Mr Gum’s Creator Visits Hanoi

Opening: Fri 11 May 2012, 6 pm
Literature day: Sat 12 May 2012, 9 am – 6 pm
National Library of Vietnam

From British Council:

Author and creator of the well-known UK’s series “Mr Gum”, Andy Stanton, will visit Vietnam for the EUNIC (European Union National Institutes for Culture) Literature Festival in Hanoi.

The event will take place at the National Library from 11 to 12 May.  It follows an event held in March, when British Council in Hanoi together with Nha Nam Publishing House launched a Writing and Drawing Contest for young people to contribute their own ideas for the Mr Gum books.

Meanwhile the May visit by Andy Stanton to Vietnam will coincide with the book launch for the latest Mr Gum adventure: ‘Mr Gum and the Cherry Tree’.

Andy Stanton started the series with the idea of reading it for his cousins on Christmas Day as a present. The first book took him just eight hours on Christmas Eve. After that, the manuscript was forgotten in a drawer for several years before Andy found it again and discovered the story still made him laugh. He decided to edit it and send it to several agents. And this was how Mr Gum started his journey, in theUKand from there on to many countries across the world.

The stories with illustrations by David Tazzyman, won numerous awards including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize Award and the Blue Peter Book Awards – given by the longest running children’s TV show in the world – BBC Blue Peter.

During his visit to Vietnam this time, Andy Stanton will award prizes to  winners of the Writing and Drawing Contest which will take place at the launch of the Literature Festival at 18.00 Friday, 11 May 2012 at the National Library, 31 Trang Thi, Hanoi. Also at this event, the 7^th book of the Mr Gum’s series – ‘Mr Gum and the Cherry Tree’ will be introduced for the first time to Vietnamese readers by British Council and Nha Nam Publishing House at 19.00.

On Saturday 12 May 2012 at the National Library, 31 Trang Thi,Hanoi, Andy Stanton will have an interactive meeting with the readers at 09.00 am. Later on, Andy will participate in a roundtable meeting with Vietnamese writers and translators on the topics ‘Building Bridges with books: Bringing foreign literature toVietnam’ at 1000-1100 and ‘Writing for Children’ at 1100-1200.

Andy Stanton’s schedule as part of the EUNIC Literature Festival (11-12 May) in Hanoi:

11.05.2012

 18:00 – 19.00

Opening Ceremony of EUNIC Literarure Festival

Prize giving ceremony to the winners of the Drawing and Writing about Mr Gum competitions

 19.00 – 20.00

Introduce the 7th Mr Gum book: ‘Mr Gum and the Cherry Tree’ with the presence of        the author

12.05.2012

 9:00-10:00

Interactive meeting with young readers

10:00-11:00

Round- table meeting ‘Building Bridges with books: Bringing foreign literature to   Vietnam’

11:00-12:00

Round table meeting ‘Writing for young readers’

Free entrance to the above events.