Nguyen Tuan - A Vignette of The Character

A Vignette of The Character

Nguyễn Tuân was first a patriot, who expressed 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, Đoàn Thị Điểm, Tú Xương, Tản Đà..., but also the arts of the common people, like ca trù, 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, sculpture, theater arts, to film. Nguyễn Tuân was also one of the first actors of 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 the 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.