguyen Du, who is regarded as one of the greatest Vietnamesepoets,” Ambassador Tran Thi Hoang Mai, head of the Vietnamese PermanentDelegation to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO), said.
“A UNESCO Resolution in 2013pledged to work with Vietnam to celebrate Nguyen Du’s 250th birthday atUNESCO's headquarter and many other places around the world.
“People whose birthanniversaries have been celebrated in association with UNESCO are eminentpersonalities who made great contributions to world culture,education and science. Nguyen Du is among them.”
Nguyen Du (1765 –1820) was honoured in 1965 by the World Peace Council, along with eightothers, for his devotion to Vietnamese literature and world culture.
He was also recognised as aWorld Cultural Figure by UNESCO at its 37th General Conference session inParis in 2013.
French and Vietnamese peopleattended the exhibition opening including Vietnamese Ambassador to France NguyenThiep, Professor and Southeast Asia researcher Pascal Bourdeaux, andParis-based literature researcher Nguyen Song Huong.
The exhibition is being held atthe Vietnam Centre in France with support from Vietnamese researchersliving there.
“This is the first time thatthe most complete translations have been shown with 73 versions,” saidresearcher Huong.
“It is a difficult processbecause the translations are very old and not many are left. Most of thetranslations are outside Vietnam.”
Over the past 140 years,generations of translators and poets have constantly overcome difficulties andobstacles in language and culture to convey TheTale of Kieu in various languages, bringing the Vietnamesemasterpiece to the world.
A set of stamps commemorating NguyenDu’s 200th death anniversary and a painting by Vietnamese-French Ngoc Thanh arealso on display.
A short documentary titled Nguyen Du With the Hometown of Ha Tinh madeby Ha Tinh Television Station is being screened at the exhibition.
The exhibition willrun until September 26 at the Sudestasie bookstore in District5, Paris./.