The bilingual French and Vietnamese book Lettres de Hanoi (Letters from Hanoi), by French writer Jean Tardieu, has been presented to the public in the capital city.

Signed, sealed, delivered: The bilingual edition of Lettres de Hanoi by Jean Tardieu has been presented to the public in Hanoi.

The 259-page book, translated by Dang Thi Hanh, was published for the occasion of the Indochina University's (National University of Hanoi today) centenary by the Women's Publishing House.

The book is comprised of two long letters that the young soldier Jean Tardieu (1903-95) wrote to his friends Roger Martin Du Gard (who won the Nobel prize for literature) and Jacques Heurgon during his military service in Hanoi, beginning in 1928.

In these letters, he describes in eloquent detail his attempt at becoming familiar with a city so far from home and the troubles with colonialism.

French Ambassador to Vietnam, Jean-Francois Blarel said the book is rare insight into the Hanoi of the 1930s, seen by Jean Tardieu via his correspondences.

"These letters highlight the profound charm of Hanoi during this period, where descriptions of climate, colours, landscapes and the population create an unique and precious painting of Vietnam."

Although Jean Tardieu served the colonialist French army, he was moved by the Vietnamese people who were very modest and who worked so hard, "having the sorrowful colour of mud and sand, of the river and landscape."

In his work, he showed clearly his resentment against his fellow countrymen, the colonial mandarins. His pen condemned both colonialism and people who possess superior attitudes in regard to poorer countries, "French colonialists really closed their ears and eyes before this nation, which is very subtle and elegant, and still considered them to belong to an inferior rank."

Jean Tardieu received the Grand Prix of the French Academy in 1972 and the National Prize for literature in 1993.

"I first heard about those letters in 1985 when my father, who was at that time old and weak, asked me to come see them," says Alix Tardieu, the writer's daughter.

"He asked me if he should make the letters into a book. It was not the first time I heard about Hanoi, but I was very moved when reading the lines he wrote about the diverse cultural aspects of the city. Thanks to his detailed descriptions of daily life scenes, I could discover a lively city full of attractive colours," she said at a workshop held in Hanoi recently.

"We shouldn't forget the aesthetic book cover with a portrait of a young girl the north, painted by his father, Victor Tardieu (the first director of the Indochina Fine Arts College).

The beauty of these texts shows a comprehension and true love of the Vietnamese culture and soul," added the ambassador.

In 1997 the Paris Gallimard Publishing House published the letter to Roger Martin du Gard, and two years ago the letter to Jacques Heurgon was also published by Imec Publishing House.

(Source: Viet Nam News)