Comics about the famous laughing scholars

Talking about folk laughter in the Vietnamese literary treasure, we cannot ignore the stories of the Mandarins..

From North to South, there have been many stories passed down about them, intelligent people with sharp arguments.

The images of the old countryside, the customs and daily activities appear cheerfully and warmly through the stories of the Mandarins. That is the breath of rustic rural life; the spirit of living happily, fighting against worries; the free and open-minded thoughts of the Vietnamese people. Those cultural beauties have become wonderful materials for the color comic series "Famous Folk Mandarins".

The concise, witty narrative and vivid illustrations have made the work attractive. Reading the stories of the Mandarins, after the hearty laughter, are profound and meaningful human feelings.

The complete set of “Famous Folk Mandarins” includes 5 volumes: Mandarin Lon, Mandarin Quynh, Ba Phi, Xien Bot, Ba Giai - Tu Xuat. The book is printed in large color, illustrated in a very stylish style by famous artists: Nguyen Bich, Ta Huy Long, Le Minh Hai…

“Trang Quynh, the Profound Trang” is a collection of 15 refreshing folk jokes, revealing the profound and rich intelligence of the working people, aimed at criticizing the lavish lifestyle and tyranny of kings, the arrogance of the Northern envoys, as well as all the bad habits in social life... Trang Quynh's stories are so attractive and popular that for hundreds of years now, there has been no Vietnamese person who does not know or remember at least a few stories of Trang Quynh.

* “Trang Lon – The Lucky Trang”. Although he came from a family of scholars, Trang Lon did not “prosper” in literature but only had the talent for debate and reasoning. Since childhood, Trang Lon was quite lucky, he kept talking randomly and got lucky several times, remembered poems and poems and married a young lady from a noble family, then thanks to the saint he was appointed as the first mandarin and went to China as an envoy... the end of his life was also glorious. The saint treated the foolish with kindness, thanks to this lucky Trang, later generations had many hearty laughs.

* “Xiển Bột – The Doctor”, a folk character believed to be real, named Nguyễn Xiển, lived at the end of the feudal period in our country, in Hoàng Bột village (now Hoàng Lộc commune, Hoàng Hóa, Thanh Hóa). Legend has it that when he was born, Xiển had a square face, big ears like Buddha’s, a wide mouth, bright eyes, and a very special appearance. Xiển Bột was famous among the people for his witty, satirical jokes, criticizing the bad habits of society, the mandarins and tyrants who bullied the people. He not only used his intelligence to punish the mandarins but also made fun of the king, how straightforward!

* “Ba Giai – Tu Xuat, the master of mischief” is an immortal couple in the story of the Mandarins. Many versions of these two “masters of mischief” all admit that Tu Xuat comes from a well-educated family, is a talented poet, eloquent in argument, and is quick-witted... while Ba Giai is also educated, intelligent, and quick-witted, but failed the exams, so he became mischievous and destructive. Set in the chaotic context of the early 20th century, with power in the hands of the French, a weak court, greedy officials, famine, and broken hearts, Ba Giai – Tu Xuat perhaps represent a number of young men who, although talented, have lost their way, do not know how to use their strength, become discouraged, and take teasing for fun... Behind their laughter, there is bitterness and regret.

* “Uncle Ba Phi – “Trang” who tells lies in the South”, the character’s prototype is artist Nguyen Long Phi (1884-1964). He was originally a farmer in Dam Doi district, Ca Mau province. He was born in Dong Thap province, and since childhood he had to work as a hired plowman to support his 8 younger siblings. When he was 15 years old, his mother passed away, and he became the main laborer in the family. Although life was difficult, he had to go to reclaim land during the day, plowing the fields and gardens; at night, he often joined music and singing gatherings. The people in the village loved his singing and respected his cheerful, straightforward, and generous nature. Uncle Ba Phi was a descendant of the ancestors who opened up the U Minh forest. His entire life was a process of reclaiming the primeval U Minh forest, which was generous but also harsh.

With the pioneering spirit and optimistic nature, Uncle Ba Phi's worldview appears vivid and lovely. Uncle Ba Phi's stories bring listeners refreshing laughter, smooth satirical tones rich in Southern characteristics, containing the heroism of the pioneers, love for nature and people./.

According to (vov)-TN