AUTHORS OF THE TALE OF KIỀU MANUSCRIPT AND THE VIETNAMESE – FRENCH CULTURAL EXCHANGE AT THE END OF THE XIX CENTURY

Abstract

The Tale of Kiều Manuscript (the Manuscript) currently preserved at the British Library is an unique print among the publications of The Tale of Kiều, Nguyễn Du most renowned work, as its story entails an East – West journey. The recently discovered Manuscript bears significant artistic, literary and textological values. The Manuscript is an integrated text, in which one can find many traces of the Thăng Long prints, and influences from the Southern prints of Kiều made by Abel des Michels and Trương Vĩnh Ký. Studying the Manuscript also reveals the string of fate between Trương Minh Ký and Athur Chéon, Paul Pelliot and Abel des Michels, French culturalists who lived and studied the Viet culture during the end of the XIX – early XX century. Based on several textological traces and historical documents, this article describes the journey in which the author of this artistic work which bears the mark of a Vietnamese – French cultural exchange is identified.