Franca Bartholomäi (*1975) was inspired by Nguyen Du's literary masterpiece. She got involved with the Girl Kieu in an impartial and sensitive manner. Her series of works are a homage to the great epic poem (translated into German by Irene and Franz Faber). Franca Bartholomäi draws attention to the girl herself and how she is exposed to domination and violence. Franca's eyes are on the girl's suffering. In order not to offend any readers and admirers of Truyện Kiều, or any other interpretation of this story, Franca Bartholomäi calls her homage: The Girl K.
Franca Bartholomäi (*1975 studied from 1994 to 2003 printmaking with Thomas Rug at the Burg Giebichenstein Art Academy. Since then she has been working as a freelancer in Halle. In 2005 she was admitted to XYLON, the International Association of Woodcutters Woodcut passed on her experiences to students at Burg Giebichenstein.
From an interview with Franca Bartholomäi:
“... I also thought a lot about the ending. Is this a happy ending or not? Kieu survives all the hardships and humiliations and returns home to her family. In the end, if you will, she even gets her beloved Kim. He is willing to take her as a second wife alongside her sister Van. Verse 3221 says, "They tasted the sweetness of their love in the chastity of friendship." - That's a strange ending, but somehow believable...
... In general, it is this tension between the form, which is exotic for the European reader, and the intelligently composed, realistic structure that really impresses me. Kieu's behavior seems ambivalent to me and therefore humane and understandable. On the one hand she humbly surrenders to her fate, on the other hand she is despairs of it. And she acts too. Albeit quietly and delicately. Through her artistic skill, her gift of being able to write and play music well, she knows how to turn her fate positively several times...
... I read the verse epic neither as a guide nor as an accusation. Kieu is struggling with fate, she's really desperate. She tries to take her own life twice. But there are always happy coincidences that turn her fate into a better direction. If this teaches us anything - or rather shows us something - it is that despair is part of life. The very big perfect happiness is not possible, but a small, to a certain extent “damaged” happiness. The book also shows that there is such a thing as dignity. Kiều is being humiliated in the worst possible way. Nevertheless, she never loses her dignity, as the ending in particular impressively shows.” (Franca Bartholomäi, 2019)