The L.I.T Show or “Love In Translation” is a podcast program that specializes in literary translation, initiated and produced by the filmmaker Nguyen Le Hoang Viet. This podcast will introduce Vietnamese literature translators through inspiring conversations, sharing untold stories about translation work, the passion behind the pages, as well as the beauty of languages.
The second episode of the L.I.T Show features a discussion with Ms Nguyen Hong Van – the translator of the book “Death in Venice” by Thomas Mann.
Death in Venice is a short novel by world renown German writer, Thomas Mann (1875-1955) - a writer, social critic, humanitarian, and winner of the 1929 Nobel Prize for Literature. Thomas Mann’s works are famous for his highly symbolic, satirical, and especially, the insight into the psychology of artists and intellectuals. He is considered one of the greatest German writers of the 20th century.
Death in Venice, his early masterpiece, depicts the search for love and beauty in the midst of a society where nobility is in decline. A story with five condensed chapters, but packed with a coherent, sophisticated work of structure, language, mythology, and philosophy. A book well suited for the readers to begin the monumental career of Thomas Mann. In particular, in 1971, the famous Italian director, Luchino Visconti, adapted this book into a movie of the same name.
This work was translated from the original German into Vietnamese by Nguyen Hong Van, she is also a guest of The LIT Show episode 02. As a Vietnamese working and living in Germany, she has a special affinity for the works of Thomas Mann and has translated three of his works: Death in Venice, The Magic Mountain and Confessions of Felix Krull. The first two works are in the series “The Open Door” by the Youth Publishing House.
Episode 02 of the Love In Translation - The LIT Show podcast will air at 8pm on Friday, November 19, 2021 on Spotify, Apple Podcast and Anchor.
The “Werther is Alive” series in the Podcast The LIT Show - Love In Translation is made possible with the sponsorship and companionship of the Ignite Creativity Grant 2021 program, an initiative from the Goethe Institute in Ho Chi Minh City.
About the creator:
Nguyễn Lê Hoàng Việt is a writer, director and the co-founder of “ever rolling films” company. His short films participated and won awards in various film festivals (Roommate, The Cat and The Orange Seeds). His video art Eroica 2020 showcased in Bozar The Center for Fine Arts (Brussels, Belgium) and the Goethe Institut Hanoi.
Please check out our podcast “The L.I.T Show” on Spotify, Anchor and Apple Podcast with the keyword "Love In Translation - THE LIT SHOW”. Each episode will feature a cozy conversation between a translator and the host Nguyen Le Hoang Viet, with an excerpt reading from the translation work in two languages Vietnamese and German - read by the host and the guest respectively.
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