A ceremony was recently held in the headquarters of Junge Welt daily newspaper to introduce the famous “Nhat Ky Trong Tu” (Prison Diary) by President Ho Chi Minh in German, which was translated from Chinese by two German citizens, on the occasion of his 130th birthday (1890-2020).
Dr. Erhard Scherner, a writer and poet and his wife, Dr. Helga Scherner, who studied Chinese language and culture in Leipzig, Berlin and Beijing, translated the diary from the Chinese version to German to show their admiration and respect for President Ho Chi Minh’s personality and talent.
Speaking at the event on September 10, Dr. Scherner said through more than 100 poems translated into German, readers can feel the contents of the great thought of President Ho Chi Minh, as well as messages imbued with humanity and revolutionary spirit in his simple poems.
He emphasized that despite being imprisoned in Guangxi, China, with extraordinary mettle and will, President Ho Chi Minh always maintained his belief, optimism, his aspiration for freedom and equality, and boundless love for the humankind.
According to Dr. Scherner, he and his wife unintentionally read President Ho Chi Minh's four quartet poems in a Chinese literary newspaper in 1957, and were immediately impressed. Since then, they have learned about the President and collected his other poems from various sources.
The couple translated and published the first German version of the diary in late 1975 and early 1976. This republished poem collection is hoped to help more readers understand more about President Ho Chi Minh - a typical revolutionary leader, a national hero and a world cultural celebrity.
Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Nguyen Minh Vu thanked Mr and Mrs Scherner for their enthusiasm and affection to translate the diary, saying that they have contributed to helping German readers better understand the President's life and career.
According to the ambassador, President Ho Chi Minh's thought is the ideological foundation and guideline for the Communist Party of Vietnam at present, and he expressed the hope that the collection of poems would be warmly welcomed by German readers as well as the Vietnamese community in the country.
At the ceremony, Ms. Doreen Kähler, an actress, recited poems by President Ho Chi Minh in German, and artist Dao Xuan Phuong also performed some works by President Ho Chi Minh on bamboo flute and monochord.
The event left a very good impression on attendees. Readers can buy the books at bookstores in Germany or order on Amazon.de./.
BTA