by Michael Counsell (Translator), Nguyen Du (Author) It's always been the same: good fortune seldom came the way of those endowed, they say, with genius and a dainty face. What tragedies take place within each circling space of years 'Rich in good looks' appears to mean poor luck and tears of woe; which may sound strange, I know, but is not really so, I swear, since Heaven everywhere seems jealous of the fair of face. The tale of Kieu, a talented young girl, was written in verse in Vietnamese by Nguyen Du, who lived in Vietnam from 1765 to 1820. Although the story is set in China, it was the greatest work of literature until then to be written in the Vietnamese language, and many would say it is still unrivalled.