Author(s): Nguyên Hồng

Young Adult | New Arrivals

"Belgian shell" is a novel written and rewritten by Nguyen Hong at least five times. Completed on April 26, 1937, it won the literary prize of Tu Luc Van Doan. At that time, the writer was only nineteen years old. Having lived a frugal life, Nguyen Hong spent some time in prison where he interacted with all kinds of people. It was this experience that provided the first materials for his writing.

"Belgian shell" tells the story of Tam-Binh, a country girl with a pure soul and intentions, who suffers from contempt by contemporary society and yearns for salvation. Although written when the author was very young,  the novel succeeded in powerfully exposing the harsh social realities of the era the story is set in. The novel first signaled the author as an emerging literary talent.  Although the novel has a tragic ending, readers can feel the author's kindness and faith in the goodness in anyone's heart.

The book is brilliantly illustrated in the style of the Naïve Art school by Hoang Phuong Vy whose work is characterised by simplicity and childlike forms. He abandoned the traditional rules of perspective, using strong colors and contrasts, that combine to express reality not as it is seen, as it's felt.  Hoang Phuong Vy artistic interpretation of of Vietnamese metaphors and subtleties demonstartes the artist's confidence in handling his literary subject with skill and respect.