Nguyễn Tuân (July 10, 1910 – July 28, 1987) was a renowned Vietnamese author. Books about public schools in

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

rank him as one of the nine most famous authors of contemporary Vietnamese literature. He wrote essays on multiple subjects, with clever and creative use of language.

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

has a street named after him, in the Thanh Xuan district.

Biography

Nguyễn Tuân was born on July 10, 1910, on Hàng Bạc street in

. His family lived in Thượng Đình hamlet, Nhân Mục commune (commonly known as Mọc village), today part of Nhân Chính ward, Thanh Xuân district, Hanoi. His family adhered to the traditional Confucianism, but by the time of his childhood, Confucianism and traditional Chinese-influenced education had started to decline, replaced by more modern French-influenced culture. In 1929, during his last year of intermediate schooling (the equivalence of ninth grade in junior high school), Nguyễn Tuân was suspended because of his participation in a petition against a few French teachers, who demeaned Vietnamese people. Shortly after, he was imprisoned for illegally crossing the border of colonial

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. Upon his release, he started writing as a journalist and an author. Nguyễn Tuân began his writings in the early 1930s, but only gained public recognition in 1938 with several essays and reports such as ''Vang Bóng Một Thời'' (''Echo and Shadow Upon a Time''), ''Một Chuyến Đi'' (''A Trip''), etc. In 1941, he was again imprisoned, this time for his communication with the political revolutionaries. After the

August Revolution The August Revolution ( vi, Cách-mạng tháng Tám), also known as the August General Uprising (), was a revolution launched by the Việt Minh (League for the Independence of Vietnam) against the Empire of Vietnam and the Empire of Japan in ...

in 1945, Nguyễn Tuân joined the Communist party and kept working as a writer. From 1948 to 1958, he held the position of Chief Secretary of the Vietnamese Art & Literature Association. His works during this time feature mostly the scenery and cultural color of Vietnam, such as the collection of essays ''Sông Đà'' ('' River Đà'') (1960), a diary from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

(1965–1975), among others. Nguyễn Tuân died in Hanoi in 1987, leaving his readers a collection of exceedingly creative and artistic work. In 1996 he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh Award for Art and Literature.

A vignette of the character

Nguyễn Tuân was first a patriot, who expressed a deep love for traditional values and cultural beauties. Having a great appreciation of the Vietnamese language, he admired not only masterpieces from famous authors such as

Nguyễn Du Nguyễn Du (; 3 January 1766 – 16 September 1820), pen names Tố Như () and Thanh Hiên (), is a celebrated Vietnamese poet. He is most known for writing the epic poem ''The Tale of Kiều''. Biography Youth Nguyễn Du was born in a gre ...

Đoàn Thị Điểm Đoàn Thị Điểm ( vi-hantu, 段氏點, 1705 - 1748), courtesy name Thụy Châu (瑞珠), pseudonym Mai Khuê (梅閨) or Rosy Clouds Lady (紅霞女士), was the classical-Vietnamese female poet. Biography Đoàn Thị Điểm was born in 17 ...

, Tú Xương, Tản Đà..., but also the arts of the common people, like

ca trù ''Ca trù'' (, , "tally card songs"), also known as hát cô đầu or hát nói, is a Vietnamese genre of musical storytelling performed by a featuring female vocalist, with origins in northern Vietnam. For much of its history, it was associated ...

, a form of theatrical singing of northern Vietnam. The interest did not stop at being just a spectator, but helped him study and become knowledgeable at various topics, ranging from

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

theater art Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

s, to film. Nguyễn Tuân was also one of the first actors of the Vietnamese motion picture industry, with his participation in the first Vietnamese movie ''Cánh Đồng Ma'' (''The Haunted Field''). Unlike the traditional Vietnamese people whose life and perception were often enclosed by the border of their village, Nguyễn Tuân was an adventurer. His early works, such as ''Thiếu Quê Hương'' (''Without a Homeland''), depict a strong character yearning for change and adventure, to learn about the world outside one's comfort zone, and to improve oneself. He is said to claim that his personality is guided by the principle of ''chủ nghĩa xê dịch'' ("''motionism''"), having coined the term himself. He also envisioned himself as having a mindset greater than that of the society at the time, which provoked dispute from readers and government officials. The conceited Nguyễn Tuân gradually gave way to a calmer character as he aged, which showed in the change of tone in his works, going from self-centered to seldom self-humored and mostly observant and descriptive of the surroundings. Throughout his life, Nguyễn Tuân stressed and highly valued

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...

Literary career and the main topics of interest

Nguyễn Tuân was not a successful writer from the beginning of his career. Having tried a variety of forms and techniques, such as

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

journal A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to: *Bullet journal, a method of personal organization *Diary, a record of what happened over the course of a day or other period *Daybook, also known as a general journal, a ...

, realist

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

in the form of

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

, he only realized his forte in

essay An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...

s in early 1938. This resulted in several successes: ''Một Chuyến Đi'' (''A Trip''), ''Vang Bóng Một Thời'' (''Once Upon an Old Time''), ''Thiếu Quê Hương'' (''Without Homeland''), ''Chiếc Lư Đồng Mắt Cua'' (''The Crab-Eyed Copper

Censer A censer, incense burner, perfume burner or pastille burner is a vessel made for burning incense or perfume in some solid form. They vary greatly in size, form, and material of construction, and have been in use since ancient times throughout t ...

