The Girl Kieu Symposium
On Invitation only
Truyện Kiều is considered to be the single most important work of Vietnamese literature. The beauty of its language and the vast array of extreme life situations and hopes in this narrative, the miraculous rescue of Kieu and restoration of her life in dignity form an integral part of Vietnam's intellectual cultural heritage.
The epic was first time published in German in 1964 (by Irene and Franz Faber). Translations help to lift "The Girl Kieu" into the rank of world literature. Nguyen Du belongs to the world literary canon like Cervantes, Chekhov, Shakespeare and Goethe. Truyện Kiều even appeals to those who don’t know much about Vietnam – it’s the girl’s story that moves readers. Truyện Kiều has thus become a medium of cultural understanding and rapprochement with Vietnam.
In appreciation of the translation and in veneration of the original and the poet Nguyen Du, the Goethe-Institut organizes a symposium. The symposium will approach the text from two different angles: firstly, a philological appreciation of the work based on its traditional reading; secondly, a reflection on the woman’s contemporary situation. During our discussions, we hope to liberate the text from the almost sacred reverence with which it is usually approached, and to rediscover it for contemporary interpretation. What makes the text and its artistic promise of reconciliation with the world still relevant today? Which image of women is unfolded in the epic? How do deal with this cultural heritage? How do you bring KIEU to the stage today?
To this conversation, we invite a circle of Vietnamese connoisseurs, who provide information about the literary tradition on the one hand, and the role of women and today's image of women in society on the other hand. From Germany we welcome Amélie Niermeyer and Christian Schmidt. Amélie Niermeyer is theater director and has made a name for herself in the German-speaking theater world for women's roles. Christian Schmidt is a stage designer for classical operas, where the image of the woman very often resembles that of the Kieu.
Biography Christian Schmidt
Biography Amelie Niermeyer
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