Brussels, 11/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, officially launched “Flash Europa 28” on 10 September, during her official visit to China and Mongolia (5-12 September). This is a new literary project that seeks to showcase 140 new works of flash fiction written by young Europeans from the 28 member states of the EU, via online platforms in China. During the launch ceremony organised by The Bookworm in Beijing, the Commissioner stated “Flash Europa 28 presents a wonderful opportunity for Chinese people to discover young European writers - and what their lives are like. I hope that Chinese readers make the most of this exciting project by using it as a chance to learn more about Europe and what young Europeans are experiencing and writing about these days. They may be surprised to find that perceived cultural differences will melt away as they realise that young people in Europe are concerned about the same things as their Chinese counterparts, such as relationships, friends, studies, unemployment, travel, climate change and family”.
These short works of fiction must be no longer than 500 words and written by Europeans aged up to 28. They will be translated from the original languages into Chinese. One of these stories will be published every day for a period of 28 weeks, with each week focusing on one of the 28 countries of the EU. The first new story, written by a young German author, will be published on Monday 6 October and should be able to be read simultaneously on several internet platforms.
Flash Europa 28 was set up by the European Union delegation in China, in association with The Bookworm, a literary organisation in China, Shitao Storytelling, Literature Across Frontiers, the China Flash Fiction body, http://www.weixiaoshuo.com , and the 28 embassies of the EU member states in Beijing. (IL)