#108 Cun- Nguyen Huy Thiep
There are two things going on in this story. First it’s a
meta description of an author telling a story, making up details, and
exaggerating facts to fit his needs. The other is the story itself about a
deformed not-yet-human being that was found in a drain pipe named Cun.
Cun had a small, mangled body he could barely use to stand or
move, and a giant head with a surprisingly beautiful face.. He was found by the
beggar, Old Ha. Old Ha put him to work the streets using his deformity to lure
alms. He was exceptionally good at that.
“Cun…did not perish because he possessed two odd powers. One
of these was in is eyes, for they aroused fear in everyone around him. If
people passed Cun without throwing a coin into the torn hat on the ground
beside him, they did not feel at ease. The second of Cun’s powers was his
ability to bear extreme suffering: he could bear hunger and cold with such
indifference that is seemed his body was made out of some indestructible
material.”
Cun, and the above description is a commentary of how we see
the homeless and indigent, deformed yet cunning, able to suffer through a life
that we could not, having only base needs and short meaningless lives. “Human
beings don’t live like us. Good heavens, why do they persecute us like this? We
only want to live like everyone else, but are not able to.”
Interesting concept and unique structure. There is
definitely a Kafka fingerprint here. I can see why Thiep is considered one of
Viet Nam’s most influential writers.
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