HÀ NỘI — New books by Italian authors translated into Vietnamese will be introduced at the 24th Week of the Italian Language in the World, taking place this week in Hà Nội.

The Italian books are part of the Collection of Books of the Five Continents project, presented at the Department of Italian Studies of the University of Hà Nội on Wednesday. 

The project is being managed by the Times Science and Education Publishing Company and the university, aiming to popularise key aspects of Italian culture. 

The books including Lucy, The First Woman, Otzi, The Man Who Came from Ice and a four-book series Notes on Italian Cultural Identity, Short Italian Fashion History, Italian Sign Language and Bitter - An Italian Taste, will showcase different characteristics of the rich cultural identity of Italy. 

"The four volumes will offer Vietnamese readers stimulating food for thought on some specific areas of our culture, such as gastronomy and fashion," said Italian Ambassador Marco della Seta at the opening ceremony yesterday. 

"We are convinced that the translation of Italian books into foreign languages ​​is an essential step to promote our publishing industry and make our authors known abroad. 

"Books allow us to travel through time and space, crossing historical eras, traversing continents and sailing oceans," he said. 

At the opening ceremony, winners for the best tourist guide and the competition for the best interpreter/translator were also announced. 

Vietnamese students interested in studying in Italy, as well as their parents, also have had a chance to attend a fair to get information directly from the representatives of 14 Italian universities about possible study choices. 

This year's language event is dedicated to the theme Italian and the Book: The World Between the Lines, aiming to explore the connection between language and literature in the contemporary world, while highlighting the role of books as vehicles of cultural heritage, values and Italian identity.

On October 18, the Sun Symphony Orchestra will perform a concert at Hà Nội University featuring Italian compositions. 

Casa Italia will host an event to present the books Lucy, The First Woman and Otzi, The Man Who Came from Ice, translated into Vietnamese on October 20. — VNS