'')... Before the

of 1945, the main topics of Nguyễn Tuân's work revolved around "''motionism''", the beauty of the past, and the corrupted lifestyle. The idea of "motionism" was first created from his frustration and helplessness toward the historical period and its society. As he traveled, or "moved", however, his appreciation for the nature and culture of the country grew and was documented in his work (''Một Chuyến Đi'') with care. The beauty of the past is portrayed in ''Vang Bóng Một Thời'', with stories about old traditions, and the old lifestyle, which he collected from his trips. This collection of essays and short stories is written in the narrative voice of the Confucianists, whose roles were receding to the past and replaced by the new French-influenced culture. An example of this character type is ''Huấn Cao'', in the short story ''Chữ Người Tử Tù'' (''Penmanship of a Death Row Prisoner''); Huấn Cao is another name of the historical figure

Cao Bá Quát Cao Bá Quát (, 1809–1855) was a Vietnamese poet and revolutionary who led a peasant uprising against Emperor Tự Đức. He was either executed or killed in battle. Many of his poems were destroyed, but about 1400 (most written in Han Tu) su ...

, a revolutionary against French control in Vietnam. Nguyễn Tuân's work during this period of time shows disbelief in the present and the future. On the other hand, corrupt lifestyle is a common topic among the realist writers of the time, and Nguyễn Tuân was not an exception. In his work involving this topic, the narrator was often confused and lost. Nonetheless, the characters, despite living in poor conditions, wish for a pure lifestyle and maintain their respectable traditional values. Such characteristics make Nguyễn Tuân's work, ''Chiếc Lư Đồng Mắt Cua'' for example, different from other realists. After the August Revolution of 1945, Nguyễn Tuân's work was heavily influenced by

socialism Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

and

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

, as to be suitable for publication under the Communist government control. Although the stories and characters were changed, the style remained clever and honed to perfection. The main theme was still an illustration of his patriotism, with strong focus now shifted to the common people, farmers, workers, and military men, in a newly constructed society.

Literary style

Nguyễn Tuân mastered the journal free style, with a tone easily distinguished from other authors. Before the August Revolution in 1945, his style can be summarized as free will with a dash of eccentricity. Every subject of his essays was described with artistic remarks and knowledgeable observations. After 1945, his works no longer seek the contrast between the old traditional values and the new life, but the tone still had the light combination of quaintness and youthful. Because Nguyễn Tuân praised the idea of "motionism," his characters are full of willful emotions; even the settings of his works usually reflected a sense of confidence and a majestic spirit, that is said to be higher than those of his surrounding environment and of his time. An example is the character ''Bạch'' in ''Thiếu Quê Hương'' (''Without Homeland''). Strongly emphasized, the self in Nguyễn Tuân's works also carries careful thoughts and examination of the surroundings. The aloofness in early works was replaced by a more subtle self-humor, an indication of the maturity in his literary style and life.

Works

*Ngọn đèn dầu lạc (1939) (''The Peanut-Oil Lamplight'') *Vang bóng một thời (1940) (''Once Upon an Old time'') *Chiếc lư đồng mắt cua (1941) (''The Crab-Eyed Copper Censor'') *Tàn đèn dầu lạc (1941) (''The Peanut-Oil Lamplight Part II'') *Một chuyến đi (1941) (''A Trip'') *Tùy bút (1941) (''Stories'') *Tóc chị Hoài (1943) (''Miss Hoài's Hair'') *Tùy bút II (1943) (''Stories II'') *Nguyễn (1945) (''Nguyễn'') *Chùa Đàn (1946) (''Dan Pagoda'') *Đường vui (1949) (''Happy Road'') *Tình chiến dịch (1950) (''Love at the Operations'') *Thắng càn (1953) (''Over-victory'') *Chú Giao làng Seo (1953) (''Uncle Giao from Village Seo'') *Đi thăm Trung Hoa (1955) (''Visiting China'') *Tùy bút kháng chiến (1955) (''Wartime Stories'') *Tùy bút kháng chiến và hòa bình (1956) (''War and Peace Stories'') *Truyện một cái thuyền đất (1958) (''Story of A Dirt Boat'') *Sông Đà (1960) (''Đà River'') *Hà Nội ta đánh Mỹ giỏi (1972) (''We Hanoians Fight the American Well'') *Ký (1976) (''Diary'') *Tuyển tập Nguyễn Tuân (tập I: 1981, tập II: 1982) (''Collection of Nguyễn Tuân'', part I and II) *Yêu ngôn (2000) (''Words of Ghosts'', posthumously published)

References

External links

Nguyễn Tuân và quá trình hiện đại xã hội Việt Nam thế kỉ XXĐộc đáo Nguyễn TuânTuyển tập Nguyễn Tuân trên Thư quán
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nguyen, Tuan Vietnamese writers 1910 births 1987 deaths