Professor Ngo Bao Chau translates books for poor students

Professor Ngo Bao Chau has just announced on his Facebook about a gift he plans to give to poor students in the highlands and all those who love reading and children.

That is the launch of the translation of Oscar and the Lady in Pink - a work by French writer Eric - Emmanuel Schmitt. The translation was done by Professor Ngo Bao Chau and translator Nguyen Khieu Anh. The launch of the translated book will be held on Saturday, December 19 in Hanoi.

Cover of the book Oscar and the Lady in Pink - Photo: Quy Hien

In a cozy conversation, Professor Ngo Bao Chau and Miss Dang Thu Thao will introduce the book. Also at the launch, Nha Nam - the publisher and distributor of the book, will use a portion of the book's revenue to give gifts and auction two watercolor paintings by artist Nguyen Thanh Binh and some special prints to support the Poor Students in the Highlands Fund, of which Professor Ngo Bao Chau is the Honorary Chairman.

The main character of the book is Oscar, a 10-year-old boy who has leukemia and only has about 2 weeks left to live. In the whole hospital, from the doctors, nurses to the girls and boys in the hospital, no one dared to tell him that his bone marrow transplant surgery had failed.

Oscar's parents, so grief-stricken, did not even dare to see him after hearing the bad news. Only Mrs. Rose, an old woman who volunteered in children's hospitals, told Oscar the truth. Mrs. Rose told Oscar to write a letter to God, whom he did not believe existed. Write a letter to God, tell God stories, and ask God for one wish each day. Live each day as if it were ten years.

So Oscar wrote a letter to God, recounting his “life of over a hundred years” with many events, the primitive emotions at birth, the emotions of adolescence, the feelings about the discord with his parents, the thoughts of a man in his twilight years… All of these things made the last twelve days of Oscar’s life like a miracle.

Oscar and the Lady in Pink, first published in France in 2002, has received many awards: the Chronos Prize, the Jean Bernard Prize of the Academy of Medicine. The book has also been adapted into films and plays many times.

On his page, Professor Ngo Bao Chau shared: "Although no one wants to think about illness and loss on the day of celebrating the birth of Christ, I believe that this little book can still be a wonderful gift for the Christmas season."

Professor Ngo Bao Chau also said that he started translating this book three years ago, with the desire to introduce it to Vietnamese readers. Although the book is not thick, the translation work is not particularly difficult, but because he has two weeks of free time to complete the translation, it is quite difficult for him. Therefore, the translation was released two years later than expected.

“This project could have been completely bogged down if translator Khieu Anh had not stepped in to save it. This translation is 90% Khieu Anh’s,” said Professor Ngo Bao Chau.

According to thanhnien.vn