Reception of the 20th Century German Novels in Vietnam in terms of Research and Criticism since 1986

Abstract

In a comparison with the translated books, the research and criticism of 20th century German novels in Vietnam since 1986 have not many achievements. The German novelist of the 20th century that was mostly researched in Vietnam is Franz Kafka. Although some writers as Herman Hesse, Anna Seghers and Erich Maria Remarque have been widely translated in Vietnam, the reception of their works in terms of research and criticism seems to be limited. A well-studied author in the world such as Günter Grass has not received much attention from Vietnamese researchers. Language barriers, the lack of policies to promote research on German literature, the absence of 20th-century German works in high school curriculum could be considered as the reasons for this uncomprehensive reception.