(VNF) - The 2018 Kafka Festival provides a playground for book lovers in Hanoi, and this year's festival performances and exhibitions will be presented in the capital of Vietnam from March to April at various locations citywide.

Franz Kafka is the writer born in Prague (now is the capital of Czech Republic) into a German-speaking Jewish family. He wrote mostly in German. In his lifetime, he traveled a lot through many European countries, e.g Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy,… for holiday and to recover from his illnesses. Kafka always observed and contemplated about the life of people in each country he visted. Many of his famous works were inspired and written during these journeys, presenting a vision that was ahead of his time. His legacy is an inestimable treasure that we will always admire.

Kafka Festival 2018 is to celebrate the 135^th birthday of Franz Kafka (July 3^rd, 1883 – June 3^rd1924) - organised for the first time in Hanoi with the participation of the Embassies of Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany and Switzerland in Vietnam and Literature Faculty from the University of Social Science and Humanity in Hanoi, and many different cultural organisations.

The festival includes activities in different fields such as literature, cinema, art performance, academic conference,… that promise to bring a lot of valuable, trustworthy information about Kafka’s life, works, and his significant influence on posterity.

PROGRAM:

Kafka’s Corner – “Meet up with Kafka”

(in more than 20 different cultural spaces in Hanoi)

Time: 05 Mar – 14 Apr 2018

Venue: East West Cultural Space, Heritage Space, Nha Nam Bookstore, TPD Cinema Development Center, Bluebirds’ Nest cafe, Tranquil Book cafe,…

For more than a month (05 Mar – 14 Apr 2018), readers and lovers of art literature will have the opportunity to re-discover the literary heritage, the unique philosophy that Kafka left behind at more than 20 cultural places in Hanoi.

Kafka’s Corners are the cornerstones of exhibiting and introducing information about Kafka’s personal life, literature career and his great works, many of which have been translated into Vietnamese. New research, novels inspired by his life and work will be available. Readers can easily find out more about the festival program or read these books and publications at each Kafka’s Corner. There will also be nice souvenirs and books available at the Corners (with a 20 per cent discount) to better understand Kafka and his great contribution to modern literature.

Kafka – A Journey to Vietnamese readers

(series of three consecutive exhibitions held from 23 Mar to 14 Apr 2018 at Hanoi’s major cultural spaces)

Session 1: 23 Mar – 01 Apr 2018, at The East-West Cultural Space, No. 99 Nguy Nhu Kon Tum, Thanh Xuan, Hanoi

Session 2: 3 – 08 Apr 2018, at Heritage Space, Dolphin Plaza, No. 6 Nguyen Hoang, Nam Tu Liem, Hanoi

Session 3: 9 – 14 Apr 2018, at Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities, 336 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi

The exhibition will provide the readers with detailed information about the life and work of Franz Kafka and artworks inspired by the writers’ work. The exhibition comes in 9 large scale panels with texts in Vietnamese and English.

Coffee talks

Franz Kafka – Life and Legacy

Time: 2.30 – 5 pm, Sat 24 Mar 2018

Venue: East West Culture and Language Center, No 99 Nguy Như Kon Tum Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi

Franz Kafka – More than a name

Time: 3 – 6 pm, Sat 07 Apr 2018

Venue: Heritage Space, Dolphin Plaza, No 6 Nguyen Hoang Street, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi

Philosophy in the Art of Franz Kafka

Time: 3 – 6 pm, Fri 13 Apr 2018

Venue: Nha Nam Book and Coffee, Shop House 10, P6, Times City, Minh Khai Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi

Films screenings

Documentary “Who was Kafka?” Switzerland, 2006, 98 min

Time: 2.30 – 5 pm, Sun 25 Mar 2018

Venue: East West Culture and Language Center, No 99 Nguy Nhu Kon Tum Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi

Kafkaesque short films – “Joseph Kilian”, Czech Republic, 1963, 38 min and others

Time: 6.30 – 9 pm, Wed 04 Apr 2018

Venue: Heritage Space, Dolphin Plaza, No 6 Nguyen Hoang Street, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi

“The Castle”, Germany – Austria 1997, 123 min

Time: 2.30 – 5 pm, Sun 08 Apr 2018

Venue: The Centre for Assistance and Development of Movie Talents, No 51 Tran Hung Dao Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

“The Trial”, France – Germany – Italy 1962, 119 min

Time: 7.30 – 10 pm, Tue 10 Apr 2018

Venue: L’Espace, No 24 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Kafka Film Day at Hanoi University of Social Sciences and Humanities

Time: From 9.30 am, Sat 14 Apr 2018

Venue: Room 402, Building I, Hanoi University of Social Sciences and and Humanities, No 336 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi

“Kafka dances” – Reading and Dancing Performance: Charlotte Spitzer und Ziga Jereb, Austria

Time: 7.30 pm, Fri 06 Apr 2018

Venue: Cultural Exchange Center, 50 Dao Duy Tu Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Writing contest “Kafka with us”

International Conference “Perception of Kafka in Asia, Particularly in Vietnam”

Time: 9 am, Sat 14 Apr 2018

Venue: Hanoi University of Social Sciences and and Humanities, No 336 Nguyen Trai Street, Thanh Xuan District, Hanoi.

VNF