Dumb luck
Subtitle: a novel
By: by Vũ Trọng Phụng ; Peter Zinoman, editor ; translated by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman ; with an introduction by Peter Zinoman.
Contributors: Nguyẽ̂n, Nguyệt Cà̂m.; Zinoman, Peter, 1965-
Series: Southeast Asia: politics, meaning, memory
Publisher: University of Michigan Press
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Ann Arbor
Language: eng
Number of pages: 189
Subjects: Social change -- Vietnam -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction.
Genres: Fiction.
Description: Vũ Trọng Phụng’s Dumb Luck (originally Số Đỏ, 1936) is a biting satire of 1930s colonial Vietnam that follows the absurd rise of Red-Haired Xuan, a street-smart vagabond who ascends to the heights of high society through sheer coincidence and a series of hilarious misunderstandings. Using a "wickedly funny" tone, Phụng lampoons the superficial Europeanization and hypocrisy of the Hanoi bourgeoisie, who desperately mimic Western fashions and progressive ideals without any true moral or spiritual foundation. The novel remains a cornerstone of Vietnamese literature for its "realistic depiction" of social stratification, its sharp wit, and its exploration of the unpredictable nature of fate.
Notes: Originally published:  Só̂ đỏ : Hanoi, 1936.