Design: Thai Gottsmann
Gästebuch_2
But why should people in Vietnam read this book now, more
than 20 years after the events took place? Author The Dung
claims there is a need for such an introduction as most of his
fellow Vietnamese know very little about contemporary
German history.
"Very few people in Vietnam can really comprehend what
happened in Germany with the fall of the wall. That is why I
thought we should start our publishing business with this
particular book."
Vipen Editors has also published a volume of essays by East
German writer Christa Wolf, where she analyses the political
events of 1989. Wolf is already known to intellectuals in
Vietnam as the author of "Der geteilte Himmel" ("Divided
Heaven"), a novella about the situation in the GDR, which was
available in Vietnamese in the 1980s. Now readers will have
the chance to follow up on her views about Germany.
Books need to be sold
Peter Knost has published books from the developing world
for a long time
However, running a publishing house is not just a matter of translating
and printing. Books also need to be sold. Currently, Vipen Editors can
only circulate small numbers of their books in Vietnam. A few stores in
the major cities import the books from Berlin.
As Peter Knost explains, they also want to target buyers closer to
home: "We can’t really reach the Vietnamese community via German
book stores. Instead, we sell our books at events, public readings,
libraries, and so on. Many Vietnamese corner shops that sell all kinds
of things also have books on display."
Several German trade publishers already bring out books in
languages such as Turkish, Arabic, or Russian. With their titles in
Vietnamese, Vipen Editors is trying to fill a gap and hoping to turn it
into a profitable business.
"If everything works out as planned over the next five years, we will
have conquered and securely established our market niche."
But the men behind Vipen Editors know the most crucial aspect of
their plan: To find ways to distribute larger numbers of their books not
just at home, but in Vietnam.
Author: Thomas Voelkner
Editor: Anne Thomas
Weiter
Es gab eine Zeit, da das Unvorstellbare vorstellbar wurde
Und das Unmögliche tatsächlich geschah
"...Ấy là thời gian mà những điều không thể hình dung đã thành có thể
Và những điều không được xảy ra đã xẩy ra rồi..."
Thế Dũng