Following two special editions crafted with lacquer materials and dragon motifs embroidered on brocade fabric, Thai Ha Books has introduced a third special edition of the “Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition” featuring a mother-of-pearl inlaid cover.

Marking Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day (21 April) and commemorating the 260th anniversary of the birth of the great poet Nguyen Du, on 12 April, Thai Ha Books organised a launch and exchange event for this special publication at Hanoi Book Street.

For more than 200 years, Truyen Kieu by the great poet has remained deeply present in Vietnamese cultural life as a work that lives across generations. It is read, recited, discussed, and even quoted in everyday speech.

The Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition – a Nom-script version from the Nguyen Dynasty royal court (featuring illustrated Truyen Kieu) – was jointly produced by Thai Ha Books and Hanoi Publishing House. It has been reconstructed based on the 1894 Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition currently preserved at the British Library. Beyond its textual scholarly value, this edition offers contemporary readers an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Nom script and the historical spirit of linguistic autonomy of the Vietnamese people.

At the event, Dr Nguyen Manh Hung, Chairman of Thai Ha Books, shared that after many years of reflection, with determination and a desire to create distinctive, truly special and impressive editions, Thai Ha Books has successfully published the Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition as a way to express gratitude, reverence, and a continued effort to highlight the greatness of Truyen Kieu.

The book’s editor-in-chief, Master Duong Trung Dung, noted that to date, hundreds of different versions of Truyen Kieu have been introduced. Among them is Kim Van Kieu Tan Truyen – commonly referred to as the Kim Van Kieu Annotated Edition or Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition – currently held at the British Library. Research indicates that this version was completed in 1894. Although it has attracted academic interest, no fully transliterated, annotated, and officially published edition has yet been widely made available to readers who love Truyen Kieu.

“With the aim of preserving and promoting this heritage, the editorial team has devoted significant effort to compiling and presenting a relatively comprehensive annotated version of the Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition. Its distinctive value lies in two key aspects: the scholarly annotations and the unique artistic illustrations,” Master Duong Trung Dung stated.

Each page of the Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition follows a consistent and structured layout comprising six elements: introductory lines, folio numbering, a summary of the main content in red ink, the original Truyen Kieu verse, annotations, and illustrative artwork corresponding to the excerpt.

The book features a rich system of notes and commentary, totalling approximately 705 annotations. Among these are around 513 notes on origins and sources, 127 explanatory notes on vocabulary and verses, one textual comparison note, and 64 critical commentaries (including original, classical, and marginal critiques).

In terms of illustration, the book includes a truly unique collection. All 146 paintings are executed in a meticulous traditional fine-brush style, likely using ultra-fine brushes, forming a vivid visual narrative sequence.

In addition to the standard edition, Thai Ha Books has released a limited run of 260 special copies of the Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition, corresponding to the 260th anniversary of Nguyen Du’s birth. These are divided into two types: handcrafted lacquer editions and handcrafted editions featuring dragon embroidery on brocade fabric.

At the event, Thai Ha Books unveiled the third special edition—the mother-of-pearl inlaid version of the Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition. This edition represents a fusion of literature and the traditional mother-of-pearl inlay craftsmanship of Chuon Ngo village (Chuyen My commune, Hanoi).

According to Pham Thuy, a representative of the team responsible for producing the special editions, each version is a meeting point of literature, history, and traditional craftsmanship, created with meticulous care, dedication, and passion. In the near future, Thai Ha Books will also release a pocket edition of the Truyen Kieu Annotated Edition to reach a wider readership.

Source: Hanoi Moi Newspaper