Vente art photo Ref. 5939
The Lovers at Huỳnh Thủy Ancient House

Marguerite Duras resided in Sadec, a small town in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, during her childhood and early adulthood. Her novel, “The Lover” narrates the love affair between Huynh Thuy Lê, a wealthy Chinese heir, and the author, set in colonial Indochina between the two World Wars.

The novel gained international acclaim in 1984 when it was awarded the prestigious Goncourt Prize. It further captured global attention with the release of the film adaptation by Jean-Jacques Annaud, which brought to life the romance between Huynh Thuy Lê and the author in the historical setting of colonial Indochina.

This photograph is a composite image featuring various elements found in the Huỳnh Thủy Ancient House, constructed in 1895 by Huỳnh Thủy Lê’s father, a merchant immigrant from Fujian, China. Within this splendid Indochinese-style residence blending French, Vietnamese, and Chinese architectural influences, film stills are displayed, creating the illusion that the two actors truly inhabited the space, blurring the lines between fiction and historical reality.