Red river, blue Danube

"Love is like a plant, it sprouts, blossoms, then withers. Why do they stubbornly try to cling to immortal love with An? Why do they have to live in the eternal moment?" This is the question asked by the male protagonist in the first pages of Kieu Bích Hau's novel, but the dilemma - as a continuous organizing principle - hovers in the nooks and crannies of the story throughout. The twin events of longing and renunciation zigzag between East and West, Vietnam and Hungary: the poet from Budapest, András, and the "witch of literature" An from Hanoi turn the cliché of "neither with you nor without you" into reality. In this, they are helped not only by the ever-changing harmony of their senses and consciousness, but also, of course, by the wisdom of poetry. Visiting Hungarian locations, we can follow the characters into the spiritual dimensions of a special love. The novel Red River, Blue Danube is a lightly written story - any resemblance to the characters or fictional characters is purely coincidental.