Hitting shelves: A set of the Vietnamese literary masterpieces launched in Ha Noi. — Photo baomoi.com

HA NOI (VNS) — Six Vietnamese books from the 1930-45 period have been reprinted in Ha Noi by Nha Nam Culture and Communications Company.

Considered masterpieces of Vietnamese literature, the books are So Do (Dumb Luck) by Vu Trong Phung, Viec Lang (The Village) by Ngo Tat To, Vang Bong Mot Thoi (Once Upon an Old Time) by Nguyen Tuan, Mieng Ngon Ha Noi (Ha Noi's Tasty Dishes) by Vu Bang and Gio Dau Mua (Early Seasonal Wind) and Ha Noi Bam Sau Pho Phuong (Ha Noi's 36 Streets & Guilds) by Thach Lam.

Implemented by the Nha Nam Co and the Viet Nam Writers Association Publishing House, the project aims to reintroduce the works to Vietnamese audiences and make them once again popular, said Vu Hoang Giang, director of Nha Nam Co.

"The project will honour works which best reflect Vietnamese literature in the 1930-45 period. Different genres such as novels, reportage and essays will be selected," Giang said. "These works are great successes of Vietnamese literature."

In the first phase, the Nha Nam company invited literature researchers Lai Nguyen An, Pham Xuan Nguyen and writer Ta Duy Anh to collaborate on the project by collating the various editions of each book.

An collected copies of So Do, including the first copy printed in Ha Noi Newspaper in 1938 as well as other editions printed in 1946, 1952 and 1961.

"Collation is very tough work," An said at the launching ceremony in Ha Noi last week.

About 2,000 copies of each book were released, according to Dang Tran Quan, an employee at Nha Nam Co.

"A recent survey by Nha Nam Company found that students at Ha Noi universities wanted to read Vietnamese literature from the 1930-45 period. So it was essential to have a system to reprint these masterpieces," Quan said.

In the next phase, the publishers will reprint books written after 1945. — VNS