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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautifully written epic poem that leaves a lasting impression through the captivating journey of its protagonist, Kieu, whose trials and unexpected conclusion are deeply satisfying, resonating well with the overarching themes of fate.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I read this with my dad, who was a high school Vietnamese Literature teacher with the ability to explain every single word of this masterpiece. From him I learned that Truyen Kieu is even greater a piece of classic literature than it’s taught in school - hell, schools only touched its surface. Reading and dissecting Truyen Kieu gave me new perspectives on the mother tongue that I dear. Vietnamese is a beautiful language indeed, but I tend to sigh when I think of the fact that it seems like nobody possesses a Vietnamese penmanship as skillful and thorough as Nguyen Du anymore. It saddens me to see words used in the wrong context, with the wrong connotation, and sometimes with the wrong spelling too, by so many people whose first language is Vietnamese. Call me a language freak alright, but I’d rather be one than letting this language be distorted to waste. Truyen Kieu really reminds me that I have to keep to my roots, no matter how far I am away from home.
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4 stars for the story, 3 stars for the translation.
I recently visited an exhibition in Hoi An that had collected hundred of copies of this story, all different versions, in different languages, from different eras.
Originally a 17th century Chinese novel (Jīn Yún Qiào) that was picked up and adapted into an epic poem by the Vietnamese author Nguyễn Du in 18th century Vietnam. Still incredibly popular in Vietnam it has been translated into dozens of languages since it's original publishing in 1820.
The translation most readily available to me through the library, Penguin Classics translated by Timothy Allen (2019), was okay but there were some English-isms that I did not love and threw off the verse for me. Allen did provide extensive notes on why he made the translation choices that he did, but some of the contemporary language took me out of the story at times.
What I liked about the Penguin Classics publication was the Introduction which dove into the comparison between the original Chinese novel and Nguyễn Du's adaptation and a look into the Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary.
In 2021 there was a translation published by Nguyễn Bình which I am going to seek out and read while this version is fresh in my mind
I recently visited an exhibition in Hoi An that had collected hundred of copies of this story, all different versions, in different languages, from different eras.
Originally a 17th century Chinese novel (Jīn Yún Qiào) that was picked up and adapted into an epic poem by the Vietnamese author Nguyễn Du in 18th century Vietnam. Still incredibly popular in Vietnam it has been translated into dozens of languages since it's original publishing in 1820.
The translation most readily available to me through the library, Penguin Classics translated by Timothy Allen (2019), was okay but there were some English-isms that I did not love and threw off the verse for me. Allen did provide extensive notes on why he made the translation choices that he did, but some of the contemporary language took me out of the story at times.
What I liked about the Penguin Classics publication was the Introduction which dove into the comparison between the original Chinese novel and Nguyễn Du's adaptation and a look into the Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary.
In 2021 there was a translation published by Nguyễn Bình which I am going to seek out and read while this version is fresh in my mind
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Haven’t cried this much because of a book for quite some time…