With her new book, a young, emerging Russian writer has offered readers an intriguing insight into Vietnamese culture and people.

Darya Dotsuk’s second children’s book, the Russian title of which means “Tangerine Season,” is among the 14 finalists for the 2014 V. P. Krapivin International Children’s Literature Award.

The award is granted in honor of celebrated Russian children’s author Vladislav Petrovich Krapivin, whose several hundred books have been translated into dozens of languages.

The award also aims to encourage creative writing that follows the traditions that Krapivin established.

This year’s competition has drawn works by 122 authors from around the world. The final result will be announced by the end of the year.

Dotsuk’s book, which is packed with memories, highlights the bond between a Russian teenager and Vietnam.

The book was inspired by, and based on, her husband’s stories from Vietnam, where he spent his entire childhood and which he considers his second motherland.

Intrigued by Vietnamese culture, Dotsuk, 24, extensively researched the country’s folklore in both Russian and English translations before writing the book.

Her husband also helped her with material written in Vietnamese.

“In my book, I tried, to the best of my ability, to convey the fairy tale-like atmosphere and the country’s appreciation of traditions,” the young author shared.

She accompanied her husband to Hanoi in the summer of 2010, and the couple stayed there for almost a month.

“Initially everything in Hanoi, including ‘non la’ (conical hats), dragon-shaped hedges, and dishes seemed strange to me, but I soon fell in love with them. I particularly love coconut milk, which I find greatly refreshing,” Dotsuk recalled.

The young writer noted that she relished the cozy atmosphere in the inner city; the cheery, kind-hearted locals; and the city’s iconic Guom (Sword) Lake, where she would sit, drinking in her husband’s childhood memories of Vietnam.

She also adored the incongruous co-existence of time-honored edifices and traditional crafts with high-rise buildings and the hectic pace of modern Hanoi – the Southeast Asian country’s capital.

In contrast to many Russians’ rudimentary, stereotypical understanding of Vietnam and its people, Dotsuk’s protagonist, a precocious 13-year-old named Pasha, is constantly thinking of the country’s imaginary Cuoi, or Moon Boy, and the elderly veterans who no longer bear grudges against their wartime enemies.

The son of a Russian diplomat who has worked in Vietnam for several years, Pasha spends his childhood growing up in the country, alongside a local wet nurse – a living dictionary of Vietnamese folklore – and several other friendly natives.

When his family returns to Russia, the bewildered teen becomes an estranged, isolated migrant in his homeland.

“What I feel sorry about is that Russians, particularly youngsters, know very little about Vietnam. Through my book, I wish to make a difference and want everyone, particularly high school students, to pay due attention and respect to other countries’ cultures,” Dotsuk stressed.

“I think with my book, I’ve achieved certain success in familiarizing Russians with Vietnamese culture, which is even more time-honored than our own. As the number of Russian tourists to Vietnam has been on the rise in recent years, I hope my book will help in certain ways in removing the prejudices and stereotypes for better mutual understanding,” she noted.

The young author shared that she once intended to write a story based on Vietnamese legends and fairy tales, and she may work on this idea in the future.

A graduate in international journalism from Russia’s prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Dotsuk has decided to devote her time to her writing career.

Her first book, whose Russian title means “My Monster and I,” is also a critical success and one of Russia’s most-loved children’s books.

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