After seven years of dedication, Vietnamese comic artist Linh Rab has released Adventures of Crickid, the English edition of Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Của Dế Út. The work, inspired by Tô Hoài’s classic Diary of a Cricket, won the 2024 Aspiration for Dế Mèn Award.

A graduate of the Việt Nam University of Fine Arts, Rab (real name Nguyễn Thế Linh) lives and works in HCM City. For more than 20 years, he has devoted himself to creating children’s comics, teaching and inspiring young people who love the art of visual storytelling.

Rab is beloved by young readers through other works such as Một Ngày Kỳ Lạ (A Strange Day), Mình Không Thể Ngủ Được (I Cannot Sleep), Tủa Đi Lạc Rồi (Tủa Got Lost) and Khúc Hát Cầu Mưa (The Rain-Praying Song). 

 

Inner Sanctum: Your new work, Adventures of Crickid, the English version of Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Của Dế Út, has just been published. What motivated you to create it?

After completing the four Vietnamese volumes, I gave them to my two young nieces in Malaysia. They loved the illustrations but couldn’t read Vietnamese. That moment strengthened my wish to have an English edition for them.

Right after the last volume of Cuộc Phiêu Lưu Của Dế Út was released, Tạ Tố Hà (alias HaTa), a reader who loved the series, translated it into English as a personal project. When we met, I persuaded her to become the official translator. We shared the same wish of producing an English edition for children abroad who cannot read Vietnamese.

We then presented the idea to the Kim Đồng Publishing House. Luckily, they agreed right away because the translation was of such high quality. Thanks to that, a small dream turned into an official project, and Adventures of Crickid was born. For me, this is how the story of Dế Út can reach international readers.

Inner Sanctum: What are the differences between the English edition and the original Vietnamese version?

In terms of illustrations, I corrected many small details that sharp-eyed young readers had noticed in the original, such as a missing petal on a flower or missing spikes on the character Dế Trũi. The English version combines the four volumes into two, with entirely redesigned covers.

I also added two pages of mini-comics, cultural notes to help foreign readers better understand the Vietnamese context, as well as a section guiding readers on how to draw characters and sharing my own experiences in comic creation.

It can be said that this version is more complete and offers a broader reading experience.

 

Inner Sanctum: The English version was launched to coincide with the 105th birthday of writer Tô Hoài. What does this mean to you?

I am always grateful to Tô Hoài. Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký (Diary of a Cricket) and many of his other works nurtured my imagination from childhood. Being able to add a new colour to his work makes me feel very lucky. This is my small tribute as part of the younger generation to a great figure of Vietnamese children’s literature.

Inner Sanctum: The Vietnamese version won the Aspiration for Dế Mèn Award in 2024. What did this recognition mean to you?

The award gave me tremendous confidence. As everyone knows, comic art in Việt Nam has very few professional practitioners.

Currently, Vietnamese comics account for only about 2 per cent of the domestic market, while foreign imports, especially manga, dominate. A small survey we conducted showed that the total output of Vietnamese comics in one year is equivalent to the number of imported comics sold in Việt Nam in just one week. That is an enormous challenge.

But I believe opportunities always exist because parents and children still want to read Vietnamese stories, with familiar characters, landscapes, and cultural settings. That is the driving force for us to continue creating.

Inner Sanctum: Are you working on any new projects?

I am polishing and finalising several projects, one of which is a travel comic inspired by the culture of the Mông ethnic people. If the work receives support in Việt Nam, developing an English edition will certainly be the next step to bring the story further. And if it fits the criteria, I will submit it to the next Dế Mèn Children’s Literature Award. VNS