Collective Reading #08: Cõi người ta - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry | 07.03.2026

"When in the garden a rose blooms from many grafted varieties, a fresh blossom, gardeners cannot stop admiring it. They set it apart, they care for it, they treat it well. But there is no gardener who tends to human beings.

...

I do not believe in pity. What troubles me is the gardener’s perspective. What troubles me is not that misery itself, because people can still lie quietly within it like the lazy holding onto their ‘lazy child’ and resting there. Many generations in the East have lived in bleak hardship yet remained content. What troubles me cannot be resolved by charitable soup kitchens. What troubles me is not poverty or raggedness, not the ugliness or decay. What troubles me is that in every person there is a Mozart being murdered.

Only the Spirit blowing through clay can create the Human."

"Cõi người ta," originally titled in French "Terre des hommes," is one of the special encounters between the poet Bùi Giáng and the "Little Prince" author Saint-Exupéry. The poetic, sometimes free-spirited translation style of Bùi Giáng has breathed a unique charm into Saint-Exupéry’s philosophical memoir about the meaning of life and the relationships between human beings.

Phòng Đọc warmly invites those interested in the works of Saint-Exupéry as well as the translations of Bùi Giáng to join this early spring “Collective Reading” session together with the librarian.

The event series "TẬP-THỂ ĐỌC" is a community activity belonging to the project "WAYS OF READING" - "NHỮNG CÁCH ĐỌC" by Phòng Đọc, aiming to promote reading culture through the creation of spaces and experiential programs optimally designed for readers.

You may refer to the book currently available at the Phòng Đọc library or the ebook version along with detailed information about the event below.

Registration link: https://forms.gle/jqxu9muQdkHNuZHP8

• Work: "Cõi người ta" - Author: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - Translator: Bùi Giáng
• Time: 2:00PM Saturday, 7th March, 2026
• Location: Phòng Đọc - The Reading Room, No.126 staircase 2, row F1, alley 190 Lò Đúc, Hai Bà Trưng, Hanoi.

Format & Participation Fee:

• Offline: 30.000VND/person (venue & teabreak). Seats are limited (maximum 10 people), so this option may close early once all registrations are filled.
• Online: Free (registration required).

Due to the limited number of seats, participants wishing to attend offline are kindly asked to register in advance so that we can serve you in the best possible way.

NOTE: As Phòng Đọc’s activities focus on literature and the arts, we limit the types of books/texts used in this collective reading activity to literature, poetry, literary criticism, philosophy, social sciences and humanities, art studies, and related fields.

Thank you for your understanding.

ABOUT "NHỮNG CÁCH ĐỌC" - "WAYS OF READING"
"NHỮNG CÁCH ĐỌC" is a community project by Phòng Đọc aimed at promoting reading culture through diverse space-based and event-based experiences (both offline and online) designed for readers.

The "TẬP-THỂ ĐỌC" event series is an activity within the "WAYS OF READING" - "NHỮNG CÁCH ĐỌC" project by Phòng Đọc, focusing on notable works of literature, poetry, literary criticism, philosophy, social sciences and humanities, art studies, and related disciplines.

Each month at the Phòng Đọc library there will be at least one "Collective Reading" session featuring a work proposed by either the librarian or readers. Participants are encouraged to read the work at home beforehand. During the event, selected excerpts (from 3,000 to 5,000 words) will be read aloud collectively in turns. After the reading, participants will discuss the excerpt and the work together under the facilitation of the proposer and the librarian. Longer works may continue to be read collectively across multiple sessions until the group wishes to move on to other books.

ABOUT PHÒNG ĐỌC - THE READING ROOM
Phòng Đọc is a space designed for reading, working, reflection, and community gatherings, optimized for book readers. We offer complimentary drinks for members who frequently use the space, as well as specially crafted beverages available from our menu or upon request. Visitors are encouraged to speak with the librarian for advice on the service package that best suits their needs.

(*) Event image: Excerpt from the painting "Savage Beasts in the Desert" (1975) by artist Salvador Dali.