“The Tale of Kieu” by the great poet Nguyen Du is not only a literary masterpiece but also a cultural and linguistic monument. The work is a linguistic encyclopedia and a powerful testament to Nguyen Du’s profound humanism.
In order to preserve and introduce different editions of the masterpiece “Truyen Kieu”, the Truth National Political Publishing House has selected and published 5 books of “Truyen Kieu”, which is the dedicated research work of great scholars in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This is not only to introduce and honor the work but also to honor the scientific work of pioneers in the field of textual studies and ancient literary annotation; at the same time, it helps readers feel the ladder of linguistic progress, and understand more about the early stages of the development of the National Language.
The five editions introduce readers to different approaches to “The Tale of Kieu,” from early national language transcriptions, popular annotations, to segmental interpretations and in-depth textual research.
The work “Kim, Van, Kieu Story” transcribed and annotated by Truong Vinh Ky is a document of special historical and linguistic value. First published in 1875, this is considered the first “Truyen Kieu” printed in Quoc Ngu script in Vietnam. Truong Vinh Ky’s work not only helped “Truyen Kieu” escape the barrier of Nom script, spreading more widely to the public, but also contributed to the process of Quoc Nguizing textual studies. In particular, this work also has a preface in French (Avant propos), demonstrating Truong Vinh Ky’s vision and efforts in introducing the national masterpiece to the world . For researchers, this is an important comparative text to study the early stages of Quoc Ngu script.
The work “Kim Van Kieu” annotated by scholar Bui Khanh Dien has a strong popularization and educational character. Bui Khanh Dien has done a meticulous job of annotating historical allusions, Chinese allusions and explaining many ancient words that are difficult for the general public to understand in the original work. This work shows the scholar’s concern in creating a bridge between the ancient literary heritage and modern readers, making “The Tale of Kieu” easier to enjoy for all classes of readers.
The work “The Tale of Kieu” (The Tale of Kieu) edited by two prestigious scholars Bui Ky and Tran Trong Kim is considered a standard and prestigious literary work. The two scholars researched a large number of documents in Nom script and ancient Vietnamese script, comparing each sentence to eliminate almost all errors, in order to establish an original text (clean version) closest to Nguyen Du's ideas and language.
Ho Dac Ham's work "The Tale of Kieu" is divided into 238 sections marked with Roman numerals, each section has a summary and a brief description with simple, accessible and easy-to-understand text. This method helps readers easily follow the plot, and the work also has a Chinese character annotation and a "Doi tra" section to compare this text with contemporary versions of "Kieu". Ho Dac Ham's work is useful for readers as a self-study textbook, to research deeply about "The Tale of Kieu".
The work “The Tale of Kieu” (The Tale of Kieu) edited and annotated by Nong Son Nguyen Can Mong is a work that emphasizes the accuracy of the text. The editing is very elaborate, requiring scholars to compare many different handwritten and printed copies to eliminate different versions and correct errors caused by oral transmission or copying. Nguyen Can Mong has made an important contribution to standardizing the clean and reliable text of “The Tale of Kieu”.
The publication of 5 editions of Truyen Kieu with respect and keeping the original (including spelling, grammar and ancient words) by the Truth National Political Publishing House helps readers admire the beauty of a literary masterpiece, while also allowing readers and researchers to clearly see the mark of time and the development of the Vietnamese language through each period.
The unique and creative thing is that when owning all 5 editions of this book, readers can combine the portrait of Kieu through the spine of the book. The book series is expected to create inspiration and motivation to stimulate young people and researchers to continue exploiting the endless treasure of knowledge left by the great poet Nguyen Du.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/kham-pha-nhung-tang-sau-moi-cua-truyen-kieu-qua-5-an-pham-vua-ra-mat-723174.html
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