Introduction
Nguyễn Nhật Ánh is a Vietnamese writer widely known for his works for young readers. Over more than 40 years of writing, he has built an extensive literary career with works that have accompanied readers across generations.
Career
His first work, Trước vòng chung kết, was published by NXB Măng Non (predecessor of NXB Trẻ) in 1985. Since then, most of his works have been published by NXB Trẻ, while the Kính vạn hoa series was published by NXB Kim Đồng.
On January 5, 2021, in Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyễn Nhật Ánh and NXB Trẻ signed a five-year copyright contract (2021-2025) for 47 of his 49 existing works. The list includes familiar titles such as Phòng trọ ba người, Quán gò đi lên, Thằng quỷ nhỏ, Thiên thần nhỏ của tôi, Trại hoa vàng, Út Quyên và tôi, Người Quảng đi ăn mì Quảng, Sương khói quê nhà, Thương nhớ Trà Long, Cho tôi xin một vé đi tuổi thơ, Lá nằm trong lá, Ngồi khóc trên cây, Bảy bước tới mùa hè, Cây chuối non đi giày xanh, Tôi là Bê tô, and Chuyện xứ Lang Biang (4 volumes). Two titles, Kính vạn hoa and Đảo mộng mơ, were also contracted with NXB Trẻ in eBook format.
Two of his works have been translated into foreign languages: I see yellow flowers in the green grass and Ticket to childhood. Several works have been adapted into films, including Mắt biếc, Tôi thấy hoa vàng trên cỏ xanh, and Cô gái đến từ hôm qua.
Cho tôi xin một vé đi tuổi thơ was first published by NXB Trẻ on February 1, 2008. By 2020, it had been reprinted nearly 70 times with over 400,000 copies sold, making it the publisher's best-selling book for two consecutive years, 2017-2018. The book has been translated into Thai (Nanmee Books, 2011), Korean (Dasan Books, 2013), English (Overlook Press, 2014), and Japanese (Nikkei, 2020). The Japanese edition is 365 pages long, translated by Hiromi Ito and Sakae Kato, and includes the novella Đi qua hoa cúc.
In Japan, besides Cho tôi xin một vé đi tuổi thơ, two other works have been translated and published: Mắt biếc (Terrainc, 2004) and Tôi thấy hoa vàng trên cỏ xanh (Canaria, 2017).
Key milestones
In 1990, his novella Chú bé rắc rối received the Grade A Young Literature Award from the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union. In 1995, he was voted the most favorite writer of the 1975-1995 period and selected by the Ho Chi Minh City Writers' Association as one of 20 outstanding young writers of that period. In 2010, Cho tôi xin một vé đi tuổi thơ received the ASEAN Literature Award. In 2017, he received 10 Best seller awards from NXB Trẻ at the same time.
At the 2021 signing ceremony, he announced plans to release a new book in the fairy tale genre for young readers